Junior hockey: Rockets coach hopes Everett lesson will pay off in Prince George

The Kelowna Rockets were somewhat outclassed on Wednesday night by the Western Conference-leading Everett Silvertips.

“We felt we did some good things. We did get out played,” Rockets head coach Adam Foote said following his team’s 4-2 home-ice loss to Everett.

Finnish import defenseman Lassi Thomson did some good things. He opened the scoring in the first with a power-play marker and added a deuce in the second.

Thomson’s second goal of the game came at 19:58 of the middle frame, just two seconds before the second period expired. He is now tied for third in WHL rookie scoring with 9 goals and 18 assists for 27 points in 39 games.

Also playing for Kelowna last night was new defenceman Schael Higson, who donned a new uniform just hours after being acquired from the Brandon Wheat Kings for blue-liner Braydyn Chizen.

Higson, 20, at 6-foot-1 and 220 pounds and hailing from Grand Prairie, Alta., should provide a steady physical presence on the blue-line for the rockets for the rest of the season.

“He’s got a lot of good things and he’ll be good for our club,” said Foote.

Higson and the rest of the Rockets (17-19-3-1), though, weren’t able to stop an onslaught of Everett shots, as the Tips (32-8-1-1) outshot Kelowna 44-24.

Notably, Rockets goaltender James Porter was the first star with a 40-save effort.

Down 3-2 with a minute left, Foote pulled Porter for an extra attacker. The Rockets, however, couldn’t break past center ice, as Everett kept Kelowna in its own half despite the 6-on-5 scenario. A turnover led to Gianni Fairbrother scoring into an empty net with 10 seconds left, and the crowd of 5,025 began exiting the building.

“It’s good measuring stick for us for where we are at,” Foote said of the game.

“We have to learn the hard way and we have to learn that you have to play every shift and you can’t take a shift off against a team like that.”

Foote hopes it’s a lesson Kelowna can put into action on Friday night in Prince George when they take on the Cougars (14-22-1-2).

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