It was a heartbreaking loss for the ÁðÁ§ÉñÉç Rockets as they fell 4-3 to the Everett Silvertips on Wednesday night at Prospera Place.
Everett got out to the early 1-0 lead in the first period but Rockets captain Gabriel Szturc responded with two goals in a 3:26 second span as ÁðÁ§ÉñÉç led going into the second frame. Marek Rocak assisted on both goals while Caden Price and Max Graham also collected a helper each.
He suits, he scores!
— ÁðÁ§ÉñÉç Rockets (@ÁðÁ§ÉñÉç_Rockets)
Gabriel Szturc, winner of the MacDermott's Menswear Player of the Month suit, nets the Rockets first goal.
Gabriel Szturc, whoop de doo make it two!
— ÁðÁ§ÉñÉç Rockets (@ÁðÁ§ÉñÉç_Rockets)
The Silvertips regained the lead in the middle frame when Tarin Smith and Hayden Smith each scored their seventh goal of the campaign.
However, less than a minute later, Price scored his seventh goal of the season on a spin-o-rama move for the Rockets to tie the game 3-3.
Caden Price hits 'em with the spin-o-rama! x
— ÁðÁ§ÉñÉç Rockets (@ÁðÁ§ÉñÉç_Rockets)
The game remained tied through the majority of the third period until Carter Bear scored for the Silvertips with just 1:31 left to go in the game, to give Everett the lead and the win.
Jake Pilon made 32 saves in the loss for the Rockets.
On Wednesday night, 16-year-old Lachlan Staniforth made his WHL debut with the Rockets. He was the team’s sixth round pick in the 2022 WHL Prospects Draft.
With the loss, the Rockets have now dropped two games in a row. In both games, the team’s leading scorer Andrew Cristall has been held on the scoresheet. Additionally, the Rockets were also without forward Tij Iginla for those two games as he was attending the CHL/NHL Top Prospects game.
ÁðÁ§ÉñÉç is now back to even on the season with a record of 21-21-2-0, sitting sixth in the WHL’s Western Conference. Everett, with the win, took over first place in the conference.
The Rockets are back in action this weekend for a home-and-home series against their rivals, the Kamloops Blazers. The two teams will meet at Prospera Place on Friday, Jan. 26 at 7:05 p.m. and then travel up the highway to drop the puck at the Sandman Centre in Kamloops on Saturday at 6 p.m.
READ MORE: ÁðÁ§ÉñÉç Rockets’ Iginla shines in Top Prospects game
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