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Kelowna Rockets halt Victoria Royals’ win streak

Victoria Royals head coach Dan Price said his team has been at its best this season when getting off to good starts. While that might seem an obvious statement to make about any team, it is especially true of the Royals.
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Rockets forward Kyle Crosbie wheels away from Royals forward Kaid Oliver at Prospera Place on Wednesday.

Victoria Royals head coach Dan Price said his team has been at its best this season when getting off to good starts. While that might seem an obvious statement to make about any team, it is especially true of the Royals. They are a tough front-runner built to protect leads, but lacking the kind of starry offensive firepower needed to rally.

The Royals had every opportunity to get off to a strong start Wednesday night in Kelowna but squandered three first-period power-play opportunities in a 4-1 Western Hockey League loss before 4,685 fans at Prospera Place.

The missing-in-action oddman allowed Kelowna to steal into the first break leading on a late goal by NHL second-round Las Vegas Golden Knights draft pick Kaedan Korczak.

It was pretty much game, set, match after second-period Kelowna goals by Jake Lee, Alex Swetlikoff and Michael Farren as the Rockets moved to 11-8-2. The Royals had a four-game winning streak halted in falling to 10-8-1.

The Royals are 2-2 in the season series against their arch B.C. Division nemesis from the Okanagan.

Victoria forward Sean Gulka’s sixth goal of the season denied Roman Basran’s shutout bid at 11:49 of the third period.

Basran finished with 26 saves in goal for Kelowna. Brock Gould, ranked for the fourth-through-seventh rounds of the 2020 NHL draft, made 28 saves in the Victoria crease.

The Royals’ power play concluded 0-4, while Kelowna went 0-3.

The Rockets are preparing to host the 2020 Memorial Cup in May with an automatic bye.

The Royals return to Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre on Friday to face the Edmonton Oil Kings (14-4-5), ranked No. 8 in the Canadian Hockey League top-10 poll.

ICE CHIPS: Matthew Hicketts, younger brother of former Royals blue-liner and Canadian national-team world junior championship gold-medallist Joe Hicketts, refereed Wednesday’s game in Kelowna.

cdheensaw@timescolonist.com