The North Okanagan Knights dropped their home opener 6-1 to the Golden Rockets in Kootenay International Junior Hockey League action Friday, Sept. 30.
Penalties were abundant at the Nor-Val Centre with the Knights taking eight penalties and the Rockets making seven trips to the box.
Kade Cochlan got the scoring started for the Rockets with less than two minutes remaining in the first period, assisted by Jordan Lario, who had a stellar offensive night.
Thirteen seconds into the second, Lario scored an unassisted shorthanded goal to make the score 2-0.
The Rockets kept pushing, with Ethan Aebly scoring his first goal of the season, assisted by Levi Lamotte and Lario.
Then, with two minutes to play in the second, Lario scored his second unassisted shorthanded goal of the period to make it 4-0 Rockets.
In the third, goals from Brydon Foster and Derek Teare further extended the Rockets lead.
The Knights avoided being blanked in the final minute of the game, when Kevin-Thomas Walters scored a powerplay tally, assisted by Fraser O’Brien and Ethan O’Rourke.
The Knights return to action versus the Sicamous Eagles Saturday night, again at home at the Nor-Val Centre. The puck drops at 7:15 p.m.
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