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By Pieter Uni
Mark Guggenberger stopped 35 shots and the Kelowna Rockets scored twice in the third period to win 3-2 in the second game of their second round playoff series against the Tri-City Americans.
Guggenberger allowed a soft goal in the opening period but rebounded with a sparkling performance, including 15 saves in the second period, and was named the game’s first star.
Spencer Main tallied a goal and an assist while Lucas Bloodoff and Brendan McMillan each added singles for the Rockets as the series now returns to Kelowna for games three and four tied at one game apiece.
For Bloodoff, his goal was the fourth time he had found the back of the net in the 2010 playoffs and broke a 1-1 deadlock early in the third period. McMillan put Kelowna up by two with only 45 seconds left in the game, scoring his second of the postseason into an empty net. Sergei Drozd, in the first, and Brendan Shinnimin, with four seconds left in the third, scored in a losing cause for the Americans.
Nothing separated the Rockets and Americans after one period of play.
Tri-City grabbed the lead 2:36 into the first when Sergei Drozd beat Kelowna’s Mark Guggenber for his fourth goal of the 2010 playoffs. Kelowna answered 10 minutes later when Spencer Main, the game’s second star, scored his second of the postseason, levelling the score at one piece.
Both teams had plenty of chances to take the lead in the second period, but Guggenberger and Tri-City’s Drew Owsley were perfect, stopping 15 and eight shots, respectively.
Bloodoff scored at 6:18 of the third and Kelowna leaned heavily on Guggenberger until McMillan scored an empty-netter late to ease the tension in a game that saw Tri-City outshoot Kelowna 37-27.
Shinnimin closed the gap for the Americans late in the third, but it was too little, too late as the Rockets now have momentum heading back to Prospera Place for Tuesday’s game three tilt.
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Tags: Kelowna Rockets, tri-city americans, whl
