Friday night’s Kelowna Rockets game versus the Portland Winterhawks was the much-anticipated return of Andrew Cristall – and he did not disappoint.
The Rockets struck first and had all the momentum in the game as they put up six goals in the second period en route to a 9-4 win.
"Our group was obviously excited to play,” Rockets head coach Kris Mallette said after the game.
"We were able to make some plays early and the addition of Andrew (Cristall) back into the lineup brought a renewed confidence and we were able to get off to start that we did ... we kind of rode that momentum. It was fun to watch.”
The opening minutes of the game were a familiar sight for local fans as Cristall connected with Tij Iginla to open the scoring.
Five minutes later, the duo connected again as Iginla notched his second goal of the evening before Cristall got his first score at the 12:28 mark to make it a 3-0 game.
After giving up a goal before the end of the first frame, Caden Price opened the scoring 40 seconds into the middle frame.
The period then saw Jakub Stancl, Hiroki Gojsic, Tij Iginla, Max Graham and Jaxon Kehrig all score to give the Rockets a commanding 9-1 lead going into the third period.
The Rockets put the game on cruise control and held on for the 9-4 win as Iginla finished the night with a hat trick and Cristall tallied one goal and four assists.
"That line (of Graham, Iginla and Cristall) obviously contributed, but they were able to wear down the opposition to allow other lines to get in there and do the same thing and they were rewarded for it,” Mallette added.
“That first 40 minutes was fun to watch, we got a lot that we deserved."
The Rockets are back in action this Monday as they host the Prince Albert Raiders at 2:05 pm.
The unique jerseys the Rockets wore on Friday are up for auction online at this link and the proceeds will be donated to the Canadian Cancer Society.
