Kamloops Blazers defeated Kelowna Rockets 2:1 in WHL action on Friday evening. The result came after a run of heavy defeats between the two sides this season, and it shifted something in the local rivalry. Kamloops finished 5th in the standings with 31 wins from 68 games, while Kelowna sat 4th on 38 victories.
The hosts had lost four straight to the visitors this year — 2:6, 4:7, 1:5, 1:3 — before that final score turned. Kelowna came into the match with a five-game winning streak, their most recent being a 4:0 shutout against Everett Silvertips. Kamloops had beaten Vancouver Giants 4:3 in their last outing before this one.
Both teams had played 68 matches by this point, so the season was deep into its schedule. Kelowna held a seven-game winning advantage over Kamloops in the standings, though the gap in points was minimal since draws were not counted in this league format.
What changed was the momentum. Kamloops ended a barren spell against their rivals, and Kelowna found themselves on the wrong side of a result they had dominated for months. The table goes out of the window in these games, and tonight it went out for the visitors. The Blazers ran the show for long stretches, and they took the points.