BOWEY & LAMBERT WIN WHL TITLE WITH ROCKETS
Kelowna, BC – The Kelowna Rockets claimed the Ed Chynoweth Cup on Wednesday night to become the 49th WHL Champions after earning a 3-0 victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings. The Rockets defeated the WHL Eastern Conference Champion Wheat Kings in the 2015 WHL Championship Series, presented by Rogers, in four games.
The win marks the fourth time in franchise history that Kelowna has won the WHL Championship Series (2003, 2005, 2009, 2015). The Rockets will now represent the WHL at the 2015 MasterCard Memorial Cup in Quebec City, QC which begins next Friday. This will be the fifth appearance for Kelowna at the MasterCard Memorial Cup as the Club hosted and won the event in 2004.
Leon Draisaitl broke a scoreless tie early in the third period with a shorthanded marker before Rourke Chartier gave the Rockets a 2-0 lead just 19 seconds later on the same penalty kill. Nick Merkley rounded out the scoring for Kelowna while goaltender Jackson Whistle made 19 saves for his fourth shutout of the 2015 WHL Playoffs.
Draisaitl, an Edmonton Oilers prospect, was named the 2015 WHL Playoffs Most Valuable Player following the game. Draisaitl finished tied for the post-season scoring lead with 28 points (10g-18a) in 19 WHL Playoff games, including two points in Wednesday’s Game 4 victory. Previous Rockets to earn the honour include Tyler Myers (2009), Shea Weber (2005) and Jesse Schultz (2003).
The Kelowna Rockets will open the 2015 MasterCard Memorial Cup against the host Quebec Remparts next Friday in Quebec City. Puck drop is set for 7:30 p.m. ET and all games will be televised nationally on Sportsnet.
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