Rourke Chartier was the scoring hero with a hat-trick effort but he wouldn't have been able to take that curtain call for the Kelowna Rockets if not for a lights-out display of goaltending from Michael Herringer.
Chartier scored the winner 2:47 into overtime, as well as the tying goal with 1:10 left in regulation time, to give the Rockets a 4-3 win over the Prince George Cougars Friday night at CN Centre.
Chartier took a corner feed from Tyson Bailie and dragged the puck across the crease far enough to open up a sharp-angle seam behind Cougar goalie Nick McBride to guarantee the victory for the Rockets.
But the story of the game was a 43-save performance from Herringer, a 19-year-old from Comox, who kept his team within striking range despite being under siege by Cougar shooters for large chunks of the game.
The win moved the Rockets (38-15-3-0) into sole possession first place in the WHL B.C. Division standings, 13 points ahead of the third-place Cougars (31-21-3-1) and two up on the Victoria Royals, who did not play Friday.
The same teams meet again tonight (7 p.m.) at CN Centre.
Colby McAuley appeared to have what the Cougars needed for the win when he broke a 2-2 tie with seven minutes to play in the third period. McAuley managed to corral a bouncing puck in front of the Kelowna net and spun away from Tanner Wishowski as he let go a low shot that found the net for his 13th of the season.
But the Rockets shot back to even terms at the 18:50 mark with Herringer on the bench, taking advantage of a bad hop off the end boards. The puck landed on the stick of Tomas Soustal, who somehow managed to get it out front to a wide-open Chartier. The veteran Rocket tucked it into an open net for his second of the night
Chase Witala gave the Cougars their first lead just past the midway mark of the game. He turned on the jets and broke free of the Rockets defence, then faked Herringer with a move to the right, going the opposite way with a high snapshot for his 34th goal of the season.
But just 24 seconds later the Rockets got back on even terms. Chartier showed his strength in front of the net, whipping a backhander in over the glove of McBride.
In the first period, Jesse Gabrielle sniped his 35th goal in his 56th game with the Cougars to tie the game 1-1 late in the period. Gabrielle jumped on a fat rebound and buried it with hard snapper from the slot.
The Rockets struck first, a minute into a two-man advantage early in the game. Jared Bethune was off for tripping when Cougars captain Sam Ruopp cleared the puck over the glass and Soustal took advantage, rifling a hard wrister in past McBride.
The line of Jansen Harkins-Jared Bethune-Brad Morrison spent a good chunk of their icetime controlling the puck in the offensive end and they were easily the most snakebitten Cougar forwards.
Bethune had at least four quality shots on goal that were blocked by the goalie and Morrison and Harkins also felt the wrath of Herringer on several occasions.
In the dying minutes, McAuley came close to hitting the empty net with a long shot and regained the puck on the forecheck but was unable to put the game away.
LOOSE PUCKS: The Cougars presented the Witala family a framed photograph of Chase scoring one of his 114 career goals in a game this season against Seattle. The 20-year-old left winger became the all-time franchise leader in goalscoring when he broke Eric Hunter's record of 111, Jan. 31 in Moose Jaw. Witala needs 16 points to break Troy Bourke's all-time Cougar points mark of 236. He had nine shots on goal Friday as the Cougars' most dangerous shooter.
