Tonight’s Preview: The Rockets and Warriors are meeting for the second time this season. These two teams clashed October 27th with the Warriors earning a 4-3 shootout win. The Rockets built up a 2-0 first period lead only to see the Warriors fight back and send the game into overtime and the shootout. Justin Maylan would score the game winner. The Rockets last visit to Moose Jaw was October 12, 2005 in a 5-4 shootout win. The Rockets are 5-3-0-0 in their last 8 regular season appearances dating back to the start of the 1996-97 season. The Warriors have shutout the Rockets just once over that period, a 2-0 home ice win on October 12, 1999. Today’s game is the third of 6 straight on an Eastern Conference road trip prior to the Christmas break. The Rockets opened the road trip Friday night with a 3-2 shootout loss to the Lethbridge Hurricanes followed by a 4-3 loss in Regina Sunday afternoon. The Rockets are in Brandon tomorrow night before visiting Prince Albert on Friday. The Rockets conclude the road trip Saturday in Saskatoon. The Rockets are winless in four straight road games (0-3-0-1) after losses over Tri City (6-1), Chilliwack (3-1), a shootout loss to Lethbridge (3-2) and a (4-3) loss to the Regina Pats. The Rockets last road win was November 18th in Vancouver (5-3).
Good Out of the Gates: In four of the last 7 road games, the Rockets have scored the first two goals of the game. The Rockets have had a 2-0 lead in back-to-back games against Lethbridge and Regina before eventually losing in a shootout or in regulation time. The Rockets have outscored the opposition 7-2 in the first period in those 7 road games before being out-scored 16-5 in the second frame.
Rockets Rolling: The Rockets enter tonight’s game having recorded a point in 16 of their last 20 games (12-4-1-3). The Rockets enter tonight’s game having won 7 of their last 8 home games, with points in 9 of their last 10 at Prospera Place (6-1-1-1). The Rockets head into a portion of their schedule playing 5 of their next 7 games on the road.
Red Hot Rockets:
Colin Long: points in 8 straight games (6+8=14). Tyson Barrie: 1+7=8 last 8 games
Cody Almond: Thirteen games no goal. Last goal was Nov 7th vs. Rebels
Jamie Benn: goals in back-to-back games Myles MacRae: Four goals in his last six games.
Luke Schenn: 1+4=5 in last five games. Tyler Myers: 4 goals in last 8 games.
Brady Leavold: 1+3=4 in last 4 games. Lucas Bloodoff: No goal last 7.
What the Opposition Broadcaster Should Know:
• If the Rockets were playing in the Eastern Conference they would have scored the 3rd most goals in the conference behind Brandon and Swift Current. The Rockets have scored 112 goals this season or 3.4 goals per game.
• Rockets Captain James McEwan is closing in on 200 games played. McEwan plays in game #196 tonight. McEwan led the WHL in fighting majors last season with 26. This year McEwan has 7 fighting majors.
• The Rockets have just two Saskatchewan born players on their roster. Overage goaltender Kristofer Westblom is from Meadow Lake Saskatchewan while defenseman Luke Schenn is from Saskatoon Saskatchewan.
•Luke Schenn is trying to become the 7th Rockets player to play for Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championships. Schenn would join Robb Gordon, Jason McLean, Chuck Kobasew, Josh Gorges, Shea Weber and Blake Comeau on that list. Schenn leaves for Calgary to attend Team Canada’s main camp following tonight’s game.
•Rockets rookie defenseman Tyson Barrie is 2 for 2 in shootout attempts. Barrie and Ty Wishart of the Prince George Cougars lead WHL defenseman in shootout success. Barrie scored 43 goals on the back end playing midget hockey last season.
•Jamie Benn, an 18 year-old rookie, is 3rd in WHL rookie scoring with 26 points. Teammate Tyson Barrie is 7th in rookie scoring while Kyle St. Denis is 8th. Benn is tied with Brandon’s Brayden Schenn for the most goals scored by a rookie. Both players have 13 goals.
• The Kelowna Rockets franchise is closing in on 600 wins as a franchise. The Rockets have 594 wins heading into tonight’s game. The Rockets are in their 17th season of operation, after breaking into the league as an expansion franchise in 1991 as the Tacoma Rockets.
•The Rockets and Warriors have never been hot and heavy trading partners. In October 27, 1998 the Rockets traded 19 year-old defenseman Kris Mallette to the Warriors for then 18 year-old Justin Hansen.
Road Trip Success: The Rockets last visit to the prairies for an extended road trip was in October of 2005 when the team went 5-0-0-0. It’s not the first time the Rockets have had that type of success though. The Rockets were also 5-0-0-0 back in December of 2003 and again were 5-0-0-0 in December of 2000 through the prairies. The most unsuccessful trip was in December of 2001 when the team went 0-4-1-0, losing three of those games by a single goal. The only point on the trip was a 5-4 overtime loss in Brandon.
Rockets vs. Divisions:
vs. BC: 9-5-0-1 vs. US: 4-5-2-0
vs. Central: 3-1-0-0 vs. East: 1-1-0-1
Broadcasters Bits: The Rockets have been held to a goal or less in 7 games this season….Last season the Rockets were shutout 13 times. This season they’ve been shutout just once, by Vancouver in a 5-0 setback September 29th…Rockets goaltender Kristofer Westblom has started in twelve of the team’s last nineteen games, posting a record of 9-4-1-1…The Rockets have points in eight of their last 11 road games (5-3-1-2)…The Rockets have given up a power play goal in 23 of the 33 games they’ve played this season…The Rockets have been involved in a one goal game in 11 of their first 16 home games. The Rockets are 5-4-1-1 in those one goal contests…The Rockets have been involved in eighteen – one goal games this season…The Rockets are 8 and 10 in the shootout since it was adopted…The Rockets have just one loss in their last 7 home games (6-1-0-0). That one loss came at the hands of the Prince George Cougars in a 4-3 setback November 24th.
Rockets Schedule - Next 5 Games: Rockets Results - Last 5 Games:
Dec 12 @ Brandon Rockets 4 Hawks 2 W
Dec 14@ PA Rockets 1 Chilliwack 3 L
Dec 15 @ Saskatoon Rockets 4 Tigers 3 OTW
Dec 28 vs. Kamloops Rockets 2 Lethbridge 3 SOL
Dec 29 @ Vancouver Rockets 3 Regina 4 L
Rockets Players by Province: BC=13 US=4 ALB=3 SASK=2 MAN=1 EURO=1 Total=24
Rockets Season Highs and Lows:
Most Goals Scored: 7 vs. Kamloops Nov 30/07 (7-4 W), vs. Kootenay November 23/07 (7-6 OTW)
Most Goals Allowed: 6 vs. Kootenay Nov 23/07 (7-6 OTW), @ Tri City November 21/07 (6-1 L)
Most Power Play Chances: 9 @ PG Nov 10/07 (6-1 W – 4/9) vs. Warriors Oct 27/07. Rockets were 0/9 losing 4-3 in shootout.
Most Power Play Goals Scored: 4 @ PG Nov 10/07 (6-1 W)
Most Power Play Goals Allowed: 4 @ Everett Sept 29/07
Most Shots Taken: 38 vs. Kamloops Nov 30/07 (7-4 W), @ Portland Nov 17/07 (Rockets 4 Hawks 1)
Fewest Shots Taken: 9 @ Vancouver Sept 29/07 (5-0L)
Most Shot Allowed: 48 @ Vancouver Sept 30/07
Fewest Shots Allowed: 13 vs. Blazers Oct 30/07 (6-1 W)
Last Shutout: - Kristofer Westblom 28 saves vs. Calgary (5-0 W)
Last Time Shutout: - @ Vancouver Sept 29/07 – Sexsmith 9 saves (5-0 L)
Penalty Shots: Torrie Jung stops Hawks forward Luke Walker Nov 17/07 in a 4-1 win in Portland. Kristofer Westblom stops Everett’s Shane Harper in a 3-2 overtime loss Nov 16/07 in Everett. Torrie Jung stopped Michal Repik in the 3rd period of a 5-0 loss Sept 29/07.
Overtime Winning Goal: Tyler Myers scored at 3:58 of overtime December 5/07 in a 4-3 win over Medicine Hat. Colin Long scored at :44 of overtime Nov 23/07 in a 7-6 win over Kootenay. Jamie Benn scored at 1:07 of overtime Nov 2/07 in a 3-2 win over Chilliwack.
Shootout Game Winning Goals: Dylan Hood scores in a 4-3 win in Seattle October 6/07. Colin Long scored the game winner in a 2-1 win over Vancouver October 24th.
Roster Stats:
Player total: 24
Year by Year Breakdown:
20’s – 3 Westblom, McEwan, Leavold
19’s – 3 Dowzak, MacRae, Joe
18’s – 8 Long, Kytnar, Brusciano, L. Bloodoff, Jung, Schenn, Almond, Benn
17’s – 6 St. Denis, E. Bloodoff, McIntosh, Myers, McMillan, Hood
16’s – 4 Bowman, Barrie, Paradis, Verdino
Average Age: 17.8
Rookies – 7
Record by Month:
Month Games Record Home Road
September: 4 1-2-1-0 0-1-1-0 1-1-0-0
October: 11 5-5-0-1 3-3-0-1 2-2-0-0
November: 13 9-2-1-1 4-1-0-0 5-1-1-1
December: 12 2-2-0-1 2-0-0-0 0-2-0-1
January: 13 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0
February: 11 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0
NHL Draft Picks-Training Camp Attendees: Jamie Benn (Dallas 07), Torrie Jung (Tampa Bay 07), Cody Almond (Minnesota 07), Milan Kytnar (Oilers 07), Tysen Dowzak (Tryout Philadelphia).
Game Notes Compiled by Regan Bartel (AM 1150)
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