Cardinal Sport Preview: Rockets back on home ice for pair of weekend games against Saskatoon and Spokane
The Kelowna Rockets will return home following a 6-5 defeat at the hands of the Spokane Chiefs on Tuesday. Andrew Cristall registered two goals and two assists on the night while Max Graham chipped in with a goal and two helpers.
Cristall’s four-point night helped him reach the 300-point plateau in the Western Hockey League.He became the seventh Rocket to achieve the feat joining Brett McLean (375), John Varga (333), Jason Deleurme (313), Allan Egeland (310), Tyson Baillie (310) and Marty Flinchel (301). Cristall reached 300 points in just 198 games played.
BLADES
The Eastern Conference leading Saskatoon Blades make their first and only trip to Kelowna who come into the game off an overtime victory on November 5th in Prince George. The Blades fell behind 3-1 and 4-2 but rallied for a 5-4 victory thanks to a goal from Brandon Lisowsky in the extra frame.
CHIEFS
Coming off their 6-5 victory over Kelowna, Spokane will make a quick stop in Kamloops before making their first trip to Prospera Place this season.
ROCKETS TO WATCH
- Wainwright’s Kayden Longley has almost reached his previous WHL career high in points as the 18-year-old forward potted his second goal of the season on Tuesday against Spokane to give him 10 points in 13 games.
- Max Graham has four goals in his last five games and is currently sitting at a point-per-game pace with nine points in nine games. Six of those nine points are goals playing on a top line with Tij Iginla and Andrew Cristall.
BLADES TO WATCH
- Nashville Predators first-round pick Tanner Molendyk has made quite the impact on the Saskatoon lineup since his return from NHL camp. In 10 games the 19-year-old has three goals and 14 points. Look for Molendyk to suit up for Canada at the 2025 World Junior Hockey Championships in December.
- Ben Riche currently leads the Blades in points with 10 goals and 25 points in 16 games. The 19-year-old forward’s previous career high is 15 goals and 35 points last season with Victoria and Moose Jaw and is on pace to surpass those highs in a matter of weeks.
CHIEFS TO WATCH
- Brayden Crampton had a strong performance against Kelowna earlier in the week as the defenceman scored twice and added two helpers in the victory.
- Shea Van Olm continues his strong start to the season as the overage forward is nearly a goal-per-game with 16 in 18 games and 28 points in those contests.
THE LAST TIME THESE TWO MET
VS SASKATOON
The Rockets and Blades last met in December of 2023 when the Rockets took a 5-4 overtime victory. Marek Rocak had a goal and two assists, Andrew Cristall had three helpers and Gabriel Szturc scored the game winner.
VS SPOKANE
The Rockets and Chiefs met earlier in the week with Spokane taking a 6-5 victory thanks to two four point performances from Berkly Catton and Brayden Crampton. The Chiefs won the previous match up by a 5-3 score.
SEASON RECORD
VS SASKATOON
- Nov. 8 vs SAS • 7:05 PM
VS SPOKANE
- Oct. 4 @ SPO • 5-3 L
- Nov. 5 @ SPO • 6-5 L
- Nov. 9 vs SPO • 6:05 pm
- Jan. 15 vs SPO • 7:05 pm
WATCH AND LISTEN
Radio broadcast
Rockets games will be broadcast on 104.7 FM the Lizard this season with Regan Bartel calling all of the action.
Don’t forget to download the RocketFAN app and visit rocketfan.ca for more exclusive Rockets content from Pattison. Fans can stream the radio broadcast of all Rockets games on the app.
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Online video stream
All Rockets games will be available on WHL Live. WHL Live on is available to fans anywhere in the world, providing high-quality streaming of WHL games on Apple TV, Roku, and Amazon Fire TV platforms, via mobile with iOS and Android, and on web using Safari or Google Chrome web browsers. Visit watch.chl.ca for complete details and subscription options.
Six and twelve game Mini Packs for the Kelowna Rockets season are now on sale through Select Your Tickets. To learn how to save on walk-up tickets and use the flexibility of a Mini Pack click here.
