Cardinal Sport Preview: Rockets continue Alberta road swing in Medicine Hat and Lethbridge
The Kelowna Rockets continue their Alberta trip with a pair of weekday games in Medicine Hat and Lethbridge.
The Rockets come into the week following losses to Red Deer on Saturday night and Calgary on Sunday afternoon.
TIGERS
The Tigers will be without star forward Gavin McKenna as he serves the final game of a suspension, but Medicine Hat still has a ton of fire power with Oasiz Wiesblatt, Hunter St. Martin and Ryder Ritchie leading the charge. Medicine Hat has won four straight games, including a pair of shutout wins this past weekend in Regina and Brandon, outscoring the opposition 7-0.
HURRICANES
Lethbridge comes into Wednesday’s contest following a 4-3 shootout loss to the Wheat Kings and a 5-1 victory over the Regina Pats on Saturday. The Hurricanes sit four points back of the Calgary Hitmen for second in their division and trail Medicine Hat by six points. The Central Division will likely come down to the final weekend to determine playoff seeding.
ROCKETS ROSTER AND INJURY UPDATE
The Kelowna Rockets have three players out for the remainder of the season due to injury. Tij Iginla is out following successful hip surgery while Max Graham underwent successful knee surgery that will sideline him for the remainder of the season as well.
Michael Cicek will also miss the remaining regular season games after he underwent successful surgery to repair a laceration to his left forearm.
ROCKETS TO WATCH
- Will Sharpe is set to make his return to Lethbridge, the place he called home following being drafted in the first round of the 2022 WHL Prospects Draft. Since being acquired by Kelowna the 17-year-old has scored five times and added 7 assists for 12 points in 23 games.
- Nate Corbet will also see his old teammates and organization when the Rockets are in Medicine Hat. The 18-year-old defenceman has become a staple on the Kelowna blueline, scoring three times, adding eight assists and 104 penalty minutes in 44 games.
TIGERS TO WATCH
- With Gavin McKenna out of the lineup, overage forward Oasiz Wiesblatt has been looked upon to carry the slack. Wiesblatt is second on the Tigers in scoring with 87 points and has a six game point streak.
- Hunter St. Martin leads the Tigers in goals with 36 in 59 games while also sitting third on the team in points with 54. The Florida Panthers prospect has already surpassed his previous career highs in points and goals from last season.
HURRICANES TO WATCH
- Longtime Kelowna Rockets Caden Price will get his first chance to face his former team on Wednesday after being dealt by the Rockets at the trade deadline. Since moving over to Lethbridge, Price has suited up in 23 games, scoring once and adding six assists.
- Brayden Yager leads the Hurricanes in scoring following a December trade with Moose Jaw. Since being acquired, Yager has posted 45 points in 27 games and has 24 goals and 75 points in 48 games total this season.
THE LAST TIME THESE TWO MET
VS MH
The Tigers visited Prospera Place last season and defeated the Rockets 9-2. Shane Smith, who now plays for Lethbridge, had a hat trick while Columbus Blue Jackets first rounder Cayden Lindstrom had two goals and an assist in the victory.
VS LET
Kelowna was 4-1 victors over Lethbridge in their lone meeting last season at Prospera Place as Gabriel Szturc had three points and Jari Kykkanen stopped 34 of the 35 shots he faced.
SEASON RECORD
VS MH
- Mar. 4 at MH • @ 6:00 PM
VS LET
- Mar. 5 at LET • @ 6:00 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.
