Cardinal Sport Preview: Rockets continue homestand with visits from Cougars and Tigers
Prince George Cougars at Kelowna Rockets
| Date | Time | Fri., Oct. 13, 2023 | 7:05 pm |
| Video Stream | CHL TV |
| Radio | 104.7 The Lizard + Rocket Fan App |
| Live Stats | WHL Box Score |
| Live Updates | @Kelowna_Rockets on X (formally Twitter) |
Medicine Hat Tigers at Kelowna Rockets
| Date | Time | Sat., Oct. 14, 2023 | 7:05 pm |
| Video Stream | CHL TV |
| Radio | 104.7 The Lizard + Rocket Fan App |
| Live Stats | WHL Box Score |
| Live Updates | @Kelowna_Rockets on X (formally Twitter) |
The Kelowna Rockets will continue their five-game homestand with a pair of games this weekend. They’ll host the Prince George Cougars on Friday and the Medicine Hat Tigers will roll in for a rare visit on Saturday, puck drop is set for 7:05 pm both nights.
Saturday’s game is also the Rockets annual Paint The Rink Pink Game in support of the Canadian Cancer Society. It marks the 12th season that the Rockets have donned pink jerseys that will be auctioned off during the game with the proceeds going to the Canadian Cancer Society. Fans can find the silent auction behind section 114/115 outside of Select Your Tickets.
Kelowna is coming off a 9-7 loss to the Victoria Royals at Prospera Place. After opening the scoring, the Royals charged ahead and never gave up the lead in a high-scoring affair.
Prince George, who have scored a CHL-best 51 goals in nine games, made their first appearance of the season on the CHL Top-10 rankings this week in seventh. The Cougars were last in action on Wednesday, downing the Swift Current Broncos 2-1 at the CN Centre in Prince George.
Medicine Hat has Friday night off before kicking off their BC Division road trip against Kelowna on Saturday. They were last in action last Saturday, falling 4-3 to the Moose Jaw Warriors. It’s the Tigers first visit to Kelowna since November 8, 2019, where the Tigers took down the Rockets 8-5.
TICKETS
Single-game tickets for all Rockets games are on sale at Select Your Tickets.
Tickets for Rockets games are only available at Select Your Tickets, they are the official provider of Rockets tickets. To view pricing and a seating map please click here.
Tickets can be purchased:
- Online at selectyourtickets.com
- By calling Select Your Tickets at 250-762-5050
- Or by visiting the Select Your Tickets box office at the Prospera Place box office. The box office is open 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, and opens at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday home game days.
In addition, 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.
ROCKETS ROSTER UPDATES
- Jari Kykkanen, who has missed the Rockets last three games with an upper-body injury, resumed skating this week. Kykkanen who is listed as day-to-day on the Rockets Injury Report for this week is expected to return to the lineup.
- With Kykkanen back, the Rockets have returned 16-year-old affiliate goaltender Nathan Kam to Yale Hockey Academy U18 Prep of the CSSHL.
- Caden Price and Marcus Pacheco are both listed as out one-to-two weeks with lower-body injuries on the Rockets Injury Report for this week.
- Twenty-year-old captain Gabriel Szturc, who was returned to the Rockets last weekend, is expected to make his 2023-24 season debut.
- In order to get down to three overage players the Rockets released 20-year-old forward Turner McMillen earlier this week after he went unclaimed on WHL waivers. It was announced on Thursday he has joined the SJHL’s Estevan Bruins.
The Rockets injury report is updated weekly and can be viewed here.
ROCKETS TO WATCH
- Gabriel Szturc will make his 2023-24 season debut on Friday. In his second season with the Rockets last year, Szturc posted 79 points (24G, 55A), 44 penalty minutes and a +9 plus/minus rating through 56 games.
- Goaltender Jari Kykkanen is expected to be between the pipes for the Rockets. He has missed the Rockets last three games with an upper-body injury that he suffered on October 4 against Prince George.
COUGARS TO WATCH
- Earlier this week seventeen-year-old forward Terik Parascak was named WHL Rookie of the Week for the week for the second consecutive week. Entering Friday, he’s tied for second in team scoring with 18 points (12G, 6A) over nine games.
- Kelowna product Hunter Laing is the son of Rockets assistant coach Quintin Laing. The seventeen-year-old rookie recorded a goal and an assists on October 4 against Kelowna.
TIGERS TO WATCH
- Whitehorse, YT product Gavin McKenna was the first overall pick in the 2022 WHL Prospects Draft. The seventeen-year-old, who is the cousin of Connor Bedard, leads the Tigers in scoring with 11 points (4G, 7A) over seven games.
- Washington Capitals prospect Dru Krebs is the younger brother of Buffalo Sabre Peyton Krebs.
SEASON RECORDS
vs COUGARS
- Oct. 3 at PG • 3-2 L
- Oct. 4 at PG • 8-1 L
- Oct. 13 vs PG • 7:05 pm
- Nov. 18 vs PG • 7:05 pm
- Jan. 12 at PG • 7:00 pm
- Jan. 13 at PG • 6:00 pm
- Feb. 24 vs PG • 7:05 pm
- Mar. 13 vs PG • 7:05 pm
vs TIGERS
- Oct. 14 vs MH • 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.
Click here to download RocketFAN on Google Play
Click here to download RocketFAN on the App Store
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.
ONLINE 50/50
The Kelowna Rockets online 50/50 is back for the 2023-24 season!
The online 50/50 will give fans in Rockets fans located in British Columbia and those who are attending the game the chance to win during every Rockets home game this season. The 50/50 will also raise important dollars for the Kelowna Minor Hockey Association.
Tickets will be available for purchase on all game days starting at 9 a.m. PT and end at the start of the third period on the same day.
CLICK HERE to learn more about the online 50/50 and purchase tickets.
LINEUP SHEET + GAME DAY PROGRAM
Printed lineup sheets will not be available at games this season, they can be accessed online by visiting the game day program.
The Game Day Program will be available in the same spot, it comes complete with game notes, stats, team rosters and entry forms for the Rockets intermission contests.
The sheet and program will be uploaded by 3:00 p.m. on game days
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.
