Cardinal Sport Preview: Rockets head to Washington for the weekend
Kelowna Rockets at Spokane Chiefs
| Date | Time | Fri., Oct. 27, 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) |
Kelowna Rockets at Wenatchee Wild
| Date | Time | Wed., Oct. 25, 2023 | 6:00 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 put their four-game win streak on the line this weekend when they head to the United States for a pair of road games. The Rockets will open their weekend in Spokane against the Chiefs on Friday, before making their first trip to Wenatchee to face the Wild.
Kelowna extended their win streak on Wednesday with a 6-3 victory over the Victoria Royals at Prospera Place. The Rockets jumped out to a two-goal lead in the first period, but the Royals tied things up before the end of the opening twenty. The two traded goals in the second before the Rockets retook the lead heading into the third period, where they added two more unanswered goals. Max Graham was named the game’s first star after recording two goals, including the eventual game-winner. Andrew Cristall pushed his point streak to eight games as he earned the second star of the game with a goal and two assists. Jari Kykkanen made 27 saves on 30 shots to pick up his sixth win of the season.
WELL RESTED CHIEFS
The Chiefs did not have a midweek game after playing three games in three nights last weekend. Spokane fell back-to-back nights in overtime to the Victoria Royals on the road last Friday and Saturday, they then dropped a 5-3 decision to the Vancouver Giants on Sunday in Langley.
WILD
Wenatchee will enter Friday riding a three-game win streak when they face the Everett Silvertips on the road on Friday night. The Wild hosted the Kamloops Blazers for a mid-week matchup on Tuesday, where they won 5-2.
ROCKETS ROSTER UPDATES
- Marcus Pacheco’s lower-body injury time has been bumped up on this week’s injury report to two-three weeks, he has been out with a lower-body injury
The Rockets injury report is updated weekly and can be viewed here.
ROCKETS TO WATCH
- After being named to Central Scouting’s Preliminary Players to Watch List on Thursday, Hiroki Gojsic recorded the opening goal in Wednesday’s game against the Royals. The 17-year-old leads all Rockets rookies in points with six (3G, 3A).
- Max Graham recorded his second multi-goal game of the season on Wednesday against the Victoria Royals.
CHIEFS TO WATCH
- Berkly Catton, the first overall pick in the 2021 WHL Prospects Draft, was named to NHL Central Scouting’s Preliminary Players to Watch List with an ‘A’ grade earlier this week. He leads the Chiefs in points with 15 and in goals with six.
- The Chiefs recently acquired defenceman Layton Feist from the Regina Pats, the 19-year-old is the younger brother of former Rockets captain Tyson Feist. The 17th overall pick in the 2019 WHL Prospects Draft has recorded 8 points through 12 games this season.
WILD TO WATCH
- Arizona Coyotes 2022 eleventh overall pick Conor Geekie was still with the NHL club when the Rockets and Wild last met. The Manitoba product has posted eight points through eight games this season.
- As of Friday morning, twenty-year-old defenceman Graham Sward leads the Wild in scoring with 20 points through 11 games.
THE LAST TIME THESE TWO MET
vs SPOKANE
The Rockets hosted the Chiefs for the first game of the season series on October 7, where they picked up a 6-3 win. Rookie goalie Jake Pilon made 36 saves on 39 shots to record his first win in the WHL, he also recorded his first assist. Tij Iginla set a new career high with four points in a game, he also posted his first career hat-trick. Former Spokane Chief Michael Cicek posted two goals and an assist in his first game against his former team.
vs WENATCHEE
Wenatchee made their first trip to Kelowna in franchise history on September 30, with the Rockets collecting a 5-3 win. Kelowna struck first, with Wenatchee posting a short-handed tally to tie the game before the end of the first. The Rockets headed into the third period with a 2-1 lead thanks to Hiroki Gojsic’s first WHL goal during the second frame. Wenatchee took a 3-2 lead, recording a power play goal and another shortly thereafter. The Rockets responded with three unanswered goals including two power play markers, to complete the comeback. Cristall earned first star honours after recording a three-point night, while Hiroki Gojsic was named the game’s second star after recording his first WHL goal and assist.
SEASON RECORDS
vs SPOKANE
- Oct. 7 vs SPO • 6-3 win
- Oct. 27 @ SPO • 7:05 pm
- Feb. 4 @ SPO • 5:05 pm
- Feb. 13 vs SPO • 7:05 pm
vs WENATCHEE
- Sept. 30 vs WEN • 5-3 win
- Oct. 28 @ WEN • 6:00 pm
- Nov. 29 vs WEN • 7:05 pm
- Jan. 6 @ WEN • 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.
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.
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.
