Cardinal Sport Preview: Rockets to open first round on the road in Wenatchee this weekend
Kelowna Rockets at Wenatchee Wild
Date | Time | Friday, Mar. 29, 2024 | 7:00 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) |
Kelowna Rockets at Wenatchee Wild
Date | Time | Saturday, Mar. 30, 2024 | 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) |
For the third consecutive spring, the Rockets will hit the road to visit Washington state to open the WHL Playoffs. Unlike the last two years where they faced the Seattle Thunderbirds, the Rockets will take on the Wenatchee Wild.
“It’s definitely different not heading to Kent this time,” said Rockets head coach Kris Mallette about a different opponent this season. “This was the matchup we wanted and credit to our players for getting us where we need to be.”
Since February 19, the Rockets went 9-2-1-1 down the stretch, edging out the Vancouver Giants for fifth place in the Western Conference to secure a matchup with Wenatchee instead of Everett.
“Sticking to the process,” said Mallette when asked about what he attributed the streak to. “Our players have gone through a lot of up and downs throughout the year. They’ve trusted us as a staff for what we have as the game plan and them going out to execute it. Again, confidence is a big thing and that group in there is real confident right now.”
The Rockets have not faced the Wild since prior to the trade deadline.
“We’re looking to continue what we’ve been doing of late, playing with confidence,” said Mallette about the Rockets first round matchup. “We haven’t seen them for quite some time, we’ve gotta make sure we’re ready to go. Over the week we’ve been sticking to our identify, working on things that bring us success.”
The best-of-seven First Round series begins Friday, March 29 in Wenatchee at 7:00 p.m. PST.
It’s technically the Wenatchee’s first playoff series, the team was the Winnipeg ICE until last season. This will mark the fifth time the Rockets and Wild (formerly known as the Kootenay ICE) will meet in the postseason and the first time since 2006. The Wild franchise has previously faced Kelowna four times in the playoffs, including Kelowna’s WHL Championship run in 2005 and Kootenay’s President’s Cup victory in 2002.
Following Friday and Saturday’s games, the two will face off in Kelowna on Tuesday, April 2 and Wednesday, April 3 at 7:05 pm both nights at Prospera Place.
“Our guys really feed off of the fans at Prospera Place,” said Mallette. “Hence why our home record is the way it is. We want to fill that arena. It’s an exciting time for our group and our guys are hoping that everyone backs us.”
TICKETS FOR NEXT WEEKS HOME GAMES
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.
ROCKETS ROSTER UPDATES
Injury updates are not provided in the playoffs
GAME BREAKERS
Wenatchee Wild: Captain Graham Sward is coming off a monster regular season that saw him finish second in points among defencemen with 15 goals and 66 assists for 81 points in 66 games. The Abbotsford, B.C. product had a goal and seven assists against Kelowna through four regular season matchups to lead all skaters on both teams. The 6-foot-3 blueliner is also one of three Wild players who suited up for all 19 games of the then-Winnipeg ICE’s run to the WHL Final last spring. Sward collected two goals and 10 assists in the 2023 postseason and will try to lean on that playoff experience as Wenatchee gears up for Round One.
Kelowna Rockets: Andrew Cristall has made it his business to score in droves. The Washington Capitals prospect finished fifth in the league with a career-high 40 goals and 71 assists and went on an impressive streak that saw him add 45 points in 23 straight games. He led Kelowna with three goals and three assists against the Wild in the regular season and his chemistry with team Captain Gabriel Szturc (33 goals, 51 assists) forms a dangerous tandem with their off-the-charts chemistry.
GOALTENDING
Wenatchee Wild: Rookie Brendan Gee has taken over starting goaltending duties with veteran Daniel Hauser sidelined by an injury since early February, going 7-9-0-0 over that stretch with a 4.21 goals-against average and .866 save percentage. Gee is expected to make his WHL playoff debut in Round One with Hauser still listed as day-to-day.
Kelowna Rockets: Jari Kykkanen has handled an increased workload gracefully, putting up a career-best 28-16-2-1 record, 3.38 goals-against average, a .896 save percentage and two shutouts. The Lloydminster, Alta. product is on the hunt for some playoff redemption after going 0-3-0-0 in the 2023 WHL Playoffs against the eventual champion Seattle Thunderbirds.
X FACTOR
Wenatchee Wild: Kenta Isogai has exploded onto the major junior scene in his first WHL season after moving over from the USHL, where he won a Clark Cup with the Youngstown Phantoms. The Nagano, Japan-born winger is the lone 30-goal scorer on the Wild roster with 31 and leads his team with 88 points. He also put up four goals and three assists against the Rockets in 2023-24.
Kelowna Rockets: Tij Iginla has proven to be a dangerous scorer in all situations with the Rockets- he’s netted 47 goals in his second full WHL season, including 11 powerplay markers, eight game-winners and three shorthanded tallies. Now, fans will get a chance to see what the hotly-anticipated 2024 NHL Draft-eligible prospect can do with an expanded role in the playoffs. Iginla only suited up for three playoff games with Seattle last season and will look to make a statement in his last showcase before the June NHL draft.
SEASON RECORD
vs Wenatchee
- September 30, 2023- Wenatchee 3, Kelowna 5
- October 28, 2023- Kelowna 0, Wenatchee 4
- November 29, 2023- Wenatchee 4, Kelowna 5 (OT)
- January 6, 2024- Kelowna 3, Wenatchee 6
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.
Fans can watch the Rockets next at Prospera Place on April 2 and 3 when Kelowna hosts the Wenatchee Wild for games three and four of their best of seven series in the opening round of the 2024 WHL Playoffs.
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.