Game Day: Rockets battle Oil Kings in Alberta’s Capital
Rockets @ Oil Kings
Saturday, November 17th, 2018
Game Time – 7:05 pm
Game Day Preview: The Kelowna Rockets play the final game of a 6 game road trip tonight in Edmonton. The Rockets have travelled 2998 kilometres to get to this point. The team is 1-3-1-0 in the opening five games after a 3-1 win last Friday in Seattle, a 3-0 loss in Portland last Saturday, a 4-2 setback in Portland Sunday, a 4-3 overtime loss in Prince George Wednesday and a 7-0 loss in Red Deer last night. The team has been out-scored 19-8 in the five games. As mentioned, the Rockets suffered a 7-0 loss last night in Red Deer. It marked the second time in the last four games the team was shut out and it was the third time this season the team was unable to score a goal. The Rebels had a 2-0 lead after 1 period and a 4-0 lead after 40 minutes. The Rockets return home to host the Regina Pats on Wednesday night
Broadcasters Notebook: The Rockets have just four players from Alberta. Lane Zablocki is from Wetaskiwin. Braydyn Chizen is from St. Albert. Cayde Augustine was born in Airdrie while Kyle Crosbie is from Didsbury…Lassi Thomson is the top scoring rookie defenseman in the WHL with 7+9=16 in 22 games….Mark Liwiski leads WHL rookie with 14 minor penalties…Kyle Topping had his 12 game point streak snapped last Saturday in Portland…Nolan Foote had his 6 game goal scoring streak snapped in that same game….The Rockets are in the midst of playing in 11 games in 22 days to conclude the month of November….Kyle Topping turns 19 on November 18th…Nolan Foote turns 18 on November 29th…Nolan Foote played in both games for Team WHL against the Russian Selects in back-to-back games Monday in Kamloops and Tuesday in Vancouver…Four members of the Kelowna Rockets have been named to NHL Central Scouting’s November “Players to Watch’ List. Forward Nolan Foote is an ‘A’ prospect, meaning a first-round candidate. Kaedan Korczak and Lassi Thomson are ‘B’ prospect which means he is projected to be selected in the second or third round. Roman Basran is a ‘C’ prospect, which means he could be taken in the third to the seventh round…Adam Foote was officially named the new head coach of the Kelowna Rockets on October 23, 2018, replacing Jason Smith. Foote earned his first WHL coaching victory that night in the Rockets 3-2 win over the Swift Current Broncos. Foote played 1,154 games in the NHL with the Colorado Avalanche, Columbus Blue Jackets and the Quebec Nordiques. Foote is also a two time Stanley Cup champion.
Trade Winds: The Rockets traded 18-year-old Wil Kushniryk to the Tri-City Americans on October 22, 2018, for a 5th round bantam pick. The Rockets acquired 20-year-old defenceman Dalton Galley October 10, 2018, from the Medicine Hat Tigers for a 10th round bantam pick. The hockey club acquired 18-year-old forward Michael Farren October 11th from the Saskatoon Blades for a third round WHL bantam pick. The Rockets acquired 20-year-old Lane Zablocki for a conditional 7th round and conditional 4th round bantam draft pick on September 29th.
Season Highs/Lows:
Most goals scored: 8 @ Victoria October 19/18 (8-2 W)
Most goals allowed: 9 vs. Seattle October 10th, 2018 (9-6 L)
Most shots on net: 45 @ Seattle October 6th, 2018 (4-1 L).
Fewest shots on net: 21 vs. Vancouver October 3rd, 2018 (5-0 L)
Most shots allowed: 50 @ Portland November 10, 2018 (3-0 L)
Fewest shots allowed: 20 @ Victoria October 19, 2018 (8-2 W)
Last time shut out at home: October 3rd, 2018 vs. Vancouver (5-0 L)
Last time shutout on the road: November 16, 2018 @ Red Deer (7-0 L)
Most power play goals allowed: 4 vs. Seattle October 10th, 2018 (9-6 L). T-Birds were 4/5 on the power play.
Most power play goals scored: 4 @ Victoria October 19, 2018 (8-2 W)
Roster Stats:
Player total: 24
Year by Year Breakdown:
20’s (1998) – 3 Gally, Zablocki, Chizen
19’s (1999) – 5 Topping, Mattson, Gardiner, Bruggen-Cate, Cowell
18’s (2000) – 9 Farren, Thomson, Porter, Foote, Zabransky, Kindree, Brennan, Pow, Steffler,
17’s (2001) – 6 Korczak, Crosbie, Basran, Liwiski, Wilton, Augustine
16’s (2002) – 1 Ernst
Game Notes Compiled by Regan Bartel of AM 1150