GAME DAY: Rockets look for split in Portland

Rockets @ Winterhawks

Sunday, November 11th, 2018

Game Time – 5:05 pm

Game Day Preview: The Kelowna Rockets face the Portland Winterhawks for the second of four meetings this season. Last night the Rockets fell 3-0 at the Moda Center. James Porter Junior made 47 saves in the loss, snapping a four-game winning streak. The Rockets host the Winterhawks in back-to-back games March 2nd and 3rd. Last season the Rockets lost both games in Portland by scores of 8-2 and 5-4 in overtime. At home, the team was 1-1-0-0 with a 3-1 loss and a 7-2 win. The Rockets are 5-2-2-0 in their last 9 stops in Portland dating back to the 2014-2015 season. The Rockets are playing three games in three nights this weekend. The team visits Prince George Wednesday in game four of a six-game road trip before stops in Red Deer (Friday) and Edmonton Saturday night.

Broadcasters Notebook: Kyle Topping had his 12 game point streak snapped last night….Nolan Foote had his 6 game goal scoring streak snapped last night….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…The Rockets have 931 wins as a franchise since relocating from Tacoma to Kelowna for the 1995-96 season ….Five members of the Kelowna Rockets have been named to NHL Central Scouting’s “Players to watch’ list. Forward Nolan Foote is an ‘A’ prospect, meaning a first-round candidate. Kaedan Korczak is a ‘B’ prospect which means he is projected to be selected in the second or third round. Roman Basran, Kyle Topping and Lassi Thomson are ‘C’ prospect, which means they 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. Kushniryk was pointless in four games this season. 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 also made a trade with the Victoria Royals Saturday, September 29th. The team acquired 20-year-old Lane Zablocki for a conditional 7th round and conditional 4th round bantam draft pick.

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 road: November 10, 2018, @ Portland (3-0 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