GAME DAY: Rockets visit Victoria for round 2 this week
Rockets @ Royals
Friday January 13, 2017
Game Time – 7:05 pm
Tonight’s Preview: The Kelowna Rockets play the second of three straight games on the road tonight when they face-off against the Victoria Royals. This the 6th of 8 meetings between these two teams, with the Rockets owning a record of 3-2-0-0. The road team has won 3 of the 5 games. Wednesday night at Save On Foods Memorial Centre, goals: 38 seconds part in the third period lifted the Rockets to a 4-3 win.
Calvin Thurkauf scored the game winner with his 18th of the season with just under 5 minutes to play in the third period. Cal Foote, Tomas Soustal and Dillon Dube, the first star, also scored in the teams’ 25th win of the season. The power play was 1 for 4 while the penalty killing unit was outstanding going 7 for 8.
Overall, the Rockets have out-scored their BC Division rivals 18-16. In the big picture the Rockets have won 6 of its last 10 games (6-3-1-0) and have points in 8 of its last 11 games (6-3-2-0). The Rockets travel to Everett to face the Silvertips in a Monday (Martin Luther King Day) afternoon affair on January 16th.
That’s a Fact Jack: Tomas Soustal’s goal Wednesday was his first in 9 games…Calvin Thurkauf has the same number of goals (18) as he did all of last season…Dillon Dube has been held off the score-sheet just three times this season….6 of the teams last 8 games have been decided by a goal…Blake Comeau played in his 600th NHL game last night as the Colorado Avalanche hosted the Anaheim Ducks. Comeau was part of a Kelowna Rockets team that won the 2004 Memorial Cup…Carsen Twarynski, a third round NHL pick of the Philadelphia Flyers, made his Kelowna Rockets debut Wednesday night in Victoria…Reid Gardiner was acquired on the exact same day, two years removed, from the Rockets obtaining Leon Draisaitl’s rights from the PA Raiders…Reid and Erik Gardiner are the 6th set of Rockets brothers to play with one another. They join Kiel and Gavin McLeod, Lucas and Evan Bloodoff, Josh and Jake Morrissey, Joe and Danny Gatenby and Cal and Nolan Foote…The Rockets are 14-5-3-0 in their last 22 games and have points in 15 of their last 19 (12-4-3-0)….Defenceman Cal Foote and forward Kole Lind have been named to the roster for the CHL Top Prospects game. Foote is one of only two players on the Rockets roster to play in every game this season. The other is Rodney Southam. Lind leads the team in scoring. The Top Prospects game will be played in Quebec City.
Gardiner X2: The Kelowna Rockets pulled off a significant deal last Friday by acquiring 20 year-old forward Reid Gardiner from the Prince Albert Raiders. Gardiner is the older brother of rookie forward Erik Gardiner. Reid Gardiner was playing this season in the American Hockey League for the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins. Last season, Gardiner scored 43 goals and collected 92 assists and was named a WHL All-Star. To make room for Gardiner, the team sent 20 year-old Riley Stadel to the Edmonton Oil Kings for a 5th round bantam pick.
Trade Winds Blow: The Kelowna Rockets made two other deals in advance of the WHL trade deadline on Tuesday. The Rockets acquired 19 year-old forward Carsen Twarynski and a conditional third round bantam pick for 18 year-old Jake Kryski. The team shipped 18 year-old Jordan Borstmayer to the Vancouver Giants for a 5th round bantam pick.
Broadcasters Bits: Kole Lind has 3+7=10 vs Victoria this season. Rodney Southam (4+0) and Tomas Soustal (2+3=5) have also contributed on the scoresheet against their BC Division cousins…Michael Herringer has played in all five games against the Royals, posting a record of 3 and 2 with a goals against average of 3.27…GM Bruce Hamilton has traded/released six players from the teams opening day roster..
Kole Lind had his 13 game point streak snapped December 18th against the Edmonton Oil Kings. It is the longest point streak by a Rockets player this season …Calvin Thurkauf was named the WHL Player of the Week December 7th to 11th …The Rockets were 8-3-2-0 in December…The Rockets were 6-4-0-0 in 10 games in November after going 8-4-0-0 in 12 games in October…The Rockets are the only team in the WHL that has failed to surrender a shorthanded goal against this season…The Rockets are 8-9-0-0 against BC based teams this season…Michael Herringer has started in 26 of the last 34 games…The Rockets are 8-0-2-0 against U.S Division teams this season…January Birthdays: Devante Stephens turned 19 January 2nd. Reid Gardiner turns 21 on January 19th along with assistant coach Kris Mallette while Michael Herringer (Jan 26th) also has a birthday in January.
Game Notes Compiled by Regan Bartel of AM 1150
