Rockets prepare for pair of weekend games including Orchard Ford Teddy Bear Toss on Saturday
Following a successful weekend that saw them win two out of a possible three games during their three-in-three stretch against Everett and Victoria, the Kelowna Rockets are preparing for another busy weekend which sees them travel to Tri-City on Friday before returning to home ice on Saturday, December 14th to take on the Wenatchee Wild in the Orchard Ford Teddy Bear Toss game.
Reminder that the game was originally scheduled for 6:05 PM on Saturday but has since been changed to 3:05 PM to allow fans to attend both the Rockets game as well as the City of Kelowna’s Parade with a Purpose Christmas event that is happening in downtown Kelowna later that evening.
AMERICANS
The Americans will play host to the Prince George Cougars on Wednesday, December 11th before hosting the Rockets on Friday. In the Americans previous two games, they lost 3-2 in overtime to Vancouver on December 6th as well as on November 30th when they fell 5-2 to the Wenatchee Wild.
WILD
Wenatchee will have a busy week as they’ll play Tuesday in Seattle before travelling to Everett on Friday and Kelowna on Saturday. Wenatchee was shutout 3-0 in their Teddy Bear Toss game on Sunday, December 8th against Everett while also falling 6-2 and 3-2 to Spokane on December 6 and 7.
ROCKETS ROSTER AND INJURY UPDATE
The Rockets will have some changes to their line up as Andrew Cristall and Caden Price are at Canada’s National Junior Team selection camp, while Jakub Stancl and Marek Rocak are with Czechia at their training camp. In a corresponding move, Kelowna recalled 2007-born defenceman Lachlan Staniforth as well as 2008-born forward Eli Barrett.
The Rockets will also be out with star forward Tij Iginla for the remainder of the season as it was announced on December 4th that he underwent successful hip surgery which would sideline him for the rest of the campaign. In 21 games this season Iginla had 14 goals and 32 points.
ROCKETS TO WATCH
- Michael Cicek has been working at close to a point-per-game clip this season as the 20-year-old forward has 26 points in 27 games.
- Kanjyu Gojsic had his best game as a junior aged player against Wenatchee, scoring two goals in the contest. The 16-year-old forward has suited up in 21 games so far this season and has six goals and four assists.
AMERICANS TO WATCH
- Gavin Garland was really strong for the Americans during the last meeting between Kelowna and Tri-City, scoring a goal and adding three assists in a 6-5 come from behind victory.
- Brandon Whynott had a goal and two helpers in his last game against Kelowna, earning himself first star honours. The 20-year-old forward has 34 points in 26 games.
WILD TO WATCH
- Maddix McCagherty scored Wenatchee’s first goal of the game the last time the Rockets and Wild met, earning himself first star honours.
- Lukas McCloskey had a goal and an assist on November 20th against Kelowna as the defenceman from Newport Beach, California now has six points in 10 games.
THE LAST TIME THESE TWO MET
VS TC
The Rockets last met the Americans on October 19th, a 6-5 defeat at the Toyota Center in Kennewick. Max Graham scored twice with Andrew Cristall, Michael Cicek and Jaxon Kehrig also getting goals.
VS WEN
Wenatchee came away with a 5-4 victory on November 20th at Prospera Place. Michael Cicek and Max Graham both scored while Kanjyu Gojsic registered the first two goal performance of his career. Jake Pilon made 37 saves on 42 attempts.
SEASON RECORD
VS TC
- Oct. 5 at TC • 2-1 W
- Oct. 19 at TC • 6-5 L
- Dec. 13 at TC • @ 7:05 PM
- Feb. 8 vs TC • @ 6:05 PM
- Feb. 17 vs TC • @ 2:05 PM
VS WEN
- Oct. 18 at WEN • 4-0 W
- Nov. 20 vs WEN • 5-4 L
- Dec. 14 vs WEN • @ 3:05 PM
- Dec. 31 at WEN • @ 5:00 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.
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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.
The Kelowna Rockets are now offering half season tickets for the remainder of the season. Tickets will get you great seats for the remainder of the 2024-25 campaign and guarantees your chance to renew for next season which will include the first option to purchase Memorial Cup packages. Those interested in tickets can contact Gavin Hamilton at 250-979-0851 or [email protected].
