GAME DAY; ROCKETS HOST HURRICANES
Rockets vs. Hurricanes
Saturday October 11, 2014
Game Time ‑ 7:05 pm
Tonight’s Preview: The Kelowna Rockets conclude a mini two game home stand tonight when they host the Lethbridge Hurricanes. These two teams meet only three times this season. The Rockets are in Lethbridge on December 10th and return again on January 30th. The Rockets are riding a franchise record 7 game winning streak to start the season after a 4-0 win over the visiting Swift Current Broncos on Tuesday. Carter Rigby scored twice in the win while Cole Linaker and Justin Kirkland added singles. Jackson Whistle earned the shutout with an 18 save performance. Following tonight’s game, the Rockets play three straight games on the road with stops in Kamloops (Wednesday), Spokane (Friday) and Tri City a week from tonight. The team’s next home game is October 22nd vs. the Tri City Americans.
Rockets roar up top 10 rankings: The Rockets quick start this season has not fallen on deaf ears. The Rockets this week are rated as the second best junior team in Canada. The CHL Top 10 rankings have the Rockets as the second best team only behind the QMJHL’s Rimouski Oceanic. The Brandon Wheat Kings are rated 4th while the Medicine Hat Tigers are ranked 6th. The only other WHL team in the top 10 is Everett at number 10.
Attaboy Bowey! Kelowna Rockets defenceman Madison Bowey is the WHL Player of the Week. Bowey scored two goals and added six assists for eight points while posting a plus-seven rating in three games over the past week, helping the Rockets to three wins in that span.
Tyson Time: Tyson Baillie leads the WHL in goals with 8. Baillie scored a goal in the Rockets first six games this season. It is the longest scoring streak of his career. The 19 year-old hit the 150 career point mark in Everett last Friday. The 19 year-old is playing in his 198th career game tonight against the Broncos.
This and That: Rookie Lucas Johansen earned his first career point Tuesday night with an assist in the Rockets 4-0 win over Swift Current…Jackson Whistle’s shutout Tuesday was the 4th of his career. Whistle has never had multiple shutouts in one season over his WHL career…The Rockets have seven goals from the blue line this season…In six of the seven wins this season a different player has scored the game winning goal….. The Rockets are the only team in the WHL that is undefeated so far this season….Nick Merkley leads the WHL in assists with 11….Rookie Dillon Dube will represent Canada at the Under 17 World Hockey Challenge at the end of the month. Dube will play for Team White. Rockets Head Coach Dan Lambert will coach Team Red….The Rockets are an incredible 117-27-3-5 in their last 152 regular season games dating back to the start of the 2012-2013 season….Riley Stadel is off to another terrific start this season. The 18 year-old has 10 points in his first seven games. Last season in his first nine games, Stadel manufactured seven goals and 12 points…The Rockets have scored five shorthanded goals this season. Last season the team managed 13 shorthanded goals and had the best penalty killing unit in the WHL…Colton Heffley played in his 250th career game Tuesday against the Swift Current Broncos. The Rockets have scored a power play goal in six of seven games…The opposition has opened the scoring in four of the seven games….The Rockets have out-shot the opposition in all seven games this season…
Goulby Gallops Back: The Kelowna Rockets get faster and tougher with the return of 20 year-old Tyrell Goulbourne. The Edmonton product returned to the team last Thursday night after attending the training camp of the Philadelphia Flyers. A third round pick from 2013, Goulbourne scored a career high 17 goal and collected 37 points in 68 games last season. In three full seasons with the Rockets, ‘Goulby’ has registered 385 penalty minutes and is regarded as one of the fastest skaters on the team.
Bowey on pace for big year: Captain Madison Bowey has 11 points in five games since returning from the training camp of the Washington Capitals. The single season Kelowna Rockets team record for most points by a defenceman is held by Burt Henderson, who recorded 74 points during the 1995-96 season. Tyson Barrie came close in 2009-2010 when the now Colorado Avalanche d-man had 72 points. Last season Bowey had 60 points including a franchise record 21 goals from the blue line.
NHL Central Scouting Speaks: Kelowna Rockets Nick Merkley, Joe Gatenby and Tomas Soustal have made NHL Central Scouting’s preliminary list of ‘players to watch’ for next June’s NHL draft. Merkley is rated an ‘A’ prospect, which means scouts believe he will be taken in the opening round. Gatenby and Soustal are ‘C’ rated prospects meaning they could be chosen anywhere from the 4th to 6th round. The NHL draft is next summer in Philadelphia.
