GAME DAY: Rockets Take On Warriors at Prospera
Rockets vs. Warriors
Saturday February 14, 2015
Game Time ‑ 7:05 pm
Tonight’s Preview: The Kelowna Rockets play game two of a three game home stand tonight when they host the Moose Jaw Warriors. This is the one and only meeting of the season between the two teams. Last season the Rockets were a 6-3 winner in Moose Jaw. Myles Bell had two goals while Nick Merkley and Ryan Olsen each had a goal and an assist. The two teams combined for 76 shots on net. The Warriors last visit to the Okanagan was November 30th, 2012 in a 3-2 loss. Henrik Nyberg scored the game winning goal for the Rockets at the 17:46 mark of the third period. The Rockets are coming off a 7-3 win last night over the Victoria Royals. Cole Linaker and Cole Martin scored twice in the win while Madison Bowey and Leon Draisaitl each chipped in with three assists. The Rockets were 2 for 3 on the power play while Michael Herringer made 22 saves for the team’s fifth straight home ice win. Following tonight’s game, the Rockets play host to the Kamloops Blazers on Wednesday night. The Rockets are 15-4-0-1 since the Christmas break. Nine of the team’s 12 games in February are against BC Division rivals. Overall, the Rockets have points in ten of eleven games (9-1-0-1).
Times Ticking: The Kelowna Rockets have 16 games left in the regular season schedule. The schedule includes four games against Victoria and Vancouver, three games against Kamloops with singles against Moose Jaw, Spokane, Calgary, Everett and Seattle. Eleven of the final 16 games are against teams in the BC Division.
Dare to Compare: The Rockets have a record of 43-9-3-1 this season, good for 90 points. After 56 games last season the team was 44-8-0-4, which was good for 92 points. The team has scored 245 goals this season. At the same time last year after 56 games, 244 goals were scored and 147 goals were given up. This season the team has surrendered 141 goals against.
Streaks Snapped: Rourke Chartier has goals in four of his last six games. Gage Quinney has points in five of his last six games. The 19 year-old had four goals and four assists (4+4=8) over that period. Tyson Baillie has a four game point streak with two goals and six assists (2+6=8). Defenceman Josh Morrissey has a seven game point streak with (2+5=7) two goals and five assists.
Another 40 win season: The Kelowna Rockets earned their 40th win of the season Saturday in Kamloops. It marked the 11th time in franchise history that this has happened. Here is the breakdown of 40 win seasons:
2014-2015: 43 wins and counting
2013-2014: 57 wins 2004-2005: 45 wins
2012-2013: 52 wins 2003-2004: 47 wins
2010-2011: 43 wins 2002-2003: 51 wins
2008-2009: 47 wins 1994-1995: 43 wins (Tacoma)
2005-2006: 46 wins 1992-1993: 45 wins (Tacoma)
This and That: During this five game home ice winning streak, the Rockets have out-scored the opposition 31-14…Jackson Whistle has missed four games after having appendix surgery on February 6th. The Rockets are 3-1-0-0 in those games with Jake Morrissey winning two of the three games…Riley Stadel snapped a 16 game goal scoring drought last night with his eighth of the season…Cole Linaker scored twice in last night’s win. It was his first-two goal game of his career. Linaker now has a career high 12 goals after scoring 11 times last season…Cole Martin also had his first-two goal game of his WHL career last night. Martin is now a +12 in his last ten games…Tyson Baillie is two points shy of 200 for his WHL career. Baillie has 198 career points courtesy of 90 goals and 108 assists…Tomas Soustal turns 18 on Sunday….Josh Morrisey has 3+9=12 in 14 games with the Rockets this season and is +15 in his last eleven games…The Rockets have been held to just one goal five times this season. Seattle (road), Edmonton (road), Calgary (road) Regina (home) and Prince Albert (home) have turned the trick against the highest scoring team in the Western Conference…The Kelowna Rockets have scored the most goals on the road (126) in the WHL this season…The Rockets have lost only three times in regulation time on the road this season. Those three losses came in Seattle, Tri City and Calgary…The Rockets have points in 9 of their last 10 road games (8-1-0-1)….The Rockets are 52-10-2-1 on opposition ice in the last two seasons….The Rockets have 16 games left in the regular season. Of those 16, seven will be played on the road with nine on home ice….Three members of the Kelowna Rockets made the mid-term rankings for NHL’s Central Scouting Service. Nick Merkley is rated 13th, Devante Stephens is ranked 108th and 17 year-old defenceman Joe Gatenby is 134th among North American skaters.
Three Star Balloting:
*Other first star winners are: Leon Draisaitl (five), Tyrell Goulbourne (twice) and Cole Martin, Dillon Dube and Justin Kirkland once each.
Player: 1st Star 2nd Star 3rd Star Total
Rourke Chartier: 6 6 2 14
Jackson Whistle: 7 4 2 13
Nick Merkley: 5 2 6 13
Tyson Baillie: 3 6 3 12
Madison Bowey: 2 3 3 8
