Rockets Sputter on the Road

r With the 2008-09 WHL regular season just two games old, the Kelowna Rockets’ team bus has already logged over 1,100 travel miles.

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r Unfortunately, the club has no points to show for games in Tri-City, Saturday and Portland on Sunday. The Americans rode Jason Reese’s hat trick to a 5-2 win on Saturday while Colin Reddin scored twice, including the game winner seven minutes into the third, to earn the Winter Hawks a 2-1 decision Sunday.

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r Meanwhile, before the team hit the ice for Saturday’s season opener, General Manager and President, Bruce Hamilton, pulled the trigger on a deal that netted the Rockets 20-year-old goalie, Kris Lazaruk, from the Kootenay Ice. The trade surprised many and likely means the end of Torrie Jung’s career with the Rockets. Lazaruk played both games on the weekend with the team hoping and expecting he’ll seize the starter’s reigns for good.

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r “Kris came available and we thought it was the right time for us to make this move,” said Head Coach, Ryan Huska, when speaking to Doyle Potenteau of the Kelowna Daily Courier following the loss to Tri-City. “Hopefully Torrie can find another spot to play. He‘s good goalie, and sometimes guys need a fresh start, a new place to play. I‘m sure he‘ll get an excellent opportunity where ever he goes.”

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r The Rockets had planned on giving Jung an extended run of playing time in the early season in the hopes that the third year goalie would solidify things between the pipes. But, just after returning to Kelowna from the Tampa Bay Lightning rookie camp, Jung learned he’d be the odd man out. In 33 games with Kelowna last year, the Nanaimo native posted a 13-12-0-5 record with a 2.80 goals against and .891 save percentage.

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r “Kris became available, and he was someone we talked about as a possible candidate over the summer,” Rockets president and general manager Bruce Hamilton told Potenteau before Saturday‘s game. “He has some pretty good playoff experience and we think he‘s the right guy, though I still think we paid a pretty good price (conditional 4^th round, 2010 Bantam Draft choice).

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r “Torrie‘s on the (trade) wire, and we‘ll see if there‘s any interest in him.”

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r In his three seasons in Kootenay, Lazaruk, a native of Edmonton, appeared in 108 regular season games, winning 57. Over that span, he posted a .910 save percentage and 2.90 goals against average. He led the Ice to a 5-game series win over Medicine Hat in the opening round of the 2008 playoffs when he stopped 157 shots while posting a .935 save percentage and 2.22 goals against average.

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r Kelowna played two men short on Saturday while awaiting the possible return of 6 regulars still at NHL training camps. Tyson Barrie and rookie, Mitch Callahan scored for the Rockets who trailed 3-0 after the first period and 4-1 after 40 minutes. Lazaruk stopped 28 of 33 shots on the night despite having only arrived with the team shortly before the opening face-off.

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r On Sunday, the Rockets out-shot the hometown Winter Hawks 34-17 but succumbed despite a frantic, goalie-out surge in the game’s waning moments. Evan Bloodoff put Kelowna up 1-0 early in the second but Reddin tied the game at 5:24 of the second and won it at 7:30 of the third.

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r Portland goalie, Jordan White followed Reddin in the three star parade with a fine 33 save performance.

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r The Rockets return to action with a game in Kamloops this Friday. They’ll open their home season the following night when the host the same Blazers at Prospera Place.

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