The Rockets conclude a two game home stand tonight against the Portland Winter Hawks.
If you thought the Rockets were a young team, well, the Hawks are even younger.
The Rockets have 5 - 16 year old's this season, while the Hawks have a whopping 7. Ok technically the Rockets have 6 - 16 year old's if you count Daniel Salamandyk, who will be the backup to Torrie Jung tonight. Salamandyk is playing midget hockey with the Okanagan Rockets this season, and was called up after Kristofer Westblom's season ending knee injury.
Bottom line is the Hawks are young, and it shows in the standings with just 32 points, dead last in the league. The Hawks have just one win in their last 11 games heading into tonight's game, and give up the most goals in the WHL. That said, the Hawks have actually scored more goals than the Rockets this season, so lets just say two struggling teams battle tonight at Prospera Place.
It's encouraging that the Rockets registered 3 out of a possible 4 points against Vancouver on the weekend, but I won't be getting to excited until I see what this team is made of this weekend. After tonight's game the Rockets open a stretch of three games in three nights for the first time this season. The Rockets are in Tri City Friday, host Kamloops Saturday before facing the Giants in Vancouver Sunday.
If they come out of this weekend with any type of success, lets say 4 of a possible 6 points, I will then believe this team has turned the corner.
How the team reacts to Kristofer Westblom's injury will be interesting. 'Westy' suffered what looked to be a season ending knee injury in Saturday's 2-0 win over Vancouver when he was involved in a goal mouth collision with J.D Watt. Westblom underwent an MRI Tuesday, but the findings won't be known until later this week at the earliest.
From what I've been told Westblom's MCL (medial collateral ligament) is torn in his left knee. The MRI will show if any damage was done to the ACL (anterior cruciate ligament). If damage to the ACL occured, he could be out for 6 months. If no damage is found, he could be sidelined for 8 weeks minimum.
Either way Torrie Jung will have to lead the Rockets to a post season birth, a challenge he accepts with open arms.
I had a chance to watch on video the fight between Rockets forward James McEwan and Giants tough guy Garet Hunt Saturday.
In one word - Wow!
McEwan threw a total of 47 punches, and while he won the fight, give Hunt all the credit in the world for standing in there. Sure he dropped to one knee at one point in the fight, but he stood back up and was looking for more.
This tilt between two middle weights provides for the best scraps. Get as excited as you want about Kamloops giant Matt Kassian against Vancouver tough guy Milan Lucic all you want, but the punches thrown between two big dudes like that are far less entertaining than watching two middle weights slug it out for a full minute.
Watch the fight on the WHL webcast and tell me that James McEwan isn't the toughest middle weight in the league? Sure he'll stand up and fight the 'big dogs' but at just 5'11 - 185, McEwan is more suited for the smaller set. It's a divison he dominates.
Belated happy 40th birthday to Doyle Pontenteau.
The old fart - I should say Kelowna Daily Courier sports writer - hit the milestone on Sunday and still has a full head of hair. Doyle, if it's any conciliation, I turn 39 on Thursday so I am basically a year away from joining you in the 40 and over club. You can make fun of me then.
I have gotten to known Doyle really well over the last couple of years, because we room together on the road during the Rockets playoffs, and over the years those playoff runs have gone well into late May.
We travel together in the radio station vehicle, as media are forbidden on the Rockets bus come playoff time. That means we eat together, sleep together - ok let me re-phrase that - we room together and basically report together when we are on the road. He asks the dumb questions, I ask the good ones!!
We've shared a lot of laughs along the way, have missed more than a few turns while traveling to U.S cities without a road map, but we've made it safely back home when all was said and done. Sure we've seen the Rockets win a 2003 W.H.L title in Red Deer when in the month of May it was still snowing in Central Alberta, we've seen the Rockets win a Memorial Cup title in Kelowna in 2004 and yet another league title in 2005 with a dominate preformance over the Brandon Wheat Kings.
Flights to and from Quebec City and London, Ontario over the last couple of years have been great, but getting to know Doyle away from the rink has been a pleasure.
I consider Doyle a friend. Happy belated b-day buddy.
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