Monday, March 12, 2007

Calling on the hockey Gods - Rockets Need Help!


It’s the most helpless feeling in the world.

You are no longer in control.

The ability to decide if you will be going to the post season will be decided by others.

The Kelowna Rockets lost all control of deciding their own fate with three straight losses on the weekend.
So now instead the Rockets must rely on a miracle which consists of a meltdown by the Chillwack Bruins while having to winning back-to-back home games next weekend, just to force a tie breaker between the two teams.

Now that the Bruins have a three point lead, I don’t think the Rockets have a prayer.

I’m just being honest here!

How would the miracle have to unfold for the Rockets to play another game after March 17th?

Chilliwack must earn no more than a single point in their final three games and the Rockets must earn no less than four points (2 wins) in order for the tie breaker to take place next Tuesday in Chilliwack.

It’s possible but not probable.

Why are the Rockets in this predicament?

Let’s just say they didn’t help themselves Sunday in a game that had all the makings of a lopsided Tri City win even before the game began.

The Rockets arrived in Kennewick, Washington at 6 am Sunday morning after a hard fought 4-1 loss to Vancouver while the Americans were sleeping in their toasty beds after a home ice win the night before against Everett.

The Americans were fresh, the Rockets in a fog, when the puck dropped at centre ice for a 5 pm start.

The Americans out-shot the Rockets 12-0 before the Rockets finally got their first shot on goal on Carey Price 13 minutes into the hockey game.
The shot came off the stick of Evan Bloodoff, on a weak backhand as the 16 year-old tried to move wide on an Am‘s defenseman.

It was a sign of things to come.

Two goals just 45 seconds apart in the first 11 minutes had this one out of reach early, as the Rockets are playing with as much fragility as a glass vase on the back of a pickup truck.

Three more goals in the second period only added salt to the already open wound for a team who ends of the season with the lowest road win total in franchise history – 6 games.

Joel Broda would score three times, the Americans would win their 11th straight home game and Carey Price and Chet Pichard would share the shutout in the 5-0 win.
For the Rockets, it was the 10th time this season they have failed to reach the scoreboard on the road.

Coupled with 4-1 losses to Vancouver and Seattle Friday and Saturday night, the Rockets will wrap up the regular season this weekend with back-to-back games at Prospera Place against Kamloops and Prince George.

Those games will mean absolutely nothing if the Bruins win on home ice Wednesday against Spokane.

If that happens, the Rockets will miss post season for the first time in franchise history, leaving Everett as the only team in the W.H.L who has never experienced the feeling of being left behind when the real fun starts.

The real fun I refer to is none other than the 2007 playoffs.

Regan’s Ramblings:

*The Rockets saw Americans goaltender Carey Price for the first time this season. Price was likely given the start considering the Am’s are fighting with Seattle for home ice advantage and second place in the U.S division.
Prior to Price’s appearance, backup Chet Pickard had started the previous three games against the Rockets.
Price looked to suffer a groin pull in the 3rd period of last night’s game, eventually leaving for Pickard to mop up in a relief experience.

*The schedule this past weekend for the Rockets was a set up for disaster from the very beginning.
Why they had to play three games in three nights at a crucial time of the season makes you question the schedule makers?
For the Rockets to be on the road for a 7 hour trip to Kennewick for a matinee affair after a home game the previous night bizarre.
The fact that the time change came into effect the same night only made matters worse.
Ideally they should have taken one of these weekend games and moved it to a Wednesday, as the Rockets now have four day’s off this week before hosting the Blazers Friday in what could be a game of little significance.

*Rockets overage d-man David Schulz was a late scratch after again suffering from the flu
Schulz was throwing up during the day and was unable to play.

*Say what you want about American’s Head Coach Don Nachbaur, but he’s all class in my books.
On the field of play, he’s there to win, but Nachbaur showed me what he’s all about when he shook my hand and wished me (us) luck in the final two games of the season once I was off the air.
He could have simply walked quickly back down the stairs after doing his post game interview in the broadcast booth, but knows what it’s like to be in the situation the Rockets are currently in.
Nachbaur and the Am’s missed the playoffs in 2002-2003.

*The Rockets 6 road wins this season are the lowest total in franchise history.
The previous low was 98-99 when the team won just 7 games and scored just 91 goals.
This season the Rockets scored just 65 goals – 26 fewer than that team from the late 90’s.
The 65 goals average out to 1.8 goals per game on the road this season.

*Cody Almond had what appeared to be a goal taken away when he beat Tri City goaltender Chet Pickard with a wrist shot in the 3rd period.
The puck seemed to hit the middle bar of the net before quickly coming back out. Neither the goal judge nor the referee at the side the net (Mike McCreary) thought it was in.
In fact McCreary waved it off immediately.
As the play came back inside the Rockets zone, Almond was busy trying to convince McCreary other wise.
Once play had finally stopped, both referees met with the linesmen to discuss the play before having a talk with the goal judge.
The goal judge said “I didn’t see it”.
Case closed!
The game remained 5-0 Americans.

*I had a pleasant surprise Sunday morning when I looked at my laptop and the clock was in accordance to the new time change.
In case you’ve been sleeping under a rock, clocks moved ahead one hour Saturday night in an apparent move to conserve energy.
From what I had read, many of these so-called gadgets (laptops – ipods) would have to be changed manually, but my laptop made the time change forward without me lifting a finger.
But my good old fashioned VCR remains locked in the 90’s and continues to be unable to realize there is such a thing as the year 2007.
Like me, the VCR has a hard time adjusting to change.

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