Tonight’s Preview: This is the third meeting of the season between the Rockets and the Cougars. The Rockets won back-to-back games in Prince George November 9th and 10th with 5-1 and 6-1 victories. Following tonight’s game these two teams won’t see each other until January 4th when the Cougars again make a visit to Prospera Place. The Rockets make their final visit up in Prince George with back-to-back games January 11th and 12th. In total the Rockets and Cougars meet eight times this season. Last season the Rockets were 4-1-0-0 against the Cougars on home ice, out-scoring their BC division rivals 18-14. In the Cougars last 20 regular season appearances in Kelowna, they’ve managed just five wins. The Rockets are 13-5-0-1 with one tie in 20 games against the Cougars dating back to the start of the 2003-2004 season. The Rockets are playing game two of four straight games on home ice. The Rockets were a 7-6 overtime winner against the Kootenay Ice last night. Colin Long scored the game winner just 44 seconds into the extra frame for the team’s 14th win of the season. The Rockets enter tonight’s game having recorded a point in 12 of their last 13 games (9-1-1-2), having out-scored the opposition 47-31 over that period. The Rockets enter tonight’s game having won 4 straight on home ice, with points in 6 straight (4-0-1-1). The Rockets host Kamloops next Friday before closing out the home stand against Portland one night later.
7th Heaven: The Rockets scored 7 goals in last night’s overtime win over the Ice. When was the last time the Rockets scored 7 goals at home? The last time was December 7, 2005 in a 7-4 win over the Tri City Americans. That season (2005-2006) the Rockets scored 7 goals at home on three separate occasions, against Moose Jaw (7-6), Prince George (7-1) and the Tri Cities. So when asked the question when was the last time the Rockets won a game at home by giving up 6 goals, the answer is Oct 19, 2005 in a 7-6 win over the Moose Jaw Warriors. That game was also won in overtime. The most goals the Rockets have scored at home were 11, in an 11-2 win over Vancouver January 5, 2002. When was the last time the Rockets have up 12 goals combined in back-to-back games? The Rockets gave up 13 goals in back-to-back home losses to Portland (7-5) and to Lethbridge (6-4) on October 12th and 13th of 2001.
A Night of Firsts: Matt Brusciano scored his first career WHL goal in last night’s 7-6 overtime win over Kootenay. Brusciano was playing in just his second game of the season after missing the first 24 games with a concussion. Tyler Myers also recorded his first goal of the season in last night’s win. Myers has just 3 career goals in 88 career WHL games. The only Rockets player without a point this season is rookie defenseman Kyle Verdino.
Red Hot Rockets:
*The Rockets are 8 for 38 on the power play in their last 7 games or 21.1%.
Brady Leavold: Leavold has points in six of his last 7.
Tyson Barrie: 1+7=8 in last 8 games Colin Long: points in 10 of last 12 (5+11=16)
Cody Almond: points in 8 of last 12 (4+11=15) Jamie Benn: 7+5=12 in last 10 games
Kyle St. Denis: 6+4=10 in last 12 games Lucas Bloodoff: Goals in 8 of last 13 games (10 goals over that period)
*The Rockets penalty kill has given up 8 goals in their last 35 kills.
Rockets Milestones:
Colin Joe played in his 200th WHL game Sunday November 18th in Vancouver.
James McEwan is 6 games shy of 200 for his career.
Lucas Bloodoff is 3 games shy of 100 for his career.
Lucas Bloodoff has 10 goals this season, the same number he scored in 69 games in his rookie season.
Colin Long has surpassed his point total of 28 set last season. Long has 33 points this season.
Only four Rockets have played in all 26 games this season. Lucas Bloodoff, Brandon McMillan, Colin Long and Kyle St. Denis have dressed in every game this season.
Brandon McMillan has 5 more points than he did all of last season.
Evan Bloodoff’s goal last night gave him 9 points on the season – one more than in 59 games last season.
Broadcasters Bits: The Rockets have out-shot the opposition in 10 of their last 15 games…Rockets goaltender Kristofer Westblom has started ten of the team’s last twelve games, posting a record of 7-1-1-1. It stands to reason that Westblom has been in goal in 12 of the Rockets 14 wins this season…Colin Long has been held off the score-sheet in just six of the teams first 26 games this season…Rockets defenseman Luke Schenn will represent the WHL against a touring team from Russia during the ADT Canada-Russia Challenge later this month in Medicine Hat and Cranbrook… The Rockets have points in 6 straight home games (5-0-0-1), having outscored the opposition 24-16 over that period…The Rockets have points in seven of their last 8 road games (5-1-1-1)…The Rockets have given up a power play goal in 20 of the 26 games they’ve played this season…The Rockets have been involved in a one goal game in 9 of their first 12 home games. The Rockets are 4-3-1-1 in those one goal contests…The Rockets have been involved in fourteen – one goal games this season, including eleven of their last 17 games overall…The Rockets all-time are 8 and 9 in the shootout.
Rockets Schedule - Next 5 Games: Rockets Results - Last 5 Games:
Nov 30 vs. Kamloops Rockets 2 Everett 3 OTL
Dec 1 vs. Portland Rockets 4 Hawks 1 W
Dec 2 @ Chilliwack Rockets 5 Giants 3 W
Dec 5 vs. Med Hat Rockets 1 Americans 6 L
Dec 7 @ Lethbridge Rockets 7 Kootenay 6 OTW
Rockets Players by Province: BC=13 US=4 ALB=3 SASK=2 MAN=1 EURO=1 Total=24
Rockets Season Highs and Lows:
Most Goals Scored: 7 vs. Kootenay November 23/07 (7-6 OTW)
Most Goals Allowed: 6 vs. Kootenay Nov 23/07 (7-6 OTW), @ Tri City November 21/07 (6-1 L)
Most Power Play Chances: 9 @ PG Nov 10/07 (6-1 W – 4/9) vs. Warriors Oct 27/07. Rockets were 0/9 losing 4-3 in shootout.
Most Power Play Goals Scored: 4 @ PG Nov 10/07 (6-1 W)
Most Power Play Goals Allowed: 4 @ Everett Sept 29/07
Most Shots Taken: 38 @ Portland Nov 17/07 (Rockets 4 Hawks 1)
Fewest Shots Taken: 9 @ Vancouver Sept 29/07 (5-0L)
Most Shot Allowed: 48 @ Vancouver Sept 30/07
Fewest Shots Allowed: 13 vs. Blazers Oct 30/07 (6-1 W)
Last Shutout: - Kristofer Westblom 28 saves vs. Calgary (5-0 W)
Last Time Shutout: - @ Vancouver Sept 29/07 – Sexsmith 9 saves (5-0 L)
Penalty Shots: Torrie Jung stops Hawks forward Luke Walker Nov 17/07 in a 4-1 win in Portland. Kristofer Westblom stops Everett’s Shane Harper in a 3-2 overtime loss Nov 16/07 in Everett. Torrie Jung stopped Michal Repik in the 3rd period of a 5-0 loss Sept 29/07.
Overtime Winning Goal: Colin Long scored at :44 of overtime Nov 23/07 in a 7-6 win over Kootenay. Jamie Benn scored at 1:07 of overtime Nov 2/07 in a 3-2 win over Chilliwack.
Shootout Game Winning Goals: Dylan Hood scores in a 4-3 win in Seattle October 6/07. Colin Long scored the game winner in a 2-1 win over Vancouver October 24th.
Rockets vs. Divisions:
vs. BC: 8-3-0-1 vs. US: 3-5-2-0
vs. Central: 3-0-0-0 vs. East: 0-0-0-1
Roster Stats:
Player total: 24
Year by Year Breakdown:
20’s – 3 Westblom, McEwan, Leavold
19’s – 3 Dowzak, MacRae, Joe
18’s – 8 Long, Kytnar, Brusciano, L. Bloodoff, Jung, Schenn, Almond, Benn
17’s – 6 St. Denis, E. Bloodoff, McIntosh, Myers, McMillan, Hood
16’s – 4 Bowman, Barrie, Paradis, Verdino
Average Age: 17.8
Rookies – 7
Record by Month:
Month Games Record Home Road
September: 4 1-2-1-0 0-1-1-0 1-1-0-0
October: 11 5-5-0-1 3-3-0-1 2-2-0-0
November: 13 8-1-1-1 3-0-0-0 5-1-1-1
December: 12 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0
January: 13 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0
February: 11 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0
NHL Draft Picks-Training Camp Attendees: Jamie Benn (Dallas 07), Torrie Jung (Tampa Bay 07), Cody Almond (Minnesota 07), Milan Kytnar (Oilers 07), Tysen Dowzak (Tryout Philadelphia).
Game Notes Compiled by Regan Bartel (AM 1150)
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