Sunday, October 12, 2008

8-1 = A Whole Lot Of Fun

  • What a difference 24 hours makes. After getting embarrassed 7-1 in Vancouver Friday night, the Rockets responded with a tremendous effort in a 8-1 win Saturday night over the Prince George Cougars. The Rockets dominated all aspects of the game, including limiting the Cougars to just 12 shots on goal. You witnessed few defensive mistakes as the majority of the game was played in the offensive zone.
  • Colin Long and Jamie Benn each had two goals in this one. I hate to say it, but as go Long and Benn, so do the Kelowna Rockets. I don't want to put added pressure on these two - 19 year-old forwards, but when they step to the plate the Rockets are usually on the winning end.
  • The win didn't come without it's casualties. Forward Dylan Hood suffered a broken nose after Cougars defenseman Cody Hobbs punched him in the peak during a skirmish 7 minutes into the game along the end boards inside the Cougars zone. Hood left the game with blood coming from his nose and never returned.
  • Kyle St. Denis suffered a leg injury despite scoring a goal and assisting on two others. St. Denis never came out to accept his award for his second star performance.
  • It was encouraging to see Jesse Paradis score the opening goal for the Rockets. The 17 year-old gets little media attention, yet his contribution 2 and a half minutes into the game can not be overlooked. Paradis has two goals this season, one more than a year ago.
  • Brandon McMillan had a quiet night, but still managed three assists. It was interesting to see him playing on a line with Jamie Benn and Kyle St. Denis.
  • Adam Brown made his first WHL start. The Rockets were so dominant offensively that Brown saw few quality shots, yet it was nice to see him earn the win. Call it a early birthday present, as the rookie goaltender celebrates his 17th birthday today.
  • It was nice to run into Rick Carriere. Carriere and I go back to my days as the Swift Current Broncos play-by-play man while Carriere was the head coach of the Red Deer Rebels. Carriere is now scouting with the Medicine Hat Tigers.
  • You have to love the play of Dana Tyrell. The Prince George Cougars captain worked his tail off all night long, even when the game was lopsided. Tyrell scored the lone goal for the Cougars on the power play during a 5 on 3.
  • The Kelowna Rockets are now the most penalized team in the WHL. The game featured four fights, including Cody Almond, Jamie Benn, Kyle Verdino and Riley McIntosh electing to dance.
  • When was the last time the Rockets scored 8 goals in a game? The Rockets scored 8 times in a 8-2 win over Brandon February 14/08 and managed 9 goals in a 9-2 win over Portland January 23/08.
  • Prior to the start of last night's game a moment of silence was held for Okanagan Sun football player Janson Towers, who was killed in a motorcycle accident on Friday.

3 comments:

JOYRIDE said...

the best game yet. the rockets took away the coogs time and space for the entire game. benn and long responded well to their new linemates, forcing them to keep up to the energetic play. the only downside was when hoody got attacked, novotny stood and watched as 3 coogs beat the shit out of him .good on spencer main for jumping in, where were his team mates, i know i sure wouldnot want a coward like novotny on my line . i hope hoody is ok

hockeysteve said...

I thought that young brown looked very composed in net... even if he didn't get that many shots for his first start he did very well I thought. I'm still wondering about the status of Torrie Jung tho... I really am finding it hard to believe that the poor kid is just sitting at home.. anyone know what's happening to him?.. or Regan any idea why they don't put him up for the trade wire? At least he would have a chance to get elsewhere in the CHL. It's just my personal opinion but I think they should have kept the kid. Something about him just helped the team click I feel.

Rocketwatcher said...

It was time the forwards as a group played better, which took pressure off the D. I have a hard time believing overplaying the top two D men leaves any gas in the tank for the third. And when are we going to get a true tough guy? The sucker punch on Dylan Hood was in my opinion a direct comment on the lack of fear teams have of retribution. Good on Benn for going after him but he was way too polite. Squaring off is for guys who want to test themselves, not getting even for a gross cheapshot that FOUR officials missed. Brutal.