Losing Board Battles A Back Breaker

• Losing board battles was a back breaker for the Kelowna Rockets Friday night. Three of the four goals the Medicine Hat Tigers scored in Friday’s 4-1 win were the direct result of the Rockets failing to: a) clear the puck along the boards or b) lose a battle in the corners resulting in a mad scramble in front of Kris Lazaruk. Against good teams, weak clearing attempts result in quality chances for the opposition. Let’s just say the Rockets were in a giving mood Friday night.
• Despite being down 2-0 just 9 minutes into the game, give Jamie Benn some credit for getting his team on the board with a shorthanded goal to draw the visitors to within a goal. When you’ve dug yourself into a deep hole on the road, you look to your elite players to find a ladder to help you crawl out.
• The Bloodoff boys were in foul moods Friday night, and I loved it. Lucas Bloodoff was sour after he was pasted into the boards by Thomas Carr. Lucas quickly got up off the ice and made a bee-line towards Carr and engaged him in a fight. Soon after Evan Bloodoff threw a big hit on Tigers defenseman Cody Carlson almost in the same area where Lucas was hit. This time Wacey Hamilton didn’t like the move, and decided to dance with the 17 year-old forward.
• I may be going out on a limb here, but I thought Friday’s game against the Tigers was defenseman Tyler Myers best game ever in a Rockets uniform. No points were required for me to notice him like a fox at a hen party. The big man played like….a big man. Myers threw the body effectively, made smart decisions with the puck and made life miserable for fellow Sabres prospect Tyler Ennis. If Tyler Myers was suffering from a NHL training camp hangover when he returned to junior, he got rid of it in a hurry because he’s shown no signs of lackluster play.
• I had a chance to speak to likable Tigers forward Tyler Ennis before the game. It’s interesting that the Sabres selected both Myers and Ennis in the first round of this summers NHL draft. I asked Ennis if he and Myers had taken a photo together at the draft proudly wearing there Sabres jersey’s. It which Ennis replied no they hadn’t, but if they did “they probably couldn’t fit both of our fat heads into the picture”. I think what would be even funnier is the 6’7 Myers towering over the 5’9 Ennis. Ennis was held off the score-sheet on this night, but he’s too dynamic of a player not to put up some big numbers this season.
• Tigers head coach Willie Desjardins won’t toot his own horn, so I’ll do it for him. Desjardins has turned the Tigers into a force after being recognized as a farce in the late 90’s. You have remember that from 1997 until 2002 the Tigers missed the playoffs five straight seasons. If that happened in Kelowna the fans there would be calling for heads to roll and their would be rioting in the streets. Yet with the hiring of Desjardins, they have enjoyed 40+ win seasons in five of their last 6 years under the quiet head coach.
• It was great to chat with Tigers owner Darrell Maser during the Rockets morning skate. Maser wanted to come out and take a look at the Rockets new bus and it gave me a chance to thank him face-to-face for his generosity during my Mom’s passing. I got to know Darrell Maser when his son Josh played with the Swift Current Broncos.
• The new WHL Guides are out. I was handed one by the Tigers Dave Andjelic. You should be able to pick up your copy Saturday when the Rockets host Prince George.
• One thing was missing before Friday night's game. I went without a conversation with Doug Mosher. Mosher passed away this summer after battling cancer, but even during his struggles with the disease he'd be at the rink either giving me a hard time about the tie I was wearing or my pointy dress shoes. The cool thing is, his absence didn't go unnoticed. He's a man that leaves me with a smile on my face when I think of him.