Game Notes vs. Tigers

Tonight’s Preview: The Rockets and Tigers are meeting for the third and final time this season. The home team has won the first two games. These two teams met January 30th with the Rockets earning a 10-1 win. In the lone appearance at the Medicine Hat Arena (Oct 3), the Rockets fell 4-1. Jamie Benn scored the lone goal – shorthanded – in the loss. It was Benn’s first goal of the season. The Rockets enter tonight’s game playing the 4th of 6 straight on the road. The Rockets have won 3 straight on opposition ice, having out-scored the opposition 13-5. Those wins came against Vancouver (6-2), Everett (3-2) and Chilliwack (4-1). The Rockets have just one regulation loss in their last 16 games (12-1-1-2). The only setback over that period was a 4-3 loss in Portland February 16th. Following tonight’s game the Rockets are in Red Deer Friday and Calgary Saturday night. The Rockets return home to face Spokane March 4th.

Last Game: Tyler Myers scored the game winner, shorthanded, less than two minutes into the third period leading the Rockets to a 4-1 win Sunday afternoon in Chilliwack. Lucas Bloodoff, Tyson Barrie and Riley Grantham also scored for the Rockets, who were out-shot 30-25. Kelowna was 1 for 4 with the power play while the Bruins were 1 for 8. Adam Brown earned the win in goal.

February Performers:
Jamie Benn: 8+5=13 Tyler Myers: 3+6=9
Mikael Backlund: 5+8=13 Ian Duval: 1+7=8
Colin Long: 7+5=12 Tyson Barrie: 2+4=6
Cody Almond: 5+5=10

Better Than Before: Tysen Dowzak has reached his career high of 13 points, set last season. Lucas Bloodoff is one point shy of the career high 37 he collected last season. Jamie Benn has 4 more points than the 65 set in his rookie season. Cody Almond has set a new career high in points (58) this season. Almond had 56 points all of last year. Tyler Myers has 18 more points than last season. His 8 goals is also a career high after scoring 6 times last season. Tyson Barrie has 6 more points than the 43 he had in his rookie season. Barrie has new career highs in goals (11) and assists (38).

Very Interesting! Jamie Benn has gone three games without a goal. Benn went through a similar dry spell January 16th to 21st when he failed to score in three games… Cody Almond and Jamie Benn have three-three goal games this season. Ian Duval leads all Rockets in games played. Duval is playing in career game #322 tonight…Mark Guggenberger has won five of his last eight starts, and has earned points in 11 of his last 13 appearances… The Rockets are 21-2-0-1 when Colin Long scores…The Rockets 24 home ice wins this season is three better than the teams 21 home ice victories one season ago…Goaltender Mark Guggenberger has started 13 of the last 17 games.…The Rockets won their 30th game of the season February 3rd in Kamloops. It marked the 14th time in franchise history that the Rockets have enjoyed a 30+ win season. The Rockets last failed to win 30 games during the 2006-2007 campaign, when the team won just 22 times…The Rockets have just 10 games left in the regular season. Six of those 10 are on the road. The Rockets have out-shot the opposition in 15 of the 19 games since the trade deadline. Only Tri City and Vancouver (three times) have out-shot the Rockets since the trade deadline…The Rockets are 12-4-1-3 in twenty games since the trade deadline…Mitchell Callahan has 13 fighting majors this season as a 17 year-old. Teammate Curt Gogol – also 17 – has 8…Last season the Rockets were 5-5-0-0 in their final 10 games.

New Faces Contribute: Mikael Backlund has 8+15=23 in his first twenty games. Ian Duval has 6+13=19 in his first sixteen games with the Rockets. Riley Grantham has 2+5=7 in his first 18 games, including four fighting majors. Goaltender Mark Guggenberger is 9-3-1-2 with the Rockets, with wins over Kamloops (twice), Vancouver (twice), Everett, Spokane, Medicine Hat, Prince George and Tri City.

By The Numbers: Since re-locating to Kelowna from Tacoma for the start of the 1995-96 season, the Rockets have played 998 regular season games. The Rockets will play their 1000th game Friday in Red Deer. The Rockets have won 508 times while based in Kelowna.

Who’s Hot: Jamie Benn has 8 goals in his last ten games. Benn has nineteen points in his last thirteen games (12+7=19), and points in ten of his last sixteen games. Benn has 134 career points in just 98 games. Mikael Backlund is riding a 6 game point streak (3+7=10). Colin Long has seven goals in his last ten games. Long has points in 13 of his last 16 games with 10+10=20 over that period. Tyler Myers has points in five of his last nine games (3+4=7). Tysen Dowzak has points in four of his last six (0+4=4). Mitchell Callahan is without a goal in 12 games.