Average effort produces winning result

• It is something a highly skilled Kelowna Rockets team could get away with last season, but this years team is flirting with danger if they put forth the type of effort we saw Friday night and expect to find themselves on the winning end of the ledger. Geordie Wudrick scored twice in a 4-2 win over the Edmonton Oil Kings, the Rockets 15th win of the season.
• Wudrick now has 5 goals in 7 games since he was acquired from Swift Current. Wudrick's snap shot that hit the cross bar and went in over the shoulder of Oil Kings goaltender Cam Lanigan was the most impressive goal of the night. Surprisingly it was Wudrick's first game winning goal of the season.
• Brett Bulmer returned to the lineup after missing seven games with a shoulder injury and chipped in with a goal and an assist.
• Bulmer's goal was an empty netter. While the rookie forward could have passed the puck over to Wudrick for the hat trick goal, he made the right decision by sending the puck down the ice into the wide open net. Had Bulmer's pass been picked off in an attempt to give Wudrick his 3rd goal of the game the turnover could have given the Oil Kings one last chance to tie the game and send it into overtime.
• The Kelowna Rockets can thank goaltender Adam Brown for a third period save that proved to be the difference maker in this one. Oil Kings forward Tomas Vincour receives a pass at the left face-off circle and attempts to beat Brown to the glove hand side. Brown reaches out and makes the best save of the game with his team up by just a single goal.
• Tyson Barrie now has the bragging rights of having the longest point streak in the WHL this season. Barrie has gone 17 games with a point.
• Mitchell Callahan celebrated his 100th career game last night with an assist.
• Speaking of 100, head coach Ryan Huska earned his 100th regular season victory as the Rockets head coach.
• My biggest disappointment? Torrie Jung watched this one from the sidelines. Jung was given the night off after getting yanked Wednesday in Kamloops. Unfortunately I was unable to chat with the former Rockets goaltender before the game but will have two more chances later on this season.
• It was good to catch up with Oil Kings play-by-play man A.J Jakubec after the game at one of the local watering holes. The bonus of having the Oil Kings stay overnight in Kelowna before busing into Vancouver today to face the Giants is catching up with a colleague.