Game notes vs. Warriors

Tonight’s Preview: The Rockets enter tonight’s contest with wins in six of their last nine games after an 8-4 loss last night in Brandon. The Rockets have 5 wins in their last six road games, having out-scored the opposition 26-18. This is the one and only meeting of the season between the Rockets and Warriors. These two teams met once last season – January 3/09 – with the Warriors earning a 5-2 win. The Rockets last visited Moose Jaw on December 11/07 in a 3-2 shootout loss. Tonight’s game is the fourth of six games in 9 nights for the Rockets on an Eastern Conference road trip. The Rockets are in Prince Albert (Dec 15th) and Saskatoon (Dec 16) to close out the pre-Christmas schedule.

Last Game Recap: Shane McColgan had a goal and an assist in a losing cause as the Rockets fell 8-4 to the Brandon Wheat Kings last night at Westman Place. Spencer Main, Brett Bulmer and Max Adolph also scored for the Rockets in the team’s 16th loss of the season. Mark Guggenberger returned to the Rockets lineup giving up 5 goals on 12 shots before being replaced by Adam Brown. Brown allowed three goals on 18 shots. The Rockets were 2 for 6 on the power play while failing to give up a power play goal in three kills.

Tyson Time: Rockets defenseman Tyson Barrie has 133 career points, the third highest point total for defenseman in franchise history. Josh Gorges is the franchise leader with 152 career points followed by Mike Card with 147. Barrie’s 4 assist effort Wednesday pushed him past Scott Hannan, who had 128 points.

Who’s Hot – Who’s Not: Tyson Barrie is riding a league high 21 game point streak heading into tonight’s contest...Last season Jamie Benn had a 20 game point streak with 15 goals and 10 assists over that period…Rookie Max Adolph has goals in five of his last six games…Shane McColgan has goals in six of his last eight games (9+3=12).…The Rockets have given up four shorthanded goals in the last five games.

Game Day Tidbits: Tyson Barrie is third in league scoring by defenceman. Barrie is 4 points back of league leader Travis Hamonic…Shane McColgan is attempting to become the highest scoring 16 year-old in Kelowna Rockets history. McColgan has 36 points, 5 fewer than franchise leader Marty Flichel, who had 41 points (21+20=41) during the 1992-93 season…Curt Gogol is tied for the WHL lead with 103 penalty minutes this season. Gogol returned to the lineup last night after serving a five game suspension after a charging major against the Kootenay Ice November 28th.….Adam Brown leads the WHL in games played by a goaltender (32)….Brown has played the most minutes of any goaltender in the WHL (1881)….The Rockets have been involved in thirteen (14) one goal games this season. The Rockets are 7-6-1-0 in those fourteen games…Kyle St. Denis leads the team with 8 power play goals….Mitchell Callahan has a team high +7 rating….Curt Gogol now has 247 career WHL penalty minutes….Tyson Barrie has a team high 29 assist…McColgan is tied with Portland’s Nino Neiderreitter for the WHL scoring lead by rookies…The Rockets are 17-16-1-0 after thirty-four games this season. Last year the Rockets were 19-14-0-0 after thirty-four games…The Rockets have scored 116 goals in thirty-four games this season after scoring 119 times in the teams first thirty-four games one season ago…The Rockets have allowed 106 goals against this season after surrendering 90 goals after thirty-four games last year…Ryan Huska recorded his 100th regular season victory last Friday against Edmonton…Brandon McMillan will not play tonight as he attends Team Canada’s training camp in Regina.…Kyle St Denis will not play tonight after getting hurt Tuesday in Swift Current…Tonight’s game is the first between the two teams since the Rockets traded Dylan Hood and Jesse Paradis in two separate deals for 20 year-olds Riley Grantham and Ian Duval. Hood played 147 games with the Rockets will Paradis played 79 games in Kelowna…Brandon Wheat Kings forward Brayden Schenn had a phenomenal 16 year-old rookie season in 2007-2008 recording 71 points. How does Rockets 16 year-old Shane McColgan measure up with the 07/08 WHL rookie of the year? Schenn had 33 points after 33 games in his rookie season. McColgan has 36 points after 33 games in his 16 year-old season…Warriors GM Jeff Truitt is credited with helping the Rockets organization win two WHL championships and a Memorial Cup. Truitt was a head coach for a WHL title with Kelowna in 2005 and an assistant coach during a WHL title run in 2003. Truitt was an assistant coach for a Memorial Cup win in 2004.