Rockets win fourth straight

• The Kelowna Rockets know the value of good goaltending. So do the Kamloops Blazers. Adam Brown showed his worth Thursday night. Blazers netminder Jeff Bosch, who started the game, witnessed it from the bench. Brown was his 'Steady Eddie' self in the Rockets 7-1 win over the Blazers. Brown was one of the main reasons why his team enjoyed a 3-0 lead after 40 minutes before his teammates buried the Blazers in the third.
  
• Bosch was yanked after two periods after giving up three suspect goals, including two wrap-around chances by Cody Chikie and Geordie Wudrick. Chikie's opening goal is scored on a long range shot that sneaks past Bosch and trickles into the net. The soft goal comes after the Blazers are applying the pressure. Brown is holding his team in the game at one end while Bosch is letting his team down at the other.
  
• The Blazers deserved a better fate, so don't let the score fool you. But again Brown was a difference maker when his team was out-shot 12-6 in the second period alone. Brown makes 12 saves while Bosch allows three goals on just those six shots. That's the difference.
  
• Chikie, Wudrick and Shane McColgan each had two goal games. Brown's shutout bid comes to an end when Blazers captain Chase Schaber fires a low shot past the 19 year-old goaltender with about four minutes to play in the game. Brown had gone over 154 minutes without allowing a goal after shutting out the Everett Silvertips 4-0 on Tuesday and allowing just one goal in a 5-1 win over Calgary on December 17th.
• This was a physical affair, with two fighting majors and several big hits. It starts when Colton Sissons runs into Austin Madiasky at the Blazers blue line. Sissons falls down but while Madiasky stays on his feet and slowly makes his way to the bench, he appears to have the wind knocked out of him. The best hit came later when Rockets defenceman Kevin Smith comes out of the penalty box after serving a holding penalty and clocks Blazers forward Thomas Frazee. Smith finds himself challenged by Blazers forward J.T Barnett after the hit is applied.
• Smith ended the game with two assists, a fight and a +4 rating...the best plus/minus of any player on the ice. Smith is now a +10 in the month of December. No Rockets player has a better +/- during the month than Smith.
  
• The only other fight saw Blazers forward J.C Lipon tangle with Rockets d-man MacKenzie Johnston late in the game. Lipon is the aggressor, but Johnston answers the bell. It was Lipon's 7th fighting major this season. Johnston does well with only his second tilt of the season.
• Johnston comes within inches of scoring his first WHL goal when he hits the cross bar early in the first period. Johnston has yet to register a point this season and is now the only Rockets regular to do so.
• Gal Koren earned his first career point with an assist on Geordie Wudrick's second period goal.
• Let's take our hat off to defenceman Colton Jobke who played through pain yet played an affective game. Despite suffering a knee injury Tuesday against Everett, the 18 year-old was pressed into service and played some big minutes.
• The win is the Rockets 4th straight and moves them back into second place in the Western Conference. The Rockets have now out-scored their opponent 19-4.