Tonight’s Preview: The Kelowna Rockets and Medicine Hat Tigers are meeting for the first of just two times this season. The Rockets return the visit when they face the Tigers at the Medicine Hat Arena on February 25th. These two teams met three times last season with the Rockets going 1-2-0-0. The Tigers out-scored the Rockets 9-5 in the three games. In the lone game at Prospera Place last season, the Tigers were a 5-2 winner (Jan 15/11). The Rockets enter tonight’s game having lost two in a row after winning the first-three games of the season. After tonight’s contest the Rockets play three straight on the road, with two games in Victoria (Fri and Sat) before concluding the weekend Sunday in Kamloops. Kelowna’s next home game is Thursday October 20th against the visiting Vancouver Giants.
Trading partners; we are not: In the last ten years, the Rockets and Tigers have hooked up on only two trades. Vern Fiddler was traded to the Tigers in his 20 year-old season (2001) before the Rockets acquired defenceman Liam Couture for a 5th round bantam pick in 2005.
Cody Cruising: Twenty year-old Cody Chikie leads the Rockets in scoring with 4+2=6. Last season after five games Chikie had one assist. Chikie didn’t score his first goal of the season last year until game #11. Chikie had a pair of goals in a loss in Portland. Three of Chikie’s four goals this season have come on the road.
Baillie Blazing: Fifteen year-old rookie forward Tyson Baillie had a four game point streak snapped Saturday in Spokane. Baillie has 2+3=5 to start the season. Baillie leads the team in +/- with a +4. The Fort Saskatchewan resident doesn’t turn 16 until November 16th.
This and That: While the 12 shots generated in Spokane Saturday night was a season low, the team had just 9 in a loss to the Vancouver Giants on September 29/07. The Rockets had 11 shots on goal against the Everett Silvertips in a game Oct 2/05 and won (3-1)…Shane McColgan has failed to score a goal in 14 straight regular season games (last year included). McColgan went the final ten regular season games without a goal last season and has failed to score in four games this season. McColgan’s last regular season goal came in Calgary on February 26th. Let’s don’t forget that the 18 year-old led the team in points in last year’s playoffs with 8+11=19 in ten post season games…Adam Brown moved into a tie with Jeff Calvert for second place on the franchise’s all-time games played list in last Friday’s 5-2 loss in Tri City. Calvert appeared in 152 games as a member of the Tacoma Rockets in 1991-94. Brown also has 152 appearances. The franchise leader is Kevin Swanson, who played in 167 games in 1998-2001…Adam Brown earned his 88th career win last Wednesday against Tri City. Brown is the franchise leader in that category surpassing Kelly Guard’s 83 career wins…The Rockets were 1-4-0-0 after five games last season…The Rockets have scored 18 goals in five games this season after scoring just nine goals in their first five games one season ago…The Rockets have allowed twenty goals against in five games this season after giving up seventeen goals in the first five games last season….The Rockets acquired 18 year-old Myles Bell from the Regina Pats September 22/11 for 19 year-old Colton Jobke, a 2nd round pick and 5th rounder….Second year forward Jason Siebert will miss the first half of this season after his broken wrist didn’t heal properly. Siebert missed the final 48 regular season games and the playoffs last season. The Abbotsford product was the team’s first overall pick in the 2009 WHL Bantam Draft….The Rockets are playing their 1446th regular season game tonight and will hit the 15 hundred mark when they host Red Deer on February 18th…Seven of the Rockets first twelve games are on the road…Ten of the Rockets first 15 games are against BC Division rivals…Ryan Huska has 161 wins behind the Rockets bench…Brett Bulmer has played two regular season games with the Minnesota Wild, picking up one assist. Bulmer had 18 goals as an 18 year-old forward last season.
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