Game notes vs. Giants

Tonight’s Preview: The Kelowna Rockets play their final road game of the 2011-2012 regular season tonight with a stop in Vancouver against the Giants. This is the seventh of eight meetings between these two teams this season. The Rockets are 4-1-0-1 in six games this season. The only loss against the Giants in regulation time was back on October 23^rd in a 5-2 setback at Pacific Coliseum. The Rockets are 3-0-0-0 at home and 1-1-0-1 in three games in Vancouver. Overall, the Rockets have out-scored the Giants 24-20.

The Rockets have 15 road wins this season, as many as they have on home ice. The hockey club is coming off a three game home stand where they fell 3-1 to Victoria and Prince George before beating Everett 4-2 Wednesday night. In the big picture, the Rockets have points in 20 of their last 27 road games (14-7-1-5). Following tonight’s game the Rockets close out the regular season at home against the Giants Saturday night.

Seasonal Series Breakdown vs. Giants

Period: 1 2 3 OT SH Total

Rockets: 5 10 8 0 1 24

Giants: 4 6 9 1 0 20

*The Rockets have scored a power play goal in five of the six games. The Rockets are 8 for 29 (27.6%) on the power play while the Giants are 8 for 26 (30.8%) with the extra man. The Rockets have out-shot the Giants in three of the six games with the two teams each generating 34 shots on goal in one game. Each team has opened the scoring three times in the six game seasonal series.

Who’s Hot: The Rockets have a power play goal in ten of their last thirteen road games (16 for 46 or 35%)...Brett Bulmer has eleven goals in his last eleven games…Bulmer has ten more points (59) than the 49 he collected all of last season…Bulmer led the team with 12 points in February (9+3=12)…Chikie has played 199 career games and will play his 200^th tonight in Vancouver….Zach Franko has six points (2+4=6) in his last six games…Myles Bell has six points (2+4=6) in his last six games.

This and That: Shane McColgan won’t play tonight after being suspended for one game for the accumulation of embellishment penalties….Zach Franko is trying to become the first player since Justin Keller (2004-2005,2005-2006) to play in all 72 regular season games. Franko has played in 142 consecutive regular season games…The Rockets won their 30^th game of the season Wednesday night. Since moving to Kelowna for the start of the 1995-96 campaign, the Rockets have registered 30+ wins 14 times over 17 seasons….The Rockets are a combined 13-9-1-1 in 24 games against the four teams that trail them in the Western Conference standings. Those teams include Victoria, Everett, Seattle and Prince George…When Brett Bulmer scores the Rockets are 14-3-1-3. In other words, the team has lost only three times in regulation when Bulmer lights the lamp…Bulmer has nine (9) multiple goal games this season. Last year he had just three…The Rockets have three more losses than the 29 suffered last season….The Rockets have allowed 33 more goals than the 201 they gave up all of last season…Since the Christmas break the Rockets are 10-5-1-2 in 18 road games….Since the Christmas break the Rockets are 6-10-0-1 in 17 home games…In thirteen of the last 23 games, the Rockets have been involved in a one goal game…The Rockets have one (1) road game left and one (1) on home ice … Last season the Rockets played in six shootout games. This season the Rockets have been involved in a league high fourteen games that required a shootout. The Rockets are 8 and 6 in those fourteen shootout situations…Fourteen of Colton Sissons 26 goals have been scored on the road this season…Brett Lyon has 2+4=6 in twenty-three games with the Rockets since being acquired from Moose Jaw….Defenceman Myles Bell has 41 points this season. Twenty-seven of those points have been recorded on the road…In fourteen of their last twenty-one wins, the Rockets have given up two or less goals per game…The Rockets are 23-17-2-6 with Brett Bulmer in the line-up….Tyrell Goulbourne leads the team with 17 fighting majors. Mitchell Chapman has eleven….The Rockets have been involved in 35-one goal games this season. The Rockets are 17-9-3-6 in those thirty-five games….Birthdays in March. Zach Franko turned 19 on March 9^th while Cole Martin turned 18 yesterday….Only Zach Franko has played in all 70 regular season games this season…The Rockets have been shut out three times this season. Calgary (2-0), Kootenay (4-0) and Seattle (2-0) have shut out the Rockets on home ice.