Rockets game notes vs. Royals

Tonight’s Preview: The Kelowna Rockets play their 42^nd game of the season tonight against the visiting Victoria Royals. These two teams met a week ago, with the Rockets earning a 4-2 win. The Rockets are 2-1-0-0 in three meetings between these two teams this season. The Rockets visit the Royals for back-to-back games February 22^nd and 23^rd. The Rockets look for their 13^th win in 14 games tonight. Overall, the Rockets have five regulation losses in their last 31 games (25-5-0-1) with setbacks to Tri City (twice), Edmonton, Seattle and Calgary. The Rockets have won 22 of their last twenty-six (22-4-0-0) games overall. The Rockets enter tonight’s game riding a 15 game home ice winning streak. The only two teams to beat the Rockets on home ice this season are Kamloops and Spokane. The Rockets play 14 games in January, with 8 of those on home ice. The Rockets host Tri City Friday night before visiting Vancouver on Saturday. Overall, the Rockets have won six straight games, having out-scored the opposition 34-15. The team’s power play over that stretch is running at 35% (9 for 26).           

Chapman season ends: Kelowna Rockets president and general manager Bruce Hamilton has announced that 20-year-old Rockets defenceman Mitchell Chapman has been placed on injured reserve for the rest of the Western Hockey League season. Chapman has been out with a high ankle sprain since suffering the injury on the first day of the Rockets 2012-13 training camp, an injury that did not heal as expected. Chapman, a 6-foot-3 225 pound defender, joined the Rockets in the 2009-10 season. He played 165 regular season games and a further 18 in the playoffs.

This and That: Five of the Rockets 10 losses this season have been decided by a single goal… Jordon Cooke has been named the WHL Goaltender of the Month for December. Cooke was 6-0-0-0 and posted a goals against average of 2.00. Cooke has won his last 13 games. No Kelowna Rockets goaltender has ever won 13 straight games. Kelly Guard won 10 straight games – four different times between 2002 and 2004….The Rockets entered the CHL Top 10 rankings this week at number 8. It is the first time the team has been ranked since the start of the 2010-2011 season…Damon Severson has 2+16=18 in his last 12 games. Severson had just 11 points through his first 28 regular season games…Since a 3-0 win over the Kamloops Blazers November 1^st the Rockets are 20-4-0-0….The Rockets are 29-10-1-1 after 41 games this season. Last season this team won just 31 games…Madison Bowey was named to the roster for the upcoming CHL-NHL Top Prospects game. Last season two members of the organization participated in the game. Damon Severson and Colton Sissons showcased their skills and were both 2^nd round draft picks this summer by New Jersey and Nashville…The Rockets 15 game home ice winning streak is 3 wins shy of the 18 straight wins in 2002-2003 season…The Tacoma Rockets won 24 straight home games….Myles Bell and Dylen McKinlay are the only two Rockets to play in every game this season…The Rockets have led going into the third period in 25 of their last 32 games with two games being tied heading into the final frame.…The Rockets have allowed 16 power play goals against in their last twenty-six games….The Rockets have 26 power play goal in their last 32 games (26 for 105 over that span – 25 %)…..In the Rockets 29 wins, Myles Bell as earned 49 points (21+28=49). Of the 146 goals scored by the team in those 29 games, Bell has been in on 49 of them…The Rockets have scored 152 goals in their last 33 games (average 4.6)....Jordon Cooke was named the CHL/Vaughn Goaltender of the Week for October 22-28th. Cooke had two wins last week which included a shutout and a save percentage of .967…Ryan Olsen played in his 150^th career WHL game Nov 3^rd against visiting Prince George…Ryan Huska recorded his 200^th WHL regular season victory November 24^th against the visiting Saskatoon Blades…The Rockets are 16 and 2 after 18 home games this season…Madison Bowey (10), Mitch Wheaton (22) are rated among the top skaters in the WHL by NHL Central Scouting for June’s draft. Jackson Whistle is ranked 7^th among WHL goalies…The Rockets have out-scored the opposition 88-34 on home ice this season…The Rockets have scored the second most goals in the WHL (176)….Zach Franko has ten more points (49) than the 39 he put up all of last season. Franko had a career high 53 points (22+31=53) in his rookie season in 2010-2011...J.T Barnett has 8+4=12 in 20 games with the Rockets…Colton Sissons has goals in four straight games….Dylen McKinlay has three shorthanded goals, tied for the WHL lead in that category….Since relocating from Tacoma to Kelowna for the start of the 1995-96 season, the Rockets have picked up 656 wins over the last 18 seasons…Since entering the WHL in 1991, the Tacoma/Kelowna Rockets have scored 4 thousand 509 goals (4,509)…Zach Franko has 49 points this season. Twenty-eight (28) have been registered on the road with 21 coming on home ice…Dylan McKinlay is +33 this season. Last season with the Kootenay Ice, McKinlay was -5…Last season Myles Bell was -18. This season, as a forward, Bell is +31. That’s a turnaround of 49….  

Focusing on Myles Bell: Myles Bell (26) is three shy of the league lead in goals…Bell has just three of his 26 goals on the power play this season. Of Bell’s 59 points, only 17 have been collected on the power play…Five of Bell’s six-two goal games have been registered at Prospera Place…Of Bell’s 26 goals, 13 have been scored on home ice…Bell has 59 points. Thirty-three (33) of those 59 have been registered on the road.               

 

Who’s Hot: Myles Bell has 8+6=14 in his last nine games…Colton Sissons is riding a career high 11 game point streak (5+8=13). Ryan Olsen has 2+10=12 in his last ten games… Zach Franko has 6+16=22 in his last thirteen games…..Damon Severson has points in eleven of his last twelve games (2+16=18.)…Since returning from injury December 27^th, MacKenzie Johnston is a +10 in his last six games.