Rockets game notes vs. Blazers

Tonight’s Preview: The Kelowna Rockets are meeting the Kamloops Blazers for the sixth of ten times this season. The Rockets have lost only once in regulation to the Blazers and that came in game two of the regular season with a 3-2 loss at Prospera Place. The Rockets are 2-1-2-0 in the first five games. The Rockets will play the Blazers five times in their next ten games. The two teams hook up against tomorrow night in Kelowna before meeting three times in March (3^rd in Kamloops – 8^th in Kamloops and 9^th in Kelowna). The Rockets enter tonight’s game riding a two game winning streak after back-to-back victories over the Everett Silvertips including a 4-1 win last night in the team’s 42^nd of the season. The Rockets are 19-3-2-0 in their last 24 games. The Rockets have eight regulation losses in their last 48 games (37-8-2-1). The Rockets have won 34 of their last 42 (32-7-3-0) games overall. Following these games against the Blazers, the Rockets are on the road in Victoria for two games next weekend.      

Rockets/Blazers Comparison: The Rockets have won 41 games in regulation time this season. The Blazers have won 26 games in regulation time….The Rockets have scored 42 more goals than the Blazers this season but have played one more game….The Rockets have allowed 8 fewer goals against….The Blazers have had 36 more power play chances and have scored 7 more power play goals….The Blazers top three scorers have combined for 241 points. The Rockets top three have combined for 196 points.   

Home Cook’n: The Rockets are 25-4-0-0 at Prospera Place. The team has scored 143 goals (4.9 per game) and has allowed 58 goals against (2.00 per game).  The Rockets have scored at least 3 or more goals in every home game this season except two, when they lost 5-1 to Portland and 3-2 to the visiting Kamloops Blazers. The Rockets have scored four or more goals in 21 of their 29 home games. Jordon Cooke and Jackson Whistle have combined for six home ice shutouts this season. The team has allowed two or fewer goals at home this season in 20 of 29 games.

This and That: The Rockets have hit the 40 win plateau for the 9^th time in franchise history…The Rockets have made the playoffs for the 17^th time in the franchises 18 year history….The Rockets are rated as the 5^th best team in the country according to this week’s CHL Top 10 rankings. Last week the Rockets were rated 4^th….Ryan Huska and the Kamloops Blazers are being inducted into the BC Hockey Hall of Fame. The Blazers teams – 1993-94 and 1994-95 - will be inducted during a ceremony in Penticton in July…The Rockets have 13 games left in the regular season. Of those thirteen, 11 are against BC Division teams…..The Rockets play five more games in February and 8 games in March to close out the regular season…..The Rockets have 6 road games left in the regular season with 6 of them against BC Division teams…Five of the Rockets 13 regulation losses this season have been decided by a single goal… Jordon Cooke was named the WHL Goaltender of the Month for December. Cooke was 6-0-0-0 and posted a goals against average of 2.00….The Rockets 23 game home ice winning streak was the third longest winning streak on home ice in WHL history. It was snapped February 8th in a 5-3 loss to Portland….Dylen McKinlay is  the only Rocket to play in every game this season…The Rockets have led going into the third period in 39 of their last 50 games with two games being tied heading into the final frame.…The Rockets have 44 power play goal in their last 50 games (44 for 171 over that span – 26%)…..The Rockets have scored 225 goals in their last 50 games (average 4.5)....Madison Bowey (22), Mitch Wheaton (63) and Myles Bell (87) are rated among the top players by NHL Central Scouting for June’s draft. The mid-season rankings were released by NHLCS. Jackson Whistle is rated (26) among North American goalies…The Rockets have out-scored the opposition 143-58 on home ice this season…Zach Franko has twenty-two more points (61) than the 39 he put up all of last season. That is a new career high for the 19 year-old…..Dylen McKinlay has five shorthanded goals…Since relocating from Tacoma to Kelowna for the start of the 1995-96 season, the Rockets have picked up 669 wins over the last 18 seasons…Since entering the WHL in 1991, the Tacoma/Kelowna Rockets have scored 4 thousand 585 goals (4,585)…The Rockets have participated in one shootout game this season. That is a league low. Last season the Rockets were involved in a league high 15…Dylen McKinlay leads the team in plus/minus with a +46. It is the highest +/- total for a Kelowna Rockets player. Jesse Schultz was +40 in 2002-2003…Since November 1^st the Rockets have lost seven times in regulation…Five of the teams thirteen regulation losses came in the first five weeks of the season…Zach Franko has 153 career points….JT Barnett played in his 250^th career game February 8^th against Portland…Tyrell Goulbourne has 19 fighting majors this season…Damon Severson is four points shy of 100 for his career…Zach Franko played in his 200th career game last night….Ryan Olsen is the first 18 year-old forward since Jamie Benn to score over 30 goals in a Rockets uniform. Benn scored 33 times in 2007-2008.           

Who’s Hot: Colton Sissons has four goals in four consecutive games…Sissons has points in 27 of his last 29 games….Ryan Olsen has goals in eleven of his last eighteen games… Carter Rigby has 7+3=10 in last six games… Cody Fowlie has 3+5=8 in his last ten games…Jackson Whistle has goals against average of 1.67 in four appearances this month.