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| Hurricanes HC Brent Kisio - Shoot the Breeze |
Tonight’s Preview: The Kelowna Rockets
open the month of February with a home game against the Lethbridge Hurrricanes.
This is the third and final meeting of the season between the two teams. They
met October 4th in Lethbridge with the Rockets earning a 6-3 win.
Gage Quinney had 2+1=3 and Tomas Soustal had 1+2=3 in the victory. Jackson
Whistle was named the first star with a 39 save performance. The Rockets were
then a 5-3 winner at Prospera Place on October 31st. This game
features the top two teams (statistically) in the WHL with the Hurricanes
holding a slim one point lead for first place in the overall standings. The
Rockets are coming off a 2-0 shutout loss Sunday in Seattle. Michael Herringer
made 41 saves and was named the third star. The Rockets were 0 for 4 on the
power play. In the big picture, the Rockets have won 30 of their last 42 games overall
and are 19-3-2-0 on home ice and 15-10-1-0 on the road. The Rockets have points
in 28 of 36 games (25-8-3-0). The team has won 15 of its last 24 games. Following
tonight’s game, the Rockets host Spokane Friday and Calgary Saturday night. The
team welcomes Seattle BC Family Day Monday before facing the T-Birds in Kent on
Tuesday night for the third meeting between the two teams in the last 10 days.
Dare to Compare: The Hurricanes have
two more wins (36/34) but the Rockets have one fewer loss (13/14)…The Rockets
have allowed one fewer goal against yet the Hurricanes have scored 30 more
goals. The Hurricanes have scored the most goals in the WHL. The Rockets are 5th. The Rockets have allowed the 4th
fewest goals against in the WHL while the Hurricanes are 5th….Combined;
these two teams have a record of 70-27-3-0 in 100 regular season games this
season…The Rockets are 11-2-0-0 in their last 13 regular season meetings between
the two teams including 6-1-0-0 in their last 7 home dates with the Hurricanes.
Number Crunching: The Rockets have
lost 13 games in regular time this season. That is the exact same number of
losses from all of last season….The Rockets are attempting to become the first
team to reach the 50 win plateau in four straight seasons. For that to happen,
the team must win 16 of their final 22 games or they can suffer only six more
regular losses in order to hit the 50 win mark…Did you know the Rockets have
taken the 4th most minor penalties in the WHL? The team has been to
the penalty box for a minor penalty 274 times…The Rockets have only trailed
heading into the third period 13 times this season. They are 2-11-0-0 in those
games….The Rockets have scored the 7th most power play goals in the
WHL (44) while the Hurricanes have scored the most in the WHL (60)…Michael Herringer
is making his 13th straight start tonight….Adam Brown started 13
straight games to start the season in 2009-2010…Torrie Jung started 19 straight
games in 2006-2007…Kevin Swanson started 38 straight games in 1999-2000…The
Rockets have scored the first goal in 29 of 50 games this season. When they
accomplish that goal, they are an impressive 23-3-3-0…The Rockets have 22 games
left in the regular season. Of those 22 games, 12 will be played on home ice.
Of those 22 games, 12 are against BC Division rivals…The Rockets have been
out-shot in 33 of 50 games this season…The Rockets are 34-12-3-0 after 50 games
this season. Last season the team was 38-8-3-0 after 50 games…The team has
scored 180 goals after 50 games this season after scoring 217 times at the same
point last season.….The team has allowed 142 goals against, only 14 more than at
the same time last season…The Rockets are the only team in the WHL without a 20
or 19 year-old defenceman and only one of four teams without an average
defenceman…The Rockets have not lost three straight games this season.
This and That: The Rockets added 17
year-old goaltender Brody Salmond for the remainder of the season. Salmond was
the Rockets 10th round bantam pick in the 2010 WHL draft and was
playing this season in the Alberta Junior Hockey League with the Camrose
Kodiaks. Salmond is the son of Hockey Canada’s Scott Salmond. Scott Salmond had
a brief stint as a goalie with the Kelowna Spartans in 1990-91…The Rockets are
rated this week as the 7th best team in the CHL Top 10 rankings.
Last week they were also rated 7th …This is game one of a four game
home stand for the Rockets, who host Spokane Friday and Calgary Saturday night.
The team welcomes Seattle on BC Family Day on Monday February 8th
for a special 2:05 start…Six of the teams next nine games are on home ice. The
only road games over that stretch are in Seattle next Tuesday, in Prince George
for back-to-back games February 12th and 13th and in
Vancouver on February 20th…The Rockets play 13 games in 25 nights in
the month of February…Only one birthday to celebrate in February. Tomas Soustal
turns 19 on February 15th… The Kelowna Rockets named 19 year-old
Rodney Southam as the franchises 22nd captain on January 25th.
Southam was acquired in November, 2014 from the Tri City Americans for a 5th
round bantam draft pick.
Who’s Hot: Calvin Thurkauf has
points in 9 of his last 12 games. The rookie has 4+10=14 over that period…Rourke
Chartier has points in 11 of his last 14 games. Over that period, the 19
year-old has 9+9=18…Chartier has 96 career goals and 95 career assists...Dillon
Dube has 20 goals this season which is a career high….Dube has 6+7=13 in his last
14 games… Nick Merkley has 6+13=19
in his last 12 games…Tyson Baillie has
5+4=9 in his last 9 games….Tyson Baillie has points in 31 of his last 38 games
and has been held off the score-sheet 11 times this season…Justin Kirkland has
points in 6 of his last 9 games. Kirkland has 7+5=12 over that period.
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