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Tonight’s Preview: The Kelowna Rockets
play game two of a four game home stand tonight against the visiting Prince
Albert Raiders. This is the lone meeting of the season between these two teams.
Last season, in Prince Albert, the Rockets fell 3-1. Lucas Johansen scored the
lone goal for the visitors at Art Hauser Centre. Jackson Whistle suffered the
loss in goal. The Raiders last appearance in Kelowna was December 6/2014 when
the Rockets earned a 1-0 win. Dillon Dube scored the lone goal while Jackson
Whistle was named the first star with a 27 save shutout performance. The
Rockets are coming off a 6-2 home ice loss last Saturday to the Medicine Hat
Tigers. Kole Lind and Kyle Topping scored goals in the teams 9th
loss of the season. Overall, the team has 7 wins in their last 9 games. Following
this game, the Rockets welcome Prince George Tuesday (Oct 15th) and
Vancouver (Friday November 18th). The Kelowna Rockets next road
games are in Victoria on November 20th and 22nd.
Welcome Back: Raiders Head Coach
Marc Habscheid and 20 year-old forward Austin Glover return to Kelowna tonight
after playing a role in the team’s success over the years. Habscheid led the
team to a WHL championship in 2003 and then a Memorial Cup title in 2004.
Austin Glover, a second round bantam pick of the Rockets in 2011, played 77
regular season games before being traded to the Raiders December 10/2014 with
Jesse Lees and two draft picks (2nd and 3rd rounder). In
return the Rockets picked up defenceman Josh Morrissey and forward Gage
Quinney.
Broadcasters Bits: Odd stat of the
night. The Rockets haven’t played a game on November 12th since the
2011-2012 season. On November 12th of that year, in Vancouver, Brett
Bulmer and Colton Sissons both scored in a 3-2 overtime loss. Jordon Cooke made
19 saves in the setback…The Rockets
are 10-9-0-0 after 19 games. Last season the team was 14-5-0-0 after 19 games
and 14-5-1-0 after 20 games….Nolan Foote returns to the lineup tonight after
winning a silver medal at the Under 17 World Challenge in Sault St. Marie,
Ontario. Assistant Coach Travis Crickard was also a silver medal winner as Team
Canada’s video coach….Rookie forward Leif Mattson is serving game three of a
four game suspension for a checking from behind penalty last Tuesday against
Kamloops…Four of the Rockets next
six games are on home ice….The Rockets are 5-0-0-0 against U.S Division teams
this season…The Rockets have carried the lead into the third period in six of
the last nine games …Veteran 20 year-old Michael Herringer was named the WHL
Goaltender of the Week from October 17th to October 23rd.
Herringer went 3-0-0-0, posting a goals against average of 1.99…November
birthdays to remember. Lucas Johansen turns 19 on November 16th.
Kyle Topping turns 17 on November 18th while Nolan Foote turns 16 on
November 29th. Head Coach Jason Smith turned 43 on November 2nd.
Sorry coach for pointing that out!!
.
Octoberfest: After starting the
month of October with a 3-0 shutout loss in Prince George (October 1st)
the team was able to win 8 of their next 11 to close out the month of October.
In November, the Rockets play 10 games with six of them on home ice. Six of
those 10 will be played against BC Division based teams including a visit to
Victoria on November 20th and 22nd.
Who’s Hot?: Tomas Soustal has
goals in four of his last six games and has 5+5=10 over that period…Calvin
Thurkauf has points in five of his last six games (3+6=9)…Kole Lind has points
in eight of his last nine games (4+9=13)…Nick Merkley has goals in four of his
last five games…16 year-old Nolan Foote has points in three straight games
(2+1=3)…The team has scored shorthanded goals in two of its last four games……Merkley
has points in 7 of his last 9 games (5+5=10)…Merkley is four games shy of 200
for his career.
Roster
Stats:
Player
total:
24
Year by
Year Breakdown:
20’s – 3 Stadel, Herringer, Southam
19’s – 6 Johansen, Merkley, Soustal, Stephens, Ballhorn
18’s – 7
Dube, Kryski, Lind, Borstmayer, Chizen, Salmond, Thurkauf
17’s - 6 C.
Foote, Topping, Bruggen-Cate, Cowell, Smart, Mattson
16’s – 2
N. Foote, Belcourt
Game Notes Compiled by Regan Bartel of AM 1150
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