Who's afraid of the big bad wolf?

Tayln Boyko ain't scared of the big bad wolf

• Who's afraid of the big bad wolf, the big bad wolf, the big bad wolf. Remember that song made famous by Disney in 1930? Clearly the Kelowna Rockets are not afraid of the Kamloops Blazers. A 6-0-0-0 record this season is a clear indicator they don't feel intimidated. But can you not blame them if they felt the Blazers were the 'big bad wolf' heading into this season? Failure was common place. Eleven straight losses at Sandman Centre. A play-in game collapse on March 19, 2019 was a devastating blow. Thankfully only current 20 year-old Mark Liwiski was in the lineup on that dreaded night when the Blazers came from a long way back to catch the Rockets for the final playoff spot before gladly ending the Rockets succession of 11 straight playoff appearances by sending them packing with an humiliating loss. But that was then. This is now. Whatever is happening, the Rockets are not cowering to a team that is significantly more skilled. I think physicality is an issue. I think determined play is a factor. The Rockets have it right now. The Blazers, surprisingly, don't. 
• The Rockets enjoyed a 6-2 win over the Blazers last night at Prospera Place. Again, Talyn Boyko was solid and was a key reason why the home team was able to pull away with four goals in the third period. The 19 year-old goalie is now 5-0-0-0 against Kamloops with a 2.39 goals against average and a save percentage of .935.  
• Who holds the hot stick for the Rockets right now? That honour is bestowed on Andrew Cristall. Goals in three straight games, the highly skilled forward doesn't get much attention because the draft class he was apart of was so heavily stacked with Conner Bedard taken 1st overall in 2020. Playing in his shadows may be a blessing in disguise though. Cristall's blind - spinning backhand last night to Mark Liwiski was nothing short of filthy. The composure he showed in his overtime wraparound goal a night earlier is unteachable. The kid just has it. With 10 goals this season, you would think a 20 goal rookie campaign is in reach. He reminds me a bit of Nick Merkley. 'Merks' was more of passer than a shooter. His best season, goal scoring wise, was his rookie campaign when he struck for 25 goals. Merkley had a career high 70 assists and 90 points a few seasons later. Both Merkley and Cristall are pass first players. Both are good on their edges. Both have great on-ice vision. Both are smaller but are able to use their body to leverage themselves against bigger players. 
• Cristall was the 6th forward chosen in the 2020 WHL bantam draft. When you compare his offensive production (10+10=20) with his 16 year-old colleagues, he is pretty much on par with those chosen before him. Regina's Connor Bedard (1st overall) has 24 points. Riley Heidt of the PG Cougars (2nd overall) has 21. Brayden Yager (3rd overall) of the Moose Jaw Warriors is the eye popper with 15 goals and 28 points. Kalan Lind (6th overall) with Red Deer has 13 points. Sam Oremba of the Seattle Thunderbirds (7th overall) has 2+3=5.  
• The Rockets earned back-to-back wins with their top two forwards out of the lineup. Pavel Novak and Colton Dach did not play. Instead, six different players stepped up last night and got involved in the scoring. The Blazers were also playing short staffed. No Logan Stankoven or Dylan Garand. Marko Stacha is absent on the back end,. In my opinion it was a level playing field. No excuses could be used in this home and home series in late December. The Rockets were just better.
• Before we get too excited here, let's remember that hockey teams go through funks during the season. It is never a clean sheet of excellent hockey. The Blazers are struggling scoring goals right now. They have found the back of the net 14 times in their last 7 games. That's not normal. This will indeed pass. It happens to even the most gifted teams. While we won't see the Blazers for another month, I suspect they will look different when the trade winds blow through the 'Tournament Capital'. They will be better and will be a force down the stretch. Remember, no one remembers games in December. We only recall what happens in April and May. At least we do in this neck of the woods. When the bar is low, you go crazy when you win games at this time of the year,. If the bar is high, you quickly move on to the next opponent,.   
• It was nice to see Jake Poole find the back of the net. It was his first goal in 12 games. Poole missed several games with an upper body injury, so his goal last night was his first since November 5th. No pressure, but Poole is the only remaining 19 year-old player on the roster from the 2017 WHL bantam draft. The team had no first rounder. It's second round selection was Ethan Bowen, who elected to play in the BCHL. The third round pick was Ethan Ernst, who was traded to Tri City. The 4th and 5th round selections were players that never materialized. The only saving grace from that 2017 draft class is the fact that the team was able to hit the bullseye with Pavel Novak in the CHL Import Draft later that spring. The team has only three-2002 born players on its roster. Poole, Novak and Talyn Boyko.
• Congrats to Scott Cousins for recording his 1st point of the season on a helper on Steel Quiring's third period breakaway marker. 
• The Rockets are now 14 and 5 against teams in the BC Division. It is the best interconference record of any of the five teams.
• The Rockets ended December with a record of 5-4-0-1. Two of the four losses were decided by a single goal. 
• As we close the books on 2021 - thankfully - the team went 25-14-1-3. That takes into account a 10-5-1-0 record in the abbreviated season and the 15-9-0-3 record in 2021-2022.  
• The Rockets ring in the new year, Saturday January 1st against the Victoria Royals. January brings with it a great set of challenges. The team will play 14 games in 31 days. It includes 5 games against Victoria, who are arguably the most improved team in the division if not the conference. By my records, Dan Price has his team with 10 wins, 2 losses and three overtime losses in their last 15 games. Look out!!!!

Pavel propels Rockets to win

Pavel Novak  

• Did the Kelowna Rockets deserve to win last night against the Victoria Royals? Did they deserve to lose to the visiting Seattle Thunderbirds Saturday night? Hockey and sports in general are not always fair. Sometimes you play well and lose. You see it all the time. Play poorly or subpar and still earn two points. Out-shot 18-3 in the third period in last night's 5-4 win, Steel Quiring's determined effort tied the score before Pavel Novak, who is unquestionably the teams most dangerous player, fired home the game winner snapping a season high 4 game winless streak. It was Novak's final game with his junior team before playing for the Czech Republic at the world junior hockey championships. It was Novak's 13th goal of the season. In Novak's rookie campaign, where he led the team in scoring with 25 goals and 58 points in 55 games, the point producing dynamo had 13 goals at the Christmas break. You can't make this stuff up. 
• With someone so proficient in scoring - it was surprisingly - Novak's first game winner of the season. He had 5 game winners in his rookie campaign.
• The Rockets snapped a four game winless streak. It likely felt longer as losses weigh heavily on a team. Can you imagine being winless in 16 games? Just ask the Medicine Hat Tigers. They went through before beating Red Deer in a shootout on the weekend. 
• The Rockets enjoyed the lead for the majority of the game. Even when Victoria either tied it or finally grabbed it, the home team got it back in a hurry. Evan Patrician tied the score at 1 before Noah Dorey scored :39 seconds later to make it 2-1. The Royals took a 4-3 lead in the third period before Steel Quiring tied the score :54 later. I don't know if the word 'bump up shift' is still used in todays game? It refers to the next shift after allowing a goal being a pivotal one. Getting the goal back after being scored upon on the very next shift is an admirable quality. It was Quiring's first goal in 10 games. 
• I thought both goalies were good despite 9 goals being surrendered. No less than two were tipped with one going off Royals forward Evan Patrician and into the back of the net. At the other end, Victoria back stopper Campbell Arnold was sharp early with several big stops when the Rockets were awarded three consecutive power plays. The ugly goal came when Noah Dorey's wrist shot hit Wyatt Wilson in the leg, ricocheted off Arnold and found the back of the net. No shot was a bad shot.  
• Dorey was a health scratch Saturday against Seattle. He had his first two goal game of his career. Of the three goals he's scored this season, two have been on the power play. The last Rockets d-man to score three goals in a game was Tyson Barrie. Yep, it doesn't happen often. Barrie found the back of the net three times in 2010.
• The Rockets have been to overtime 7 times this season. The WHL high is held by Victoria and Portland, who have played extra time - 8 times. The Royals went into overtime for the 6th time in their last 8 games and for the 8th time in its last 12 contests.
•  It was the sixth time the Rockets have scored 5 or more goals. They are 5-0-0-1 in those games.
• The Royals set a new high with 47 shots on net. It was the second highest total of shots allowed by the Rockets this season. They allowed 48 last Wednesday against Everett in a 5-3 loss.
• It was a rare Tuesday game. It is the only Tuesday home game this season.
• For what it's worth, it was the teams 5th game in 8 nights. Pass me a lozenge. 
• Are you ready for the Teddy Bear Toss game this Saturday against Kamloops? It is the 8th year the team has held the event. The first goal scorer in Kelowna Rockets franchise history was Ryan Olsen back in 2013. Here are a list of the Teddy Bear Toss goal scorers over the years:                   

          2013: Ryan Olsen          
          

          2014: Dillon Dube  

          2015: Dillon Dube

          2016: Nick Merkley 

          2017: Conner Bruggen-Cate

          2018: Mark Liwiski

          2019: Nolan Foote

          2020: No game 

          2021: ?

Rough stretch for Rockets

Goal judges at Rockets games are toast

• With Christmas two weeks away, the Kelowna Rockets and Seattle Thunderbirds were in a giving mood Saturday night at Prospera Place. Big boy hockey was played. Not for the faint of heart hockey was on display. Two fights in the opening three minutes. Big hits at every turn. It was as physical a game we've witnessed this season. In the end the T-Birds stole victory from the hands of defeat with two goals in a span of :57 seconds late in the third period in a 5-4 win. It looked like the Rockets had this one in the bag when Tyson Feist scored with essentially 6 minutes left in the game, but the T-Birds had other ideas. The visitors scored the tying goal just :17 seconds later and the game was lost less than a minute after that when Mekia Sanders fired one home on a two-on-one for the T-Birds 10th road win of the season. This one stings because the Rockets dodged a bullet. Outplayed in the opening 20 minutes, they still enjoyed a 2-0 lead. Only good teams are able to buckle down and fight back. Seattle did just that after feeling good about themselves after handing the Blazers a loss in Kamloops the night prior.
• While it looks like a third period collapse, which on the surface it was, I hate to say it, but a save is required at that crucial point in the game. The game winning goal has Rockets goaltender Tayln Boyko in the right position to make the stop. He is coming across the net, but is set and square to the shooter. I watched it several times on replay. Sanders wrist shot beats him glove side, short side. Good shot? Sure. Big save needed? Yepper.
• Getting into shooting lanes. Damned if you do. Damned if you don't. Two T-Bird shots come from the point that make its way through to the back of the net. Are those stopped with less emphases on blocking them and a better visual for the goalie? I am sure the analytics show shot blocking is more of a help than a hinderance.  
• This game had as much jam as anticipated. We saw two tilts in the opening three minutes. Mark Liwiski takes on 6'9 Matthew Rempe before John Babcock took on a big boy in Reid Schaefer. Much like Tuesday, down at Showare Centre, you had to show courage if you wanted to play in this game. If the puck was on your stick, you had to be prepared to be hit. The T-Birds are as physical as the Rockets, if not more.
• If you were surprised at Seattle's confidence level on the road, you shouldn't have been. They had 9 road wins coming into the game. Only Kamloops (12) had more victories away from home ice.  
• Kris Mallette doesn't like to tinker with his lines. In an astute move, he separate Colton Dach from playing alongside Pavel Novak Saturday night. Ideally, I think it makes the team more lethal to have them apart. Why? When Novak plays with Dach, he becomes less of a shooter and more of a passer. The 19 year-old has to be trigger happy because he can score. You don't get 25 goals in your rookie season by fluke. I like Dach playing with 16 year-old Andrew Cristall. Cristall's skill set is still extremely high in an ability to get Dach, a shooter, the puck. And lets face it. Dach has to get used to playing without Novak anyway. The Minnesota Wild draft pick will be gone for close to 9 games when he plays for the Czech Republic at the world juniors. 
• The Rockets are winless in 4 games. It is the biggest slide of the season. The team has one win in their last 5 games (1-4-0-1). That victory came in Kamloops against the Blazers. During this recent slide, three of the regulation losses and the shootout loss came against teams above them in the standings. The setback that really stings for me was the 3-2 game against Prince George. It can't happen. Why? You've been so good on home ice and the Cougars were playing the final game of six straight on the road. 
• The Rockets are 1-4-0-3 in 8 games against US Division teams this season.
• Saturday's loss was the teams 4th game in 5 nights. It's been a busy schedule of late. But remember, this has been a soft launch to the season for the Rockets, who at the Christmas break will have played just 25 games. 25! Only Tri City and Victoria have played fewer (22) heading into this week. 
• It was nice to see the Rockets open the scoring Saturday night. It was the first time in 6 games it happened. It is only the 7th time this season where the Rockets lit the lamp first.
• If you didn't notice, goal judges weren't used for the first time ever at Prospera Place this weekend. Yep, the goal judges have gone the way of the dodo bird. Many buildings didn't have them from the start of puck drop on the 2021-2022 season. In Kelowna, we finally eliminated them starting with Friday's 3-2 home ice loss to the Prince George Cougars. Let's just say, video didn't only kill the radio star, they also killed the role of the goal judge. The NHL hasn't used goal judges since the 2018-2019 season.
• The Victoria Royals provide the opposition Tuesday. Man, that team has resurrected from the dead. Weren't they 1-11 when they last made an appearance at Prospera Place? Now healthy and busy making trades, the Royals are back in the hunt with points in 9 straight and sit only 6 points back of Kelowna for third place in the BC Division. The only saving grace during this four game slide is the fact that the teams above them in the standings - Kamloops and Vancouver - are also sucking slough water.

The Rockets learning as they go

Alex Swetlikoff faced his old team Wednesday night 
Photo courtesy Kristin Ostrowski

• You can learn a lot from winning. You can also glean a lot of information about yourself when you lose. The Kelowna Rockets have a better understanding about areas of improvement after a 5-3 loss Wednesday night to the best team in the Western Conference. The Everett Silvertips began to take over in the second period and the pace appeared to quicken. The Rockets, who played the night prior in a physical affair in Seattle, seemed to be a little slow-a-foot. The Tips have lots of hurry and hustle in their game. That and the ability to be physical added up to the Rockets making ill advised plays with the puck. Against the better teams like Everett, who could have four players at the upcoming world juniors, they can eat you alive if you don't match the pace and intensity. Despite the onslaught, the Rockets were still within a goal until the Tips manufactured a power play goal 6:10 into the third period. 
• The Rockets are 5-2-0-0 in the second of back-to-back games this season.
• It was one of the better opening periods I've seen from the Rockets in Everett. Sure, goaltender Tayln Boyko had to be sharp, but it was a 1-1 game after 20 minutes and the shots were just 12-10 for the home team. Avoiding colossal damage in the first period against the Tips is paramount. They've out-scored the opposition 30-12 in the first period heading into last nights game. 
• Max Graham made an impression against his old squad. Traded from the Tips to the Rockets for Alex Swetlikoff and a 6th rounder, the draft eligible Graham had two goals. His opening goal caught Tips goalie Braden Holt sleeping, but his second of the game in the third period was a beautiful shot from between the hash marks on a setup from Turner McMillen. Coming into last night's game, Graham had just two shots in his previous seven games. That's an ugly stat. Wednesday night, the Kelowna resident fired four pucks on net which ties a season high for him. 
• Pavel Novak is a clutch player. A perfect example came when the 19 year-old was awarded a shorthanded penalty shot when the game was tied at one. Instead of wilting under the pressure, Novak seized the moment by making it look easy by shooting, not deking to find the back of the net. Lesser players shoot the puck wide or make a move and lose control of the puck. Novak scored his 11th goal of the season, tying him for the team lead with Colton Dach. Novak is a pressure player. 
• I love the deployment of Colton Dach at the point when the goalie is pulled for the extra attacker. The 18 year-old's quick release can come screaming at the goalie and appears to have the velocity of some players who take the massive windup for a slap shot. Those are often blocked. Dach is also able to get shots through with traffic in front of the opposition goaltender. To be honest, I don't think I've ever seen Dach take a slap shot. I'm serious. All of his shots this season are primarily snap shots.
• The Rockets allowed a season high 48 shots against in the 5-3 setback. The previous high was 39 in a 2-1 shootout win to Spokane November 26th. Heading into the game, the Rockets had allowed the 6th fewest shots on goal - per game - at 29.8. 
• Tayln Boyko has made 7 consecutive starts. The last Rockets goalie to play 8 straight games was Michael Herringer in 2015-2016. With Jackson Whistle's season ending with hip surgery, Herringer started a whopping 18 straight. 
• The Rockets seem to play their best when they make the quick, five to six foot passes when transitioning up ice. It not only looks good, but it is often effective in preventing turnovers in the neutral zone. It was on wonderful display Saturday in Kamloops but seemed tougher to execute against Seattle and Everett.   
• Give the Tips credit. They did not take a single penalty until less than a minute remaining in the game with the score 5-3. That's a tough feat in today's game, but the Tips took a delay of game penalty for shooting the puck over the glass and then a holding minor when the games was clearly in the bag.
• The Rockets played this one without forward Mark Liwiski. The 20 year-old was suspended for two games for a hit against Seattle the night prior. Liwiski is eligible to return when the two teams meet again Saturday night at Prospera Place. Liwiski has been suspended twice before, for three games for boarding in 2019 and one game for the accumulation of kneeing minors. 
• With a three game road trip behind them, where the Rockets earned 3 out of a possible 6 points, it's time for four straight home games before the Christmas break. Prince George is on the menu Friday followed by the Seattle Thunderbirds only visit to Prospera Place on Saturday. 

Ignorance is bliss

Allen Douglas photo credit

• I wasn't totally convinced. I had my doubts. I wanted to believe that what I've been witnessing is indeed real. My confidence level in the 2021-2022 edition of the Kelowna Rockets took a significant step forward following a road win last night over BC Division leading Kamloops Blazers. I still had question marks despite two wins earlier this season against them. Could the Rockets win a game on the road, something that hasn't been accomplished in 11 consecutive visits to Sandman Centre? It happened last night, much to my delight in a 4-3 come from behind win. When the buzzer sounded, for the first time since Lassi Thomson patrolled the blue-line, the Rockets stepped off the ice in front of a hostile crowd with two points in their back pocket. While head coach Kris Mallette was pleased with his groups effort on our AM 1150 post game show, he wasn't getting overly excited about what the win meant for the psyche of his team. He quietly sounded like he expected the end result. If his bar is set that high for his team, the players must feel too that they have what it takes to compete against the Western Conference's elite. Don't be fooled. The Rockets didn't hold on for the one goal win in this one. Some anxious moments in the dying seconds for sure, but it was that bend but not break mentality that made the road victory that much more rewarding. 
• As mentioned, the Rockets didn't escape with the win. They deserved what they got. They surrendered the opening goal just 1:18 into the game. The Blazers are 15-1-0-0 when that happens, but no one told Kris Mallette's crew. Colton Dach, playing in his 100th career WHL game, found the back of the net from the lip of the crease just 3:41 later and it was proof the visitors were not going to wilt like a flower thrown into the freezer. Heck, they've been resilient all season long, why would we doubt them now? Well, you cast doubt because the opponent up until last night's game were 39-7-0-1 in the last three seasons playing at the Sandman Centre. I've seen the Blazers throw a knock out punch so many times in that building when it looks like the visitors are under control. The Rockets in their last 12 appearances were a dismal 1-7-3-1. 
• What may benefit this group, specifically, is many have not been around to witness the lack of success in Kamloops over the last few years. Ignorance is bliss. Colton Dach has no idea about futility in the building. Talyn Boyko too. The crushing setback during the 11 consecutive losses appeared to be the tie breaker game when the two teams were tied at the end of the 2018-2019 regular season. March 19, 2019 saw the Blazers beat the Rockets 5-1 on that night, with the home team exploding for four-third period goals which included two shorthanded in less than a two minute span. The Rockets have one - one player that remains on the roster from that fateful night. His name is Mark Liwiski.
• The Blazers and Rockets play such contrasting styles. That may explain why the Rockets are 3-0-0-0 in the seasonal series. The Blazers resemble a Supercar. They are flashy and fast. They catch your attention thanks to the top three scorers in the Western Conference. They have a world junior goalie with a team that's allowed the fewest goals against in the entire WHL. What's not to like? The Rockets, by contrast, play a physical style of game. Very physical, but the difference with being aggressive is playing within the parameters of the rules. Mallette and the leadership group have them playing that way. They have some flash and dash in their game, but they are like a reliable 4X4 pickup truck. A sturdy exterior, but it's what's under the hood, while concealed by the naked eye, that really counts. The rougher the terrain, the more they are likely to succeed.
• In a gutsy effort, it only seemed fitting that Turner McMillen had a significant role in the one goal win. McMillen, playing on the fourth line with Max Graham and 16 year-old Marcus Pacheco, had a glorious game. McMillen, a rookie in his own right, scored the go-ahead goal to give the Rockets a 3-2 lead and then muscled home the winner with 4:30 left on the clock. Pacheco had his first multiple point game of his young WHL career with two assists. The fourth line didn't sit idly by in the biggest road win of the season.
• Colton Dach has 5 goals against the Blazers in the seasonal series. Conversely, Blazers leading scorer Logan Stankoven hasn't figured in the scoring in any of the three games. 
• The Rockets scored 4 goals last night. Impressive, considering the Blazers allow the third fewest goals against - per game - at 2.00. Only Winnipeg and Everett allowed fewer goals per game entering Saturday's action.
• I thought the more the game became physical, the more a player like Noah Dorey stood out. While taking two penalties, playing in the trenches works right into his wheel house. The same holds true for Tyson Fiest and Jackson DeSouza. 
• Has the bar been raised with last night's win? In my eyes it has, but I'm guessing the coaching staff and players were thinking the bar was set that high before the season even started. 

Choo-choo, 1/4 through

• What have we learned 1/4 through the Kelowna Rockets regular season? This team is better than we envisioned. Sorry, I don't want to speak for you. Let me state, I did not see this team earning points in 12 of it's opening 17 games. This group has surprised be. Having watched this team for essentially 6 weeks, they've pretty much showed up for all but two games. A 2-0 loss in Langley wasn't good nor was a 7-2 setback to the Giants, again at the LEC, in late October. That's pretty consistent hockey for this group, who are playing what can only be described as a heavy game. Can they skate with the best teams in the WHL? Maybe. Can they trade scoring chances with the elite teams? Probably not. Can they physically wear the opponent down like a prized boxer, who provides the knock out punch in the late rounds? I think we've hit the nail on the head. This team isn't flash and dash. They will hustle and try to outwork you. Purposely try to punish you and finishing checks is likely the mantra of this group. While not the biggest physically, they have a certain team toughness that can take them far. That ability to physically dominate has to be tempered though by playing disciplined hockey for the fear of the more skilled teams pulling away with an electric power play. So far so good. The Rockets are the 7th least penalized team in the WHL. That can't change if more success is to come their way before the Christmas break.
• Sitting in second place in the BC Division at the 1/4 mark is an impressive feat. The fact that the first place Kamloops Blazers have a 12 point lead is no shocker. Frankly, while lots of hockey is yet to be played, they won't be caught. Sure, the Rockets have the bragging rights of handing the top team in the WHL/BC Division both of it's losses, but until they show me they can beat them on the road at Sandman Centre, it's best to concentrate on the teams below them, not on the closest geographical rival who have scored the second most goals in the league while surrendering the second fewest against. Again, show me you can beat the Blazers -on there turf - and then I will change my tune. The team hasn't won a game on the road in Kamloops in it's last 10 appearance. That includes two losses in the abbreviated season, four losses in 2019-2020, two pre-season losses, a play-in loss/tie breaker and 2-1 shootout loss dating back to the 2018-2019 campaign. The Blazers are 11-1-0-0 in the last 12 regular season games between the two teams on home ice.
•  GM Bruce Hamilton pulled off two significant trades in the opening 17 games. On September 28th the team swung a one for one deal with the Saskatoon Blades. In a trade that saw 1st round bantam pick players exchanging hands, the Rockets picked up 18 year-old Colton Dach for 18 year-old Trevor Wong. Dach made his debut in the second game of the season in Victoria and did a nice job of working his way into the group with an outgoing personality and an 'A' on his jersey. Dach has been a point a game player since arriving in the Okanagan while Wong has 12 points in 20 games with his team team. Fast forward 40 days after the Dach deal, the team acquired 19 year-old Talyn Boyko from the Tri City Americans for a third round bantam pick and goalie Cole Tisdale. Tisdale has appeared in just one game since the trade while Boyko has assumed the number one duties here with a 4 and 1 record. 
• The team was a quick starter in the opening 7 to 8 games and then slow starts were common place. The Rockets have scored the opening goal just 6 times this season. Only Medicine Hat has scored fewer (5). Winnipeg leads the league by opening up the scoring a whopping 21 times.
• The most impressive statistic for me is how the team has preformed in the third period. Several times they have rallied from two goals down to tie. A shootout loss in Portland may be one of the most impressive comebacks in recent memory. The team battled back from being down 5-1 to earn a point. The number that stands out is 7. The Rockets have surrendered just 7 - third period goals so far this season. No WHL team comes close, not even Winnipeg with 13 allowed goals in the final frame. 
• Jake Lee has really impressed. He's dangerous player with his ability to generate offense with his quick edge work and skating ability. The 20 year-old is easily going to surpass his career high point total of 30 set two seasons ago. Lee has already set a new in goals with 6. He leads the team in +/- with a +14. Tyson Feist, another overager, has generated much needed offense from the blue-line, but through his shot and his ability to blast it past the goalie rather than threading it threw traffic. Pavel Novak has been the most consistent player, which is no shock. Novak has a point in 14 of the 17 games this season and leads the team in goals, assists and points.   
• Did you know the Rockets have scored, on average, the 5th most goals per game in the WHL? You do now. The team averages 3.53 goals per game. Kamloops leads the BC Division at 4.79, which is second best. Winnipeg is #1 with over 5 goals per game. The Rockets also allow the 6th fewest shots against.
• Hard to believe the Rockets have already played more games this season (17) then they did during the abbreviated campaign. (16).
• We will learn much more about the Rockets over the next week. The team faces 3 of the top teams in the Western Conference in three of their next four games. Saturday is a date with BC Division leading Kamloops followed by back-to-back games in the US Division against Seattle next Tuesday and Everett next Wednesday. Throw into the mix the home game against the Vancouver Giants on Wednesday, and this is arguably the teams biggest test of the new season. 
• 100% capacity? Yep, it happens tonight. With 8 home games left before Christmas, hockey fans can now pack the place after starting the season at half capacity, or 34 hundred fans. Don't forget to wear that mask....and keep it on. I've heard some fans complaining that some are not following the rules. While you don't need your mask on if eating or drinking, you can't be nursing that beer from puck drop until the final buzzer - maskless. Come on! Be courtesy to those around you.  

White is.....Dynamite

Boyko's new, white mask

It's the reason many are attracted to the goaltending position in the first place. It's all about 'the gear'. Sure, the colour coordinated pads and gloves are cool. Being a difference maker is also intriguing, but it's the ability to express yourself with a painted or decaled mask that draws many to the pressure packed position.   

At the NHL level, most goalies keep the same design for the duration of a career. Carey Price of the Montreal Canadiens is the odd exception, changing his look on a regular basis. Over the years, junior goalies have taken great pride in fashioning a unique design. Outside of training, it is a focal point in the summer to get together with a mask manufacturer in an effort to drum up a eye popping look. 

When Talyn Boyko was traded to the Kelowna Rockets from the Tri City Americans last month, the 19 year-old heard rumblings that goalies who wear the colours with the angry Ogopogo lake monster on the front, don't express themselves in that way. Nope. No design on the mask. No colours. No funky graphics. Let's call it an unwritten rule. Majority owner and GM Bruce Hamilton wants it that way. With his team, the belief is no one stands out from the rest. An old school philosophy perhaps, but Hamilton writes the checks at the end of the day, so it's his call. You have to respect that. Hamilton's winning track record only cements his position. 

When first traded to Kelowna, Boyko wore his flashy, decal laden mask with a massive white star on the forehead with the words 'Tri-City' on the left side and 'Americans' on the right side. On Friday night though, it was off with the old and in with the new when he exchanged his bold mask for something others would consider bland by comparison. The new head gear is about as plain as it gets. It's white. No colours. No decals outside of the manufacturer - Bauer - in black lettering on the side and on the forehead. 

How has the 'no flash face wear' impacted the New York Rangers prospects play? It's actually improved it. 

Since he put on the white mask in a game against the Spokane Chiefs, Boyko has stopped 71 of 73 shots in back-to-back wins. With that effort while stopping 24 of 26 shots in a 2-1 loss this past Wednesday on the road, it makes you wonder if the newest member of the Rockets has a shot at being named the WHL Goalie of the Week?

That's a .956 save percentage in three straight appearances. 

It's a clear indicator that white is indeed all right, or in Boyko's case - dynamite! 

Winterhawks use prevent defense to foil comeback bid

Jake Lee

• It's the - 'new normal'. How many times have we heard that phrase over the past 20 months during the COVID-19 pandemic? Likely to nauseum. The term has been increasingly used to refer to changes in human behaviour. Add Portland Winterhawks GM/Head Coach Mike Johnston to that list. What we saw Saturday night at Veterans Memorial Coliseum may be the 'new normal' where they don't beat you with the philosophy of first team to 10, but by nailing down wins by defending. What? No! Ya, I couldn't believe it. Fast forward to the third period. The Winterhawks are up 4-2 over the visiting Kelowna Rockets. Having succeeded over the years with skill and speed, the playoff arch rival went into a defensive shell. With the Rockets fighting tooth and nail to get back in the game, Johnston's team played structurally sound defensive hockey. Nope, they didn't try to get the next one. They protected the house and played prevent defense. I thought it was a swear word in Mike Johnston’s vocabulary. Not anymore. As the Rockets forced the issue while down by two, the Winterhawks, to my amazement, clogged up the neutral zone. With the aid of three consecutive power plays, the Rockets attempted to get pucks through to the net. Johnston’s players were selling out by - do I dare say - blocking shots! They looked like the expansion Everett Silvertips from 2003-2004. Ok, this years team is way more skilled than that, but you get my point. The 'new norm' in the Rose City is protecting the lead with team defense and leaning on the goalie. I thought I'd never see the tactic used by Johnston, but as we mentioned off the top - it is indeed the 'new normal'.
• Another slow start in this one. The Rockets were out-shot 20-5 in the opening period with the Winterhawks chasing starter Colby Knights after scoring 4 goals on 16 shots. While Knight was yanked for the third time in his last four starts, head coach Kris Mallette told me on the post game show that his decision to replace him with Talyn Boyko was more out of getting a response from his team rather than being displeased with the 18 year-old's overall play. I need to mention that Boyko was very good in a relief appearance stopping all 22 shots he faced.
• While down 4-2 heading into the third period, optimism was high that the Rockets could rally. Heck, this group has been a resilient bunch all season, so why doubt them now. Getting back in the game was put on a platter with three straight power plays, yet for the first time this season, or so it felt, that unit picked the wrong time to go quiet. While it created some good looks, the Winterhawks and goalie Lochlan Gordon deserve credit for shutting down the road team. Up until Saturday's loss, the Rockets had manufactured a power play goal in 8 of it's last 9 games.
• It was a rare regulation loss. It was the first time the team has come away without a point in 9 straight games. The last regulation loss was a 7-2 setback in Vancouver on October 29th.
• Winning games in the US Division have not come easy. The Rockets are now winless in 7 straight attempts on American soil. The last win in a US Division building was January 5, 2020 with a 7-2 victory in Tri City. The losing goaltender that night for the Americans was current Rocket Talyn Boyko. 
• Was Jake Lee the diamond in a blockbuster deal between the Rockets and the Seattle Thunderbirds during the WHL bantam draft in 2019? At the time, he was clearly a piece in helping the team in an effort to host the 2020 Memorial Cup, but Dillon Hamaliuk was considered the rock star or the coveted player in that deal. Lee was just 18 at the time. Fast forward to 2021 and Lee has been lights out terrific as a 20 year-old defenceman. I am not sure if he has been given the green light to rush the puck and create in the offensive zone, but Lee has been as dominant as I've seen him in creating scoring chances for himself or his teammates. Lee's career high is 30 points. He should easily match and exceed that mark this season. 
• Not only did the Rockets lose the game, but they also lost head coach Kris Mallette and 16 year-old's Caden Price and Andrew Cristall. The three are participating in Hockey Canada's 'Capital City Challenge' which will be held in Ottawa later this week. Mallette will be the head coach for 'Team Red'. Interestingly, one of Mallette's assistant coaches is Carl Mallette (no relation) of the QMJHL's Victorville Tigres. The tournament starts Friday. In Mallette's absence, assistant coaches Josh McNevin and Quinton Laing will handle the coaching duties.
• We are off to Spokane for a game against the Chiefs on Wednesday. Thankfully this should be the last time I get a cotton swab of the back of my throat in order to prove to Canada Customs that I am indeed healthy and don't have COVID-19!! Starting November 30th, fully vaccinated Canadians taking short trips abroad will no longer need proof of a negative COVID-19 test to return home. 

Only in junior hockey

Steel Quiring

• Can a power play, even if you don't score, give a team momentum? Quick answer - yep! I saw it with my own two eyes last night in a miraculous come-from-behind effort by the Kelowna Rockets. While the team fell short, losing 6-5 in a shootout to the Portland Winterhawks, it was a Cross Hanus interference penalty that turned the road teams fortunes around. With the 2nd round NHL draft pick of the Detroit Red Wings in the box, the Rockets started firing pucks at will. Pavel Novak became trigger happy at the left face-off circle. Colton Dach started letting the puck loose off his stick at the right dot and the game shifted despite failing to find the back of the net. Up until that point, the Rockets had one shot on goal through the opening 9 minutes of the second period. The score was 4-1 - Portland. Hanas would come out of the penalty box and score to make it 5-1, but you could see the Rockets had awoken from their slumber. The key was not allowing the home team to get the 6th goal. I said it on the air. If Portland scores the 6th, it's lights out. The game is over. Jake Lee with a sharp angle wrist shot late in the period made it 5-2 and the chances, while slim, were there for a possible comeback. 
• It's really the beauty of junior hockey. Down 5-1 at one point in the game, but still the ability to score 4 unanswered goals to tie it is often unlikely, but in this league it is doable. The Rockets did just that. With the Winterhawks playing on their heels and the Rockets playing on their toes, rookie d-man Caden Price got the party started with a wrister from the blueline. Nolan Flamand fired home a power play goal and the deficit was just one. The clutch goal came with just over 2 minutes left in regulation time when Turner McMillen unselfishly handed the puck off to Steel Quiring, who's quick wrister found the back of the net underneath the blocker of Hawks starter Dante Gianuzzi.
• The Rockets really struggled out of the gates in this one. When they finally showed some life, it seemed like the Hockey God's were angry. Turner McMillen hits the crossbar on an excellently executed two on one and Mark Liwiski hits the goal post on a deflection at the lip of the crease. It looked like it wasn't going to be the Rockets night. Give the team credit for keeping the belief despite so many things going wrong before the third period comeback bid. 
• Overtime was absolutely wonderful. Great scoring chances both ways. With Talyn Boyko chased from the game after allowing 5 goals on 18 shots, Colby Knight came into the game and was absolutely terrific. It looked like the old Colby Knight we witnessed in his Rockets debut after being acquired from the Edmonton Oil Kings. The18 year-old carried his strong play after coming off a shutout against Prince George in his last start Saturday night. Knight was so quick down low. His ability to track pucks was terrific and his glove hand was laser quick. 
• If I'm the Rockets, I would have left last night's game feeling pretty good about coming back the way they did. It was a hard earned point in a place where wins for this franchise has been hard to come by over the years. To play that poorly off the start and finish that strong was extremely impressive for a team that wouldn't fold. Heck, they thought they won the game in overtime when the puck, from my location, seemed to glance off the crossbar with time about to expire. The back official called it a goal. The Rockets players exited the bench to celebrate only to find out the goal was under review. Video indeed showed the puck did not enter the net and we were off to a shootout. 
• My real only criticism from last night's game is the starting goaltending. It just has to be better. Even if the team struggles to start a game and seem to be slow to pucks and the bus legs are clearly evident, the starting goalie needs to hold his team in the game. I am not saying all 5 goals were Boyko's fault last night, but again you need to steal a game, or hold the team in the game. Colby Knight must also be held to that same standard. It seems like a common theme this season has the starter struggling, is eventually replaced, and then the team wakes up and preforms to the level they are capable of playing. Knight hasn't allowed a goal in over 90 minutes of action in back-to-back appearances. The shootout goal doesn't count, outside of a SOL in his statistics. The last player to score against Knight was Winterhawks d-man Ryan McLeary back on November 5th.  
• Jake Lee played last night's game with a cage. The 20 year-old had his nose broken against Vancouver a couple of weeks ago and just got it reset. Despite the 'bird cage', Lee again played well and was full marks for his 5th goal of the season. Watch the video as he hold the puck at the right point and is able to do his 'Russell Wilson' imitation with the puck by dodging defenders before eventually losing it and then getting it back for a sharp angle opportunity. No one on the Rockets d-core is as deceptive or shifty as Lee. It is fun to watch. 
• I know Clay Hanus or Jaydon Dureau should be catching my attention, but in two viewings the forward who impresses me the most is James Stefan. Wearing #13, the dude loves to shoot. He is always a threat to score. He had a season high 8 shots on net last night and just seems to be a player that pops for me every time I see him.
• A first time viewing for me of d-man Luca Cagnoni. While only 16, lots of upside with this player. I will take another look tonight to see if I am evaluating him correctly. At first glance, the Winterhawks have a player there.
• I ran into Dan Marr in the scouts room before last night's game. Marr is the Director of Scouting for NHL Central Scouting. Marr is out evaluating, which he always does. As an undrafted player, you always have to be acutely aware that persuasive eyes are indeed watching your performance on any given night.
• Sitting. Ya, sitting. Veterans Memorial Coliseum is the only arena in the WHL where I am forced to sit for the entire game while calling the action. For the record, I don't sit when I broadcast games - ever. I stand about 80 percent of the time. Maybe it's restless leg syndrome or just a nervous tick, but I feel like a caged animal calling a game while sitting in a chair. The sight lines are solid at VMC, so one should keep complaints to a minimum. 
• We are on the air a little early tonight. 'Rockets This Week' begins at 5 pm on AM 1150. It is my first interview with forward Pavel Novak and we discuss leadership with captain Tyson Feist. Talk to you on the radio then!!!

Border bound!

• With the significant flooding in many parts of BC resulting in Highway 1 being impassable, the Kelowna Rockets will take an alternate route in an effort to meet the Portland Winterhawks this weekend in Oregon State. The team will cross at the Osoyoos border rather than heading over the Coquihalla Highway and crossing at Sumas. It means a trip to Kennewick, Washington (near there) before heading west towards Portland on Interstate 84 along the Columbia River. The real concern is getting over the border into the US. The lineups could be lengthy.
• In my last blog posting, I mentioned a few players who have surprised me this season. Of the four, three were overagers. Interesting that all three 20 year-old's were acquired in WHL trades. Tyson Feist was picked up from Regina. Jake Lee was acquired from Seattle while Mark Liwiski was obtained from the Everett Silvertips. Liwiski has played 143 games with the Rockets. Lee 88 regular season games. Feist just 48.
• Tyson Feist isn't fooling himself. While the 20 year-old has a career 5 goals this season, he knows his bread and butter in an effort to play pro is as a shutdown d-man. Feist admitted to me this week that he doesn't mind contributing on the scoreboard though. "Obviously with confidence came more, ‘maybe I will shoot the puck then put it in the corner.’ I have been given the green light to the shoot the puck more and I've taken advantage of it." The pride of Dawson Creek, BC has a younger brother playing in the WHL. In fact, Feist is the only player on the Rockets roster with a sibling playing in the league. Layton Feist suits up for the Regina Pats.
• One rookie forward who hasn't score a goal this season, yet should have more than a couple, is Rilen Kovacevic. The 10th round bantam pick has had some excellent looks in 9 games this season. The dam is about to break for the Kelowna kid, who leads the team in fighting majors with three. Didn’t see that coming. 
• Speaking of the dam breaking, it's coming for 16 year-old Marcus Pacheco. You can tell his confidence level if increasing. He is more aggressive to loose pucks in the corners and is shooting more. Pacheco is trying to make an impact despite playing on the fourth line. The dude can fly. I say open it up and let your speed rule the day. 
• I won't pass judgement on the rookies until after the 25 game mark. Rookie status by the WHL Competition Committee is anyone who has played 25 games or less. That means 11 on the roster are classified as 'first year players'. Not making the list is Steele Quiring and Dylan Wightman. Quiring had played 28 games before this season started. Wightman saw action in 26. 
• Pavel Novak will play for the Czech Republic at the upcoming World Junior Hockey Championships. He represented his country as an 18 year-old last season. I asked him about playing for his country, again, and who would he prefer to beat, the United States or Canada? "I would like to beat both of them of course. For me, I would rather beat Canada." Love his honesty. My full 11 minute interview with Novak can be heard Saturday at 5 pm on AM 1150's 'Rockets This Week' before the team faces the Portland Winterhawks in the back end of a double dip at Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
• I love the way Novak says 'Kelowna Rockets". Listen for it Saturday. With his slight Czech accent, it is magical. He rolls his r's. 
• I love to compare one season to the next. But in this case, with an abbreviated season where the team played only 16 games in April/May, I'm using the 2019-2020 campaign as a measuring stick on how a player has evolved, or in some cases regressed. The competition was harder and the schedule was more daunting two seasons ago. I just can't give much credibility to the abbreviated season where teams played in two centres out here in the BC Division against younger competition. It was a developmental season, which was it's main purpose, but throw in extensive travel against older, more established players, it's way more difficult to play consistent, injury free hockey. 
• Last weekend we were in Prince George. Having not been in the downtown core in over a year, I was amazed at some of the progress. A new Hyatt Place (hotel) opened up during the pandemic and a new family pool is under construction. It opens in the summer of 2022. Impressive. PG has some pretty cool amenities. 
• True confession. I am spending very little time paying a significant amount of time looking at the rosters, or the on-line scores from the Eastern Conference. Out of sight, out of mind. With the Western Conference teams not meeting their Eastern Conference colleagues this season, my interest is waning. I am sure the same applies there. I look at the scores, but my interest in watching the highlites from our conference and maybe seeing the occasional goal posted by the Eastern Conference teams Twitter feed is about as good as it gets. 
• The last time the Rockets played a game in the United States was February 29th in Everett, Washington. The last time the Rockets visited the Hawks in Portland was January 18th and 19th, 2020. 
• The Rockets haven't won a game in Portland since October 30, 2016. It was a 4-2 win with Nick Merkley picking up a goal and an assist while being named the first star. It has been six games since the Rockets have earned a win in Oregon, which is one of five US states that do not collect sales tax. 

Strength in numbers

Tyson Feist 

Truth be told, I like this team. I probably like this team more now then when they opened the season over a month ago in Victoria against the Royals. To be host, my expectations were low. Not bottom of the division low, but I didn't see 8 wins in 12 games to start the season. I likely saw three fewer wins and two more losses in a best case scenario. Why? The team had lost it's best d-man with Kaedan Korczak turning pro. Goaltending was an issue. I was biting my tongue, but 'Captain Obvious' could clearly tell you it needed an upgrade. In trading away Alex Swetlikoff to Everett, the team essential lost two of it's top three scorers from the abbreviated season. At the end of the day, with the deal that sent Trevor Wong to Saskatoon, the top three point producers (Wong/Swetlikoff/David Kope) were erased from the roster. What's clearly evident is others have stepped up and have exceeded expectations. Here is a list of players, while small, who have caught my eye and have played above what I expected so far this season.

1) Tyson Feist. Did I see him as captain material? Honestly....no. Regarded as a very small piece of the puzzle in a trade with Regina in a quest to acquire toughness as the host team of the 2020 Memorial Cup, which was never played, the then 18 year showed he could scrap but his hockey IQ as a solid defender was below average. If the COVID-19 shutdown benefitted one player on the roster, it was Feist. He came back a completely different player in the abbreviated season. Feist started making smart plays with the puck. Occasionally he was scoring. It came out of nowhere. Fast forward to this season, his outgoing personality came through and the respect of his teammates shot up exponentially. After scoring just 5 goals in 122 career WHL games prior to this season, Feist has 5 goals in 12 games this season. How does that happen? Confidence is one. Coaching has to be a factor too. He is still prone to turning over the puck and at times is caught flat footed, but Tyson Feist is my biggest and most pleasant surprise so far in 2021-2022.

2) Tyson Feist just edges out Nolan Flamand as my biggest surprise so far this season. Flamand is a second round WHL bantam pick, so expectations should be high, but I often find smaller, younger forwards have a hard time flourishing at this level. Flamand has been great at the face-off circle and the trust he's garnered from head coach Kris Mallette is remarkable. If the game is on the line in an effort to defend a one goal lead, Flamand is on the ice. If down by a goal, it's most reliable players must be on the ice to tie the score, Flamand is likely jumping over the boards. While I thought the Saskatoon resident was good during the abbreviated season, I didn't see him as being this much of a difference maker this early in his WHL career. Points wise, Flamand has 10 points in 12 games and has points in 5 of his last 7 contests. Flamand leads the Rockets with 6 power play points.

3) Mark Liwiski. In essence, the 20 year-old is the post boy for this years team. Work your tail off, bring your work boots and play a greasy style of hockey. Liwiski likely plays to his strengths the best of any forward on the roster. A rugged forward who loves to hit and punish opponents, he essentially took two Cougar players out of action with thundering body checks in Friday's 5-2 win. 'Louie', as he is known to his teammates, can really skate. He is sneaky fast and has better hands then you'd think. His offensive totals would likely be significantly higher if he had a better ability to finish. He does create scoring chances and is a handful to play against. He reminds me of an annoying brother, who you grow up hating. He must be a terror to play against. Lucky he wears Kelowna Rockets colours. 

4) Jake Lee: Another 20 year-old that should be a difference maker, but often times overage players are playing at this level because they frankly aren't good enough to play pro and are just average in junior despite being the oldest on the ice. Lee has looked the part this season as a veteran. He has been guilty of turning over the puck as the last man back on the power play, which has resulted in a few shorthanded goals, but his deceptive wrist shot from the back end is becoming a real threat. He is shooting the puck more. With 29 shots in 12 games, he is getting pucks through to the net. In 2019-2020, over his opening 12 games, he had only 11 shots on goal. Lee's ability to avoid pressure with the puck is impressive. Either spinning away from checks or being shifty by finding a shooting lane, the former 1st round WHL bantam pick is third in team scoring with 11 points in 12 games and has five power play points as he tries to fill the void left by Kaedan Korczak. 

Ok, enough with the individual accolades. You win as a team. You lose as a team. Here are a few areas of success that I didn't see coming.

• The ability to fight back in the third period to win a game or prevent the opposition from doing the same. The third period has been the teams best. The numbers don't lie. The Rockets have surrendered only 7 - third period goals against. Put your money on the team rallying in the third rather than collapsing and allowing the opposition to fight back to steal a victory.
• The power play. Again, lots of ammunition was lost last season. I anticipated the power play firing blanks, but it has been the difference maker in most games. It is never lights out terrific, nor is it awful. The ability to come up clutch when it's needed most is why the team is in second place in the BC Division.
• Penalties. A lack of them. This has been a problem since Brad Ralph was the head coach. It continued with Jason Smith. It was bad with Adam Foote. The Rockets often unraveled with needless trips to the penalty box. This has been a massive change with Kris Mallette's crew the least penalized team in the WHL. What makes this area of the teams game so impressive is Mallette wants his team to play heavy, which means finishing checks and banging bodies. Learning how to do this, within the constraints of the rule book is often tough to teach, but playing clean, yet hard - in your face hockey - has been fun to watch. The Rockets average just 12.33 minutes in the box per game. 
• Shot volume. It's a metric I pay special attention too. It tells me your commitment level to playing strong- team defense. The Rockets have allowed, on average, the fourth fewest shots per game in the WHL. That's an impressive feat, considering the likes of Winnipeg, Kamloops and Everett are also among the top 4. The Rockets, as a group, don't give up many odd man rushes and both Tayln Boyko and Colby Knight must keep mentally engaged with a lack of rubber coming their way. As I mentioned on the broadcast last night, Boyko faced 20 shots in Friday's 5-2 win, the fewest shots he has faced since he broke into the WHL in 2018-2019. 
• Sorry, I lied when singling out players, or in this case coaches. I think Kris Mallette is a difference maker. I really do. I really believe the players like him and are willing to do what he says. I think his communication skills may be the best I've seen behind the Rockets bench since Dan Lambert. You hear it in his interviews with me. Honest answers. Insightful. Mallette is making some tough decisions with his group, often scratching a player for what I like to call 'indifferent play'. The line in the sand has been drawn early by Mallette, which is refreshing for someone who has less than 50 games as a head coach at the WHL level. 

The caveat. It is just 12 games. In sports, things constantly change. It's as easy to go into a free fall in the standings as it is to go on a heater. Right now, the 2021-2022 edition of the Kelowna Rockets are on a heater with points in 7 straight (6-0-0-1). It is all about playing to your strengths and not playing as individuals. The concept of 'strength in numbers' should resonate with this group. It is the true reason why five weeks into the season they are having this much success.  

Slow starts - strong finishes

• I remember watching the pilot of Seinfeld in 1989. It was slow to start, but with greater character development, week after week, the show got better. It eventually went off the air in 1998 after 180 episodes and 9 seasons. It is regarded as one of the greatest and most influential sitcoms ever on television. Seinfeld sounds a little like the Kelowna Rockets play recently. The team hasn't been very strong at the start, but man, they've shown the ability to get better as the game goes along. In the last four outings, as an example, the team has scored 7-third period goals. They've out-scored the opponent 7-2 in the final frame. The latest third period rally came Saturday night in a 4-1 win over the visiting Prince George Cougars. Nursing a 2-1 second period lead, the Rockets erupted for two-third period goals while earning their 5th win of the season. It was impressive to see the team take the will out of the Cougars by controlling the second half of the game. After a slow start, where the visitors outshot the home team 15-3 in the opening period, the older and wiser Rockets outshot the young and exuberant Cougars 31-19  the rest of the way.
• The power play has been clutch lately. It manufactured a 5 on 3 goal against the Cougars to make the score 4-1. It put the game on ice. Even in Friday's 5-4 shootout loss to the Portland Winterhawks,  while trailing 4-3 with under 5 minutes left in the game, the Rockets found the equalizing goal with the extra man. The Rockets have scored a power play goal in five consecutive games and are 6 for 19 (31.6%) over that span. 
• Another sign the team is getting better as the game goes along is giving up just 64 shots on goal in the third period this season. That's an average of just 7.1 shot against in the final 20 minutes of the game. 
• Jake Lee is off a great start. With two-two goal games to his credit already, the overager is showing why the Seattle Thunderbirds picked him in the opening round of the WHL bantam draft. Lee is using a seeing eye wrist shot to do most of his damage and is getting the benefit of being on the power play. 

• 

  John Babcock engages in his first WHL tilt

  While we are focusing on the blueline, rookie John Babcock's play is rounding into form. The 17 year-old got into a scrap Saturday to defend a teammate and chipped in with two assists. The 5th round WHL bantam pick from 2019 is riding a four game point streak with 6 assists. 
• Tyson Feist may have had the prettiest goal of the game Saturday night. On a two-on-one, he was able to bat a puck out of mid-air, while on the backhand, on a saucer pass from teammate Dylan Wightman. The third period goal gave the Rockets a 3-1 lead. It was the d-man's third goal of the season, setting a new career high for a player that is showing that he can do as much damage with his gloves on as with his gloves off. 
• It was Cole Tisdale's best outing of the season. The 19 year-old was sharp when called upon in making only his second start of the season. Who would have thought the day after he would be traded to the Tri City Americans.
• Speaking of the trade, in an effort to upgrade the most crucial position on the ice, the team acquired 19 year-old Talyn Boyko from the Tri City Americans for Tisdale and a third round bantam pick. This takes a lot of pressure off of 18 year-old Colby Knight, who has struggled in his last three starts. That said, Knight will find his footing and will be a good number one goalie down the road. You don't throw the baby out with the bath water. For now though, Boyko is clearly the go-to-guy and will get the bulk of the starts with his 6'7 frame being an intimidating presence for opposition shooters. Boyko is a 4th round NHL draft pick of the New York Rangers but his career numbers won't impress you. Boyko was part of an Americans team that won just 17 games in 2019-2020 and earned 34 victories the year prior.  
• The Rockets begins a real tough stretch of games. While five of the next six are on the road, it includes a date with Kamloops on Wednesday followed by road dates in Prince George (double header), Portland (double header) and a stop in Spokane. That is 6 games in 15 days with lots of travel thrown into the mix. It is a big series of games for the Rockets to see if they are indeed the real deal.

Fire wagon hockey

• We likely blame head coaches too much when they lose and give them far too much credit when they win. That said, you can't ignore the strings Kelowna Rockets head coach Kris Mallette has pulled in order to get the best from his players. The latest example came Wednesday night against the visiting Vancouver Giants. Mallette had to make the tough decision to tell 16 year-old Andrew Cristall that he can be better. That also meant sitting the marquee forward for a game to get his point across. Fast forward four night's later and Cristall is back in the lineup, but penciled on the teams fourth line. Instead of moping, Cristall assists on two goals and then goes out and scores the winner in overtime in a 7-6 victory. Cristall answered the bell. The end result looks great on not only the player but the coach for making the hard decision to sit a player if he under preforms. It tells me that Mallette isn't hesitant on making a tough decision and the players, or in this case Cristall, is buying in to what Mallette is preaching.
• Thank goodness Cristall had no other option but to shoot the puck on the game winning goal. It was the only shot he took all night. One shot - one goal. A pass first player, I'd like him to be more trigger happy. It will come. It will come. In the last four games, Cristall has just 4 shots on net.
• Mallette was all smiles after last night's game. Did he like the 7-6 score? He liked the end result but again, far too many goals scored for the opposition for his liking. Giants head coach Mike Dyck, who rarely smiles, wouldn't have been happy with the high flying affair either. It marked the first time since November 8, 2019 that the Rockets and an opponent put up 13 goals. The Medicine Hat Tigers came into Prospera Place and earned a 8-5 win. 

  

  Jake Lee 

• One area Mallette has vowed to work on is his team taking dumb penalties. So far, so good. The Rockets average the third fewest trips to the penalty box. Only Saskatoon and Victoria are better.  The Royals are the least penalized. Not bad for a team that, up until this point, doesn't have the puck often.
• It was a first for Jake Lee. The 20 year-old found the back of the net twice. His biggest goal was the one that came on the power play with :39 seconds remaining in regulation time to tie the score at 6. Give credit to Gabriel Szturc for getting into the eye-line of Giants goalie Jesper Vickman, which made the goal possible. Without that screen, my bet is that puck doesn't go in. Small details make a massive difference. 
• With Lee scoring twice last night, it made me wonder when the last time a Rockets d-man scored three goals in a game. The last one to do it was not on my radar. Devante Stephens scored three times against the Portland Winterhawks October 29/2016 in a 5-3 victory. I would have put my money on Cal Foote, but he never found the back of the net three times in one game. 
• Watch the highlites of last night's game. Check out how Turner McMillen is able to thread the needle on a perfect pass to captain Tyson Feist to make it 3-1. McMillen has to pass the puck to Feist from the far boards to the 20 year-old at the far, right face-off circle. In the path is a broken stick on the ice. McMillen has to pass the puck through a small window to hit Feist's blade. It's a pretty spectacular pass. 
• Fair to say a rough night for Kelowna Rockets starter Colby Knight. The 18 year-old was yanked after giving up 4 goals on 7 shots. Cole Tisdale came into the game and was steady enough to earn the win. Picking up a teammate. Tisdale did it wonderfully in a relief appearance.
• The Rockets won for the first time after trailing 5-4 after 40 minutes. Up until that point, the Rockets were 0 and 3 when trailing after 2 periods. The Giants were 4-0 when having the lead.
• Fighting. Does it have a purpose? It is hard to argue that it doesn't after a tilt between Tyson Feist and Giants pest Justin Lies. Lies did a bit of show boating last Friday after a tilt with Rockets rookie Rilen Kovacevic. You couldn't help but notice Lies putting his arms in the air and gesturing to the hometown crowd as he skated off the ice. Well, Fiest took a number that night. Fast forward to last night where Feist engages in a scrap with Lies and dominates. It was a beat down as Lies elected to scrap with a player who wasn't afraid to step up for a teammate. Props to Feist for laying a beatdown and providing another reason why he was the right choice to be named captain. I don't like senseless fighting. I thought this was an awfully good reason to engage in fisticuffs. 
• Noland Flamand had a 4 assist game. He received high praise from his head coach after the game as one of the most trusted forwards on his roster.
  As Kris Mallette would say, 'he plays the right way'. Two seasons ago, Pavel Novak had a 4 assist game against the Tri City Americans.
• Shoot the puck. The Rockets have fired a combined 82 shots at the opposition net in the last two games. That is 42 against Victoria and 40 shots against the Giants.  
• The Rockets are undefeated on home ice. 3-0-0-0 is a nice start heading into back-to-back home games this weekend against Portland (Friday) and Prince George (Saturday). 

'Cookie' calls it a career

• Being a head coach isn't an easy occupation. Every level has its degree of difficulty. Kris Mallette has had to make some hard decisions in the early stages of the young season. The best example came Saturday night when the Kelowna Rockets veteran d-men were struggling. Mallette had to make an in-game adjustment, electing to sit a few veterans who were making bad decisions and fighting the puck. Bold decision, but it worked out. Mallette puts 16 year-old rookie d-man Caden Price on the ice in overtime. The second round WHL bantam pick assists on the game winning goal from Jake Poole in a 5-4 OTW against Victoria.
  
• Are the Portland Winterhawks the WHL guinea pig? The Winterhawks are the first WHL team to attempt to cross the border between Canada and the US tomorrow. How smooth will it go? Will the Winterhawks have to be tested before entering Canada? What will it cost for everyone to take a test despite the entire team being double vaccinated? Every WHL ownerships group will be watching with keen interest. My understanding is despite being double vaxed, every player and coach on the bus must have taken a molecular test in the United States within 72 hours of entering Canada.  The Winterhawks play the Kamloops Blazers Wednesday night before meeting the Rockets at Prospera Place on Friday. The last American based team to cross into Canada are the Seattle Thunderbirds, who play December 10th in Kamloops. 

  

  Jordon Cooke

• He was one of my favourite Kelowna Rockets goalies. Jordon Cooke was arguably the best the franchise have ever selected in the WHL bantam draft. Chosen in the fourth round in 2008, the Leduc product was part of a powerhouse teams from 2012-2014. Sadly, the Portland Winterhawks were just that much better. Cooke has decided to retire at age 28. Cooke most recently played in Erste Liga, in Romania and Hungry last season. How good was Cooke? He is the only Rockets goalie to be named the CHL Goalie of the Year and twice the U-Sports Goalie of the Year with the U of Saskatchewan Huskies in 2015-2016 and 2016-2017. 
• Pavel Novak has 5 goals against the Victoria Royals this season. He had two goals opening night and three against them Saturday in the 5-4 overtime win. Two seasons ago, Novak had 6 against the Prince George Cougars, who provide the opposition on Saturday. 
• It looks like Travis Crickard is back in major junior hockey. Word out East is 'Cricks' has joined the coaching staff of the Saint John SeaDogs. Crickard was a member of Dan Lambert's coaching staff when the team won the 2015 WHL title. He was eventually relieved of his duties by then head coach Adam Foote 16 days before Christmas in 2018. 
• I ran into NHL scout Marty Stein twice over the past two weeks. Once in Vancouver and once in Kelowna. It wasn't until I noticed a change in logo on Stein's binder that I had to ask the question. Have you changed teams? Stein, who calls Coldstream home, has been scouting for the Detroit Red Wings for 25 years. He helped them win four Stanley Cups and a couple of Calder Cup titles. With his contract not renewed at the end of last season, Stein is now scouting for the Buffalo Sabres. 
• Bob Tory has hit the jackpot. The GM of the Tri City Americans received good news when 20 year-old Sasha Mutala was sent back to his team after starting the season in pro. While Mutala is a big boost for Tory's team offensively, you would have to think other GM's across the league will give Bob a call and ask if he is interested in making a trade. 
• Dan Price is forever the optimist. The Victoria Royals GM and HC isn't making excuses for his teams 1-10-1-0 start, but it would be easy to push the panic button with the injuries they've sustained. Often playing a few players short, once healthy, he will have a better idea of how good or bad his team really is. The fans in Victoria are antsy though. Check out the Royals Facebook page where fans are calling this team as bad as the 1989 Victoria Cougars who won 5 of 72 games or want Price fired.  Fact is, was no one paying attention to what happened in the abbreviated season when the Royals won just 3 of 22 games?  
• I heard the Seattle Kraken are playing 15 back-to-back games this season. In the WHL it's a completely different world. The Kelowna Rockets play back-to-backs 29 times. 
• Duncan Keith played his 1200 game in the NHL. The former Kelowna Rockets defender has played the most of any alumni. Scott Hannan comes close with 1,055 games. Shea Weber had 1,033 career games under his belt before he was hurt. Luke Schenn is exactly 200 games shy of 1,000.
• And then their was 1. Just one team in the WHL remains undefeated. The Everett Silvertips hold that honour. The Winnipeg Ice had an 11 game winning streak to start the season snapped in a loss to the Edmonton Oil Kings. No egg on the face of the Ice for losing to a very good Oil King team. They weren't going to go 68-0-0-0. It best to lose to one of the best in the WHL than lay an egg and fall victim to a bottom feeder. 

Things that make me go hmm

Nolan Flammand. His favourite radio station (wink/wink) in background

• Six WHL players were taken in the second round of the 2021 NHL draft. Three of them were forwards including Kelowna Rockets Colton Dach and Vancouver Giants Zack Ostopchuk. Dach was taken 62nd overall by the Chicago Blackhawks. Ostopchuk was chosen 39th by the Ottawa Senators. Both have signed NHL contracts. It was interested to compare the two when they met head-to-head Saturday night in the Giants 2-0 win. Neither found the score-sheet. We have another opportunity to measure them up when the two teams collide, again, at the Langley Events Centre this upcoming Friday.
• No lack of NHL scouts at the game Saturday night. It makes you wonder if some start pay special attention to Kelowna Rockets goaltender Colby Knight. The undrafted 18 year-old was playing second fiddle to Sebastian Cossa, a first round NHL draft pick while with the Edmonton Oil Kings. Now with a new lease on life as the number one goalie with the Rockets, this may be a coming out party for the Red Deer product, who looks like the real deal after two solid starts against Kamloops and Vancouver. He was the best player on the ice for the visitors Saturday night. 
• The Rockets have played a league low 4 games. Red Deer and Brandon have played a league high - 10!
• The Rockets are no strangers in trading for goalies. Michael Herringer, Jackson Whistle, Mark Guggenberger, Kelly Guard and Shane Bendera are prime examples. Put Colby Knight on that list! 
• It was a homecoming of sorts for Quinton Lang Saturday night. The Kelowna Rockets assistant coach, who typically doesn't travel with the team, made the trek to the LEC. Lang was returning to an area of the province where he spent three seasons as a pro. The pride of Harris, Saskatchewan suited up for the Abbotsford Heat when the Calgary Flames AHL affiliate was located in the Lower Mainland. They left the city in 2014 after suffering losses in the neighbourhood of 12 million dollars, which the city had to absorb. The Abbotsford Centre is now the home of the AHL's Abbotsford Canucks, the Vancouver Canucks minor league affiliate.
• One. The Western Conference has one player that was chosen in the first round of the NHL draft that is playing in the WHL this season. Vancouver Giants forward Fabian Lisell stands alone. The Swede was taken 21st overall by the Boston Bruins. If, if, the Carolina Hurricanes return Seth Jarvis back to the Portland Winterhawks, that will make only two-first round picks in the Western Conference perfecting their skills in junior hockey this season. Jarvis was taken 13th overall in 2020. By comparison, the Eastern Conference has seven-first round NHL draft picks - three of which play for the Prince Albert Raiders. 
• The Winnipeg Ice are the only undefeated team in the Eastern Conference. 9-0-0-0. Sadly, we won't see them this season. It's proof that building through the WHL bantam draft, if you have good scouts, can produce a winner. The Ice have 5-first round picks on it's roster. Sure, the Ice sucked in order to get those high bantam picks, but they hit the bullseye with all five. 
• The Ice, while in Cranbrook, missed the playoffs between 2014 and 2019. That's four consecutive years with zero playoff hockey. Only the Saskatoon Blades have had more futility with 5 straight years of no playoff hockey between 2013 and 2018. 
• The Victoria Royals own the worst record in the WHL. A seven game losing streak has them heading out on the road for a busy week with two games in Prince George (Tues/Wed) followed by games in Kamloops (Fri) and Kelowna (Saturday). The Royals have been one of the most active teams making trades in an effort to stay within striking distance. 
• The Rockets were shut out Saturday night, 2-0, in Vancouver. The last time that happened was September 29, 2019 in a 4-0 loss. David Tendick made just 14 saves in the victory for the G-Men. 
• It was nice to see some familiar faces Saturday night at the LEC. Dan O'Connor and Bill Wilms are the dynamic duo in the Giants radio broadcast booth. It was nice to 'chin wag' with Brooke Ward, who is the teams public address announcer. The only thing missing was the buffet for scouts and media before the game. I am not sure if it is a COVID health and safety measure or a fiscal thing, but pre-game grub wasn't a thing before puck drop between the Giants and Rockets. Times are a changing post pandemic. My double chin and no hot meal in the scouts room.
• Speaking of food.....the Rockets had a pre-game meal at a staple on our road trips when headed down Highway 1 on the Lower Mainland. We stopped in at Bozzini's on Hocking Avenue in Chilliwack. The meals are always great. They treat us awesome and the frothy ice tea is not for the faint of heart. You've got to try it. It was nice to run into Mano Asprakis, who looks to have weathered the pandemic well. He is still smiling. His family started that restaurant back in 1982 and it's still going strong. Check out the menu and the price point. http://bozzinisrestaurant.ca/menu/
• It is nice to see former Rockets flourish. Alex Swetlikoff had a hat trick Friday night for the Everett Silvertips. The 20 year-old was dealt to the Tips in the Max Graham deal this summer. I will always remember 'Swetty' speaking to me after my fathers death in 2020. It was as simple as, 'Sorry to hear about your dad'. It was that small exchange coming from a then 18 year-old which impressed me so much. Small thought or gesture from a shy teenager, but the thoughtfulness made an impression on me. I am an easy person to win over. Just show me you have personality and empathy for others. Too cool for school or a bully like demeanour, you've lost me. 

Webbles wobble but they don't fall down

Colby Knight

Three games in and lots to like with the 2021-2022 version of the Kelowna Rockets. A work in progress for certain, but if compete is the foundation to win games this season, mission accomplished. And lets be honest. At it's core, a high level of compete can often mask discrepancies in ones game. Not all the time, but often - will does beat skill. If you are willing to sacrifice to block a shot or be more determined to win a face-off than the guy opposite you, it does make a different. Playing to your strengths and hiding your weaknesses is what this years edition is trying to figure out. Teams with little turnover have that understanding. With 10 players gone from last seasons abbreviated campaign, the Rockets are still finding a team identity. Head Coach Kris Mallette told me as much last night on our post game show. In a 4-2 upset over arguably the best team in the Western Conference, the Rockets used physicality, solid goaltending, a timely power play and adversity in a two goal win. They could have crumbled after having a two goal lead disappear, with the backbreaker coming in the form of a shorthanded goal. Instead of making it 3-1, the Kamloops Blazers score while killing a penalty and it's 2-2. Sure, the home team wobbled, but as the old TV commercial goes 'Weebles wobble but they don't fall down'. (Webbles). The Rockets wobbled, but they didn't collapse. That's a great sign. Oh ya, the Blazers took control of the game to tie the score, but instead of breaking and crumbling in front of 34 hundred patrons that were allowed back in the building for the first time in 583 days, the lead goal came from it's most dangerous shooter. Colton Dach rifled home his second of the game and third of the season to make it 3-2. An empty net goal from Elias Carmichael and the sellout crowd (sellout was 3400 or 50% of capacity) went home with a smile. It's only game three. Championships are never won in mid October, but did this team prove something to themselves? My hope is that was the case along with the well deserved two points. 

What did I like? Lets start here:

1. Discipline. It's tough playing an arch rival and not getting emotionally invested against them. You have to play with emotion, but it has to be bridled. If you take ill advised trips to the box, the Blazers will tear you a new one. The visitors were granted four power play chances. 
2. Not chasing the game never hurts. The Rockets opened the scoring for a third straight game. Up until that point, the Blazers had not trailed at any point this season.
3. Physicality. In the most aggressive game I've seen from this group this season (small sample size) the ability for the d-men to stand there ground as the Blazers skated with speed entering the zone was impressive. Noah Dorey led the charge. Tyson Feist is great at it too. Jackson DeSouza, who often doesn't play to his size, also ramped up his compete level.
4. Getting back to Dorey. The 18 year-old is raw. He reminds me of a younger Tyson Feist in some respects. The desire to hit and join the attack, sometimes ill advised, is entertaining to watch. Do you know that Dorey is third on the team in shots on net? Only Colton Dach and Pavel Novak, who we expect to lead in that category, have more shots on goal than the undrafted Dorey.
5. Max Graham looked good last night. He scores the 2-0 goal, but let's not lose fact he is doing some good work at the face-off circle. 
6. Not a bad debut for 18 year-old Colby Knight. Looked like steady eddy in there. Maybe a modern day Shane Bendera? Quick down low. Excellent rebound control. A steady blocker and no crazy acrobatic saves in an effort to make the WHL Plays of the Week. Just stop that darn thing. Knight was - DYNOMITE. 
7. Colton Dach's shoot first mentality. Love it!! Not just because he can score, but those two on ones where no shot is taken over making a picture perfect pass grinds my gears. Shoot the puck is always the best option on an odd man rush. Goal scorers shoot. They don't pass. It isn't being greedy. It's smart. Chuck Kobasew. Justin Keller. Jesse Schultz. Rourke Chartier. Jamie Benn. I am out of breath here. You get it. Goal scorers shoot....they don't pass the puck.
8. I liked the crowd. The sound of live fans in the building celebrating after a goal or big save or a thundering hit was missed. It was nice to see bums in the building!! 
9. Having a color analyst beside me was like a breath of fresh air. Kent Simpson joined me last night in the broadcast booth. I didn't have the luxury of having any help in the abbreviated season, so to have someone add to the conversation and have dialogue with was something I missed. You don't appreciate it until its gone. I took it for granted. Plus, it makes the broadcast so much better not having just one voice nattering for three hours.  
10. We used it because we had no other choice during the abbreviated season. I would call HC Kris Mallette for a post game show comment and patch it into my broadcast board for those listening. We've kept the phone calls going this season, not because we can't see each other face-to-face as we are both double vaccinated, but it's just easier and just as affective. I am just glad the coach accepts my calls after games - win or lose. 'Mally' has the easy option to ignore me by not picking up the phone call. So far, I'm 3 for 3 as he's said, 'hello' on the other end. My greatest fear would be an automated voice coming on the line - 'This number is no longer in use'.