Regan's Rant

No where near good enough

2012-02-16T08:36:00.000-08:00

(Photo by Marissa Baecker)

The Kelowna Rockets needed a near perfect performance against the Edmonton Oil Kings last night and didn't even come close. The Oil Kings scored five-second period goals in a lopsided 6-3 win before a crowd of six thousand and 27 fans. The 6-3 score was flattering considering the number of big stops goaltender Adam Brown made in the first half of the game. Brown's desperation stop on Oil Kings forward T.J Foster in the second period was just one of many quality saves the veteran goaltender was forced to make. But even Brown's heroics were not enough as the Oil Kings scored four power play goals, three of them in the second period.
Amazingly, the Rockets had a 2-0 lead after the first period despite failing to record their first shot on goal until the 13 minute mark. But Zach Franko, who has finally found his game, scored on a penalty shot before adding a power play goal 36 seconds later. The Oil Kings didn't panic despite being down 2-0 though. Instead, they fired 17 shots at the Rockets net, chasing Brown after the fourth goal. Jordon Cooke, pictured above, surrendered two goals in a relief appearance.
Franko's three goal effort was the first of his career. Franko joins Brett Bulmer as the two Rockets to enjoy three goal games this season.
The Rockets are now winless in five games. The Rockets are 0-3-1-1 over that stretch.
The Rockets played this game without six regulars. Cody Chikie was injected back in the line up after missing Tuesday's game in Seattle with an upper body injury. Even with a full line up, the effort wasn't good enough to compete against an elite team like the Oil Kings.
How humdrum was the crowd last night at Prospera Place? Did everybody travel to Seattle Tuesday night to watch the Rockets and returned to Kelowna in the early morning hours? Nothing to cheer about will be the likely defense. If the Rockets were looking at getting energy from the home town crowd, they were looking in the wrong direction.
It marked the fourth time the Rockets have surrendered 6 goals on home ice. Lethbridge, Red Deer and Portland have also scored six goals against the Rockets at Prospera Place this season.
Shane McColgan was involved in a fight last night with Oil Kings d-man Keegan Lowe. Surprisingly it is McColgan's fourth fighting major of the season. McColgan's dance card includes, Kichton, Pouliot, Lowe and Fioretti.

A well deserved point

2012-02-15T01:40:00.001-08:00

(photo of Myles Bell by Marissa Baecker)

No Sissons, no Chikie, no quit. The Kelowna Rockets were without leading goal scorer Colton Sissons and 20 year-old Cody Chikie last night in Seattle/Kent. But despite being short staffed, with seven regulars out of the line up, the Rockets erased a 3-1 first period deficit and managed to earn a point in a 4-3 shootout loss. This was a gutsy effort for a team that had six 16 year-old's in the line up and two of their top four point producers sidelined with injury or suspension.

The Rockets opened the scoring just a minute and 34 seconds into the game on Carter Rigby's 17th goal of the season. The 17 year-old now has four goals in his last five games and is making a strong push for consideration as the rookie of the year. Despite the solid start, several miscues allowed the T-Birds to score three unanswered goals and the Rockets found themselves down 3-1 after one period.

Zach Franko scored his first goal in 14 games with a second period marker. Franko gathered up the garbage after teammate Tyson Baillie was denied by T-Birds goaltender Calvin Pickard when driving towards the net. Baillie earned the assist despite playing regularly Tuesday night with Brett Bulmer and Carter Rigby.

The game went into overtime and eventually the shootout when Myles Bell scored on a penalty shot with 53 seconds left in regulation time. The penalty shot was awarded after the T-Birds knocked the net off it's supports while the Rockets were on the power play.

It was the T-Birds first home ice win of 2012. Seattle had lost eight straight home games prior to Tuesday's shootout. The T-Birds were a 2-0 winner against Moose Jaw on December 30th.

The best save for Calvin Pickard came in the second period against Rockets rookie defenceman Madison Bowey. Zach Franko located Bowey on a pretty back door pass, but the 19 year-old goaltender slid across to make a terrific stop.

It marked the 30th time this season the Rockets have been involved in a one goal game.

Game notes vs. T-Birds

2012-02-14T15:28:00.000-08:00

Tonight’s Preview: The Kelowna Rockets play their 57th game of the season tonight when they face the Seattle Thunderbirds. This is the fourth and final meeting of the season between the two teams. The road team has won all three games in the seasonal series. The Rockets lone win came January 29th at the ShoWare Center in a 4-3 triumph. Following tonight’s game, the Rockets host Edmonton tomorrow night before welcoming Calgary Friday and Red Deer on Saturday. Eight days from tonight the Rockets are in Edmonton to begin a four game Alberta road trip. The Rockets have points in 15 of their last 20 road games (11-5-1-3). Overall, the Rockets are 10-6-1-1 in their last 18 games. Oddly enough, the Rockets have just two regulation wins (2-8-0-1 and two shootout wins) in their last 13 games at Prospera Place.

Who’s Hot: Adam Brown is 4-1-1-1 in his last seven starts….The Rockets have a power play goal in five of their last six road games (7 for 23 or 30.4%)...Shane McColgan has 3+7=10 in his last eight games.

This and That: Shane McColgan has 24 power play assists, one shy of league leader Kevin Sundher of the Brandon Wheat Kings…. Brett Lyon was suspended for six games after a high hit on Prince George forward Jarrett Fontaine in a 2-1 win February 3rd. Lyon has already been suspended twice for a similar hit. The 21 year-old has served four games of the six game suspension….In seven of their last nine games the Rockets have been involved in a one goal game…The Rockets have 8 road games remaining and 8 on home ice … Last season the Rockets played in six shootout games. This season the Rockets have been involved in a league high ten games that required a shootout. The Rockets are 6 and 4 in those ten shootout situations… The Rockets have two 20+ goal scorers this season. Colton Sissons (26) and Brett Bulmer (22) lead the charge. Last season the team had five 20+ goal scorers…Fourteen of Colton Sissons 26 goals have been scored on the road this season…Brett Lyon has 2+2=4 in eleven games with the Rockets….Defenceman Myles Bell has 29 points this season. Nineteen of those points have been recorded on the road…Four members of the Kelowna Rockets are rated in NHL Central Scouting's mid-term rankings. Captain Colton Sissons is ranked 14th among North American skaters for this summer’s draft. Teammate Damon Severson is rated 46th, rookie defenceman Cole Martin is ranked 146th and Colton Heffley (191) is also rated. …The Rockets were 3-5-0-2 in ten games with head coach Ryan Huska at the World Junior Hockey Championships…In twelve of their last fifteen wins, the Rockets have given up two or less goals per game…The Rockets are 17-13-2-4 with Brett Bulmer in the line-up….Tyrell Goulbourne leads the team with 14 fighting majors. Mitchell Chapman has nine….The Rockets are 1-9-1-1 when giving up five or more goals…Last season they gave up five or more goals in ten games…The Rockets have been involved in 29-one goal games this season. The Rockets are 14-8-3-4 in those twenty-nine games….The Rockets are playing their 1497th regular season game tonight and will hit the 15 hundred mark when they host Red Deer on February 18th…Birthdays in February. Carter Rigby turns 18 on February 20th while Spencer Main turns 20 on February 27th…Only Zach Franko and Colton Sissons have played in all 56 regular season games this season…The Rockets have been shut out three times this season. Calgary (2-0), Kootenay (4-0) and Seattle (2-0) have shut out the Rockets on home ice.

Good start - bad finish

2012-02-11T12:35:00.000-08:00

The Kelowna Rockets were sitting pretty after 20 minutes. After about 65 minutes though, pretty turned to painful. The Rockets built up a 4-1 first period lead only to see the Kamloops Blazers slowly chip away with four unanswered goals in a 5-4 overtime loss last night at the Interior Savings Centre. The game winner came off the stick of Blazers captain Chase Schaber, who fired a puck between the legs of Rockets goaltender Adam Brown with about 28 seconds left on the clock.
The Rockets virtually capitalized on every opportunity in the opening 20 minutes despite being out-shot 14-8. Early penalty trouble by the Blazers and a power play that looked well tuned, the Rockets again showed they can play against the best teams in the WHL. What this team also showed Friday night was it's youth. Whether the Rockets thought the game was in the bag after one period, or they simply couldn't withstand the pressure as the Blazers applied the gas pedal, the Rockets stopped doing the things that brought them early success. The hitting was gone, the grit disappeared and simple plays were not executed.
You could see things going sideways in the second period. Fortunately the Rockets were able to escape with a 4-2 lead, but my belief was the next goal in the third period would determine how this game would end. That in fact was the case. Blazers forward Colin Smith scored a goal less than a minute into the third period and the momentum was clearly on the Blazers side.
Out-shooting the Rockets 19-4 in the final frame, the Blazers stormed back to send the game into overtime. With the majority of the play in the Rockets zone, the exception being a third period power play where Kelowna hit three posts, it came as little surprise that the best team in the WHL would eventually win the game.
The first response after the loss is looking at the cup half empty. The Rockets blew a 4-1 lead and stopped doing the things that made them successful. But if you look at the big picture, you earned a point against a pretty darn good hockey team, and you did it in their building. Losing in overtime bites. Earning a point in hostile territory without a 19 or 20 year-old d-man in your lineup is still impressive.
Other observations. Sixteen year-old Madison Bowey earned his first career WHL fight when he took on Blazers agitator Ryan Hanes in a second period scrap. I thought Bowey had a strong game, but like his teammates looked less confident with the puck in the final 45 minutes of the game. But at 16, Bowey continues to turn heads.
Blazers forward Ryan Hanes will do little for his team offensively, but he brings an element that is of more value than many people may think. The 19 year-old began to agitate Brett Bulmer, something that Bulmer routinely is very good at doing himself. When Hanes is able to take the Rockets best player - he had two goals in the loss - off his game, mission accomplished.
A solid atmosphere at Interior Savings Centre Friday night. The crowd came alive once the Blazers started to force the issue. Up until that point, the Rockets quieted the crowd with a solid opening 20 minutes. With the Blazers hosting Edmonton next week, you would think, yes you would think, a sell out is a good possibility. When will the doubters believe the Blazers are for real? Or in a worse case scenario the Blazers are a lot of fun to watch regardless of the outcome.

Game notes vs. Blazers

2012-02-10T07:57:00.001-08:00

Tonight’s Preview: The Kelowna Rockets play their 55^th game of the season tonight when they face the Kamloops Blazers. This is the fifth of eight meetings between these two teams this season. The Rockets are 1-3-0-0, having been out-scored 14-10. Three of the four games have been decided by a single goal. Following tonight’s game, these two teams meet again tomorrow night in Kelowna. The seasonal series closes with games March 2^nd (Kamloops) and March 3^rd (Kelowna). The Rockets have points in 14 of their last 19 road games (11-5-1-2) and have won a season high five straight road games. Overall, the Rockets are 10-5-0-1 in their last 16 games. Oddly enough, the Rockets have just two regulation wins (2-7-0-1 and two shootout wins) in their last 12 games at Prospera Place.

Who’s Hot: Adam Brown is 4-0-0-1 in his last five starts….Shane McColgan has 5+18=23 in 20 career games against the Blazers….Brett Bulmer has seven career goals against Kamloops, with five of them scored at Prospera Place…The Rockets have a power play goal in four of their last five road games (5 for 18 or 28%)...Shane McColgan has 3+4=7 in his last six games.

This and That: Brett Lyon was suspended for six games after a high hit on Prince George forward Jarrett Fontaine in a 2-1 win February 3rd. Lyon has already been suspended twice for a similar hit. The 21 year-old has served two games of the six game suspension….In five of their last seven games the Rockets have been involved in a one goal game…The Rockets have 9 road games remaining and 9 on home ice … Last season the Rockets played in six shootout games. This season the Rockets have been involved in a league high ten games that required a shootout. The Rockets are 6 and 4 in those ten shootout situations… The Rockets were 8-5-0-0 in 13 games last January. This season they were 8-5-0-1 during the month…The Rockets have two 20+ goal scorers this season. Colton Sissons (26) and Brett Bulmer (20) lead the charge. Last season the team had five 20+ goal scorers…Fourteen of Colton Sissons 26 goals have been scored on the road this season…Brett Lyon has 2+2=4 in eleven games with the Rockets….Defenceman Myles Bell has 27 points this season. Eighteen of those points have been recorded on the road…Four members of the Kelowna Rockets are rated in NHL Central Scouting's mid-term rankings. Captain Colton Sissons is ranked 14th among North American skaters for this summer’s draft. Teammate Damon Severson is rated 46^th, rookie defenceman Cole Martin is ranked 146^th and Colton Heffley (191) is also rated. …The Rockets were 3-5-0-2 in ten games with head coach Ryan Huska at the World Junior Hockey Championships…In twelve of their last fifteen wins, the Rockets have given up two or less goals per game…The Rockets are 17-12-1-4 with Brett Bulmer in the line-up….Tyrell Goulbourne leads the team with 14 fighting majors. Mitchell Chapman has nine….The Rockets are 1-9-0-1 when giving up five or more goals…Last season they gave up five or more goals in ten games…The Rockets have been involved in 27-one goal games this season. The Rockets are 14-7-2-4 in those twenty-seven games….The Rockets are playing their 1495^th regular season game tonight and will hit the 15 hundred mark when they host Red Deer on February 18^th…Birthdays in February. Carter Rigby turns 18 on February 20^th while Spencer Main turns 20 on February 27^th…Only Zach Franko and Colton Sissons have played in all 54 regular season games this season…The Rockets have been shut out three times this season. Calgary (2-0), Kootenay (4-0) and Seattle (2-0) have shut out the Rockets on home ice.

Rockets' shut out on home ice again

2012-02-09T00:13:00.000-08:00

The Seattle Thunderbirds got what they deserved. So did the Kelowna Rockets. The T-Birds looked like a desperate team in a 2-0 win Wednesday night at Prospera Place. Seattle, playing for their playoff lives, scored two-third period power play goals and didn't surrender a power play goal against in five penalty kills. The victory snapped the T-Birds six game losing streak while handing veteran goaltender Calvin Pickard his 11th career shutout thanks to a 32 saves performance. Jordon Cooke was equally as good at the other end of the ice.
The best save of the game came from Cooke in the late stages of the second period when Seattle was on the power play. T-Bird forward Seth Swenson had Cooke at his mercy at the side of the net, yet in desperation, Cooke flashed his glove hand out and robbed the former Portland Winterhawk of a sure goal. Oddly enough, Swenson would score on that power play that extended early into the third period.
After a scoreless opening period, the Rockets had a chance to bury the T-Birds with three consecutive power play chances. Yet on all three, the Rockets didn't create one real good quality chance. In fact, if they generated even three shots on the power play in the second period I would be surprised. The T-Birds pressured the Rockets at every turn and simply out battled a power play that looked disinterested. To say it was a rough night for Shane McColgan, Colton Sissons, Brett Bulmer, Carter Rigby and Zach Franko would be an understatement.
The T-Birds defenceman deserve a lot of credit in the shutout win. While the Rockets looked uninspired, Cason Machacek and Shea Theodore specifically played with pride and passion. Even Mitch Elliot, who has been moved from forward to defence, stood out as one of the main reasons why the T-Birds won on the road for only the 9th time this season.
Seattle's younger forwards, not the older guys, were the ones that shone brightly in this game. Justin Hickman and Connor Honey played well and the 18 year-old group of Tyler Alos, Colin Jacobs and Seth Swenson were key contributors in the win. Whether it was outworking the opponent or playing a physical game, the team which worked the hardest on this night was rewarded with two points.
It marked the third time this season the Rockets have been shut out at home. Calgary (2-0) and Kootenay (4-0) have also kept the Rockets off the score sheet this season.
The last time the Rockets were shut out three times on home ice was during the 2006-2007 season.
Check out the photo at the top of this posting. That is Rockets rookie forward Tyson Baillie getting into a.......a.........a...isn't that a fight with T-Birds forward Justin Hickman? Nope. Baillie receives two minutes for roughing while Hickman finds himself getting a double minor for roughing. Who looks like the aggressor on this play? Got to love WHL officiating.

Rockets game notes vs. T-Birds

2012-02-08T09:05:00.000-08:00

Tonight’s Preview: The Kelowna Rockets play their 54^th game of the season tonight when they face the Seattle Thunderbirds. This is the third of four meetings between these two teams. The road team has won the first two games, with the T-Birds recording a 2-1 shootout win (Jan 27th) before the Rockets earned a 4-3 victory (Jan 29). These two teams close out the seasonal series February 14^th in Kent. The Rockets open a portion of their schedule tonight playing five of their next seven games on home ice. The team has points in 14 of their last 19 road games (11-5-1-2). Overall, the Rockets are 10-4-0-1 in their last 15 games and have won a season high five straight road games. The Rockets have just two regulation wins at home in their last 11 games (2-6-0-1 and two shootout wins).

Who’s Hot: Cody Chikie has 3+2=5 in his last seven games…Colton Sissons has goals in five of his last ten games…Carter Rigby has nine points (4+5=9) in his last thirteen games…Shane McColgan has 3+4=7 in his last five games…Adam Brown has started in goal in thirty-seven of the first fifty-three games.

This and That: Brett Lyon was suspended for six games after a high hit on Prince George forward Jarrett Fontaine in a 2-1 win Friday night. Lyon has already been suspended twice for a similar hit. The 21 year-old has served one game of the six game suspension….In five of their last six games the Rockets have been involved in a one goal game…The Rockets have 9 road games left and ten on home ice … Last season the Rockets played in six shootout games. This season the Rockets have been involved in a league high ten games that required a shootout. The Rockets are 6 and 4 in those ten shootout situations… The Rockets were 8-5-0-0 in 13 games last January. This season they were 8-5-0-1 during the month…The Rockets have two 20+ goal scorers this season. Colton Sissons (26) and Brett Bulmer (20) lead the charge. Last season the team had five 20+ goal scorers…Fourteen of Colton Sissons 26 goals have been scored on the road this season…Brett Lyon has 2+2=4 in eleven games with the Rockets…Defenceman Myles Bell has 27 points this season. Eighteen of those points have been recorded on the road…Four members of the Kelowna Rockets are rated in NHL Central Scouting's mid-term rankings. Captain Colton Sissons is ranked 14th among North American skaters for this summer’s draft. Teammate Damon Severson is rated 46^th, rookie defenceman Cole Martin is ranked 146^th and Colton Heffley (191) is also rated. …The Rockets were 3-5-0-2 in ten games with head coach Ryan Huska at the World Junior Hockey Championships…In twelve of their last fifteen wins, the Rockets have given up two or less goals per game…The Rockets are 17-11-1-4 with Brett Bulmer in the line-up….Tyrell Goulbourne leads the team with 13 fighting majors. Mitchell Chapman has nine….The Rockets are 1-9-0-1 when giving up five or more goals…Last season they gave up five or more goals in ten games…The Rockets have been involved in 27-one goal games this season. The Rockets are 14-7-2-4 in those twenty-seven games….The Rockets are playing their 1494^th regular season game tonight and will hit the 15 hundred mark when they host Red Deer on February 18^th…Birthdays in February. Carter Rigby turns 18 on February 20^th while Spencer Main turns 20 on February 27^th…Only Zach Franko and Colton Sissons have played in all 52 regular season games this season.

Lyon Suspended

2012-02-07T11:15:00.000-08:00

Kelowna Rockets forward Brett Lyon has been suspended by the WHL.
The 21 year-old was slapped with a six game suspension after a hit Friday night on Prince George Cougars forward Jarrett Fontaine. Fontaine received a concussion on the hit.
Lyon has already served game one of the six game suspension. This is the third time Lyon has been suspended for a hit to the opponents head.
Lyon will return to action February 17th in Calgary against the Hitmen.
The Rockets host Seattle tomorrow night.

Barrie makes NHL debut

2012-02-06T17:08:00.000-08:00

Tyson Barrie will indeed make his NHL debut tomorrow night with the Colorado Avalanche. Barrie will be in the Av's line up against Chicago. Barrie (left) is seen here with myself and Jessica Samuels as AM 1150 was on location prior to the start of last years playoffs.

An interview with Tyson Barrie

2012-02-06T08:49:00.000-08:00

I spoke to Tyson Barrie two weeks ago. Fourteen days later it looks like the 20 year-old will make his NHL debut this week with the Colorado Avalanche. Here is the interview I conducted with Barrie, with one of the key questions being, when do you think you will make your NHL debut?
(This interview originally aired on our Rockets broadcast on Sunday January 29th)

Solid Road Effort

2012-02-05T00:30:00.001-08:00

On Friday night the Kelowna Rockets looked flat and uninspired in a 2-1 win in Prince George. One night later that same team was energized, enthused and all aspects of their game were intact in a 4-1 road win against the Cougars. Shane McColgan scored once and added two assists in the teams 24th win of the season. The win extended the Rockets road winning streak to a season high five games.

The first two shifts of the game was a precursor of things to come. The Rockets elevated their physical play and received a terrific effort from 16 year-old Jesse Lees. Used as a forward, Lees set the tone physically with a solid hit on Cougars d-man Jesse Forsberg. Lees got reacquainted with Forsberg again with a solid hit in the third period. Lees was forced to play forward with the loss of Brett Bulmer (illness) and Brett Lyon (suspension). With Lees's strong play up front, it makes you wonder how good he could be if he was used regularly as a forward.

The game was won or lost in the second period. In a 1-1 tie, the Rockets scored two goals in a span of 35 seconds before Carter Rigby closed out the scoring with his first goal in nine games. In the second period the Rockets generated an impressive 21 shots on net.

Overall, the Rockets registered a season high 49 shots on goal. Had it not been for the strong play of Cougars goaltender Devon Fordyce, the score could have been much worse. While the 17 year-old would like to have had the third goal back, Fordyce made several solid saves and without question was the best Cougars player on the ice.

Adam Brown had the easiest night of his 20 year-old season. The veteran goaltender faced just 15 shots. Brown is now 27-5-0-1 lifetime (regular season/playoffs) against Prince George.

Mitchell Chapman left the game early in the first period after receiving a hit in front of the Cougars bench. The 19 year-old never returned. Carter Rigby was also hit in the third period and didn't return.

The Rockets are now 6-1-0-0 against the Cougars this season with one more game against them in March.

The Rockets now sit 14 points up Victoria and appear to be locked into 6th place in the Western Conference. Things can change, but the third seed in the Western Conference appears the Rockets first round playoff opponent.

Late posting: Pics from Prospects Game

2012-02-04T17:51:00.000-08:00

Sissons on the score clock after Team Orr beats Team Cherry 2-1.
Our broadcast location at Prospera Place.
Sharing my theories with Barrie Colts forward Tanner Pearson.
The press conference after the game was over.

Rockets game notes vs. Cougars

2012-02-03T15:51:00.000-08:00

Tonight’s Preview: The Kelowna Rockets play their 52^nd game of the season tonight when they face the Prince George Cougars. This is the second game of three straight on the road. The Rockets were a 4-3 winner in Seattle last Sunday. The two teams meet tomorrow before the Rockets return home to face Seattle on Wednesday. The Rockets and Cougars are meeting for the 6^th of 8 times this season. The Rockets are 4-1-0-0, having out-scored their BC Division rivals 18-11. The seasonal series concludes March 10^th in Kelowna. The Rockets have points in 12 of their last 17 road games (9-5-1-2). Overall, the Rockets are 8-4-0-1 in their last 13 games and have won a season high three straight road games.

January Performers:

Shane MColgan: 3+10=13

Brett Bulmer: 6+5=11

Colton Sissons: 5+5=10

Myles Bell: 4+5=9 +1

Carter Rigby: 3+5=8

Who’s Hot: Cody Chikie has 2+2=4 in his last five games…Colton Sissons has goals in five of his last eight games…Carter Rigby has eight points (3+5=8) in his last eleven games…Brett Bulmer has thirty-seven points in thirty-four games this season (20+17=37). Bulmer has just two goals in his last ten games…Shane McColgan has eighteen points (5+13=18) in his last twenty-two games, yet has just two goals in his last eleven…Adam Brown has started in goal in thirty-five of the first fifty-one games. Who’s Cold: Carter Rigby has one goal in his last ten games… Zach Franko has one goal in his last 21 games. Yet in saying that, Franko has seven shootout goals this season in nine attempts. No player in the WHL has scored more shootout goals than Franko this season. Geordie Wudrick had five shootout goals last season and didn’t miss in any of the five games he participated in.

This and That: The Rockets have 11 road games left and ten on home ice … Last season the Rockets played in six shootout games. This season the Rockets have been involved in a league high ten games that required a shootout. The Rockets are 6 and 4 in those ten shootout situations… The Rockets were 8-5-0-0 in 13 games last January. This season they are 8-4-0-1 during the month…The Rockets have two 20+ goal scorers this season. Colton Sissons (26) and Brett Bulmer (20) lead the charge. Last season the team had five 20+ goal scorers…Fourteen of Colton Sissons 26 goals have been scored on the road this season…Brett Lyon has 2+2=4 in ten games with the Rockets…Defenceman Myles Bell has 25 points this season. Sixteen of those points have been recorded on the road…Four members of the Kelowna Rockets are rated in NHL Central Scouting's mid-term rankings. Captain Colton Sissons is ranked 14th among North American skaters for this summer’s draft. Teammate Damon Severson is rated 46^th, rookie defenceman Cole Martin is ranked 146^th and Colton Heffley (191) is also rated. …The Rockets were 3-5-0-2 in ten games with head coach Ryan Huska at the World Junior Hockey Championships…In ten of their last thirteen wins, the Rockets have given up two or less goals per game…The Rockets are 17-11-1-4 with Brett Bulmer in the line-up….Tyrell Goulbourne leads the team with 13 fighting majors. Mitchell Chapman has nine….The Rockets are 1-9-0-1 when giving up five or more goals…Last season they gave up five or more goals in ten games…The Rockets have been involved in 26-one goal games this season. The Rockets are 13-7-1-5 in those twenty-six games….The Rockets are playing their 1492^nd regular season game tonight and will hit the 15 hundred mark when they host Red Deer on February 18^th…Birthdays. Shane McColgan turned 19 (Jan 1), Austin Ferguson turned 17 on Jan 11^th and Tyrell Goulbourne turned 18 on Jan 26 …With 20 games left in the regular season, 12 will be played on the road…Only Zach Franko and Colton Sissons have played in all 51 regular season games this season.

Reflecting on CHL/NHL Top Prospects game

2012-02-02T14:50:00.001-08:00

You can bet Brendan Troock left Kelowna this morning on a quick flight back to Seattle with a huge smile on his face. Troock, who didn't play a game last season because of a nerve problem in his neck, was named Team Orr's player of the game in Wednesday's CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game. I met up twice with Troock over the three days of the event and really came away impressed by how he handled himself. He said one of his greatest obstacles at the Top Prospects festivities was dealing with the media. Interesting. In saying that, if you are a player with the T-Birds, media coverage of any sort is hard to come by. I mean really, how many interviews would he do in one season? My guess is not many. Over the last three days, with the media sources that were represented at the Prospects Game, Troock made up for lost time.

Rich Sutter, the father of Saskatoon Blades forward Lukas Sutter, took in Wednesday's game. He popped into the Rockets dressing room where I was able to shake his hand and ask him about the experience of watching his son. "It is a whole lost easier being a player than sitting up in the stands watching your kid".

The biggest disappointment at the Prospects Game was Mikhail Grigorenko. The suggested second overall pick in this summers draft lacked motivation in a game against his peers. I was looking for some lightning speed or puck handling ability and saw neither, but again it was only one game.

Kelowna Rockets GM Bruce Hamilton was hoping the game would be intense and he got just that. Two fights in the game showed this wasn't some ordinary all-star game. What he didn't get was a sold out crowd. Just over five thousand fans took in the game, but it would be interesting to know how many received a complimentary ticket.

I can't say I know Don Hay well, but I sure admire the man. The Vancouver Giants head coach had a few laughs with Ryan Huska after the game and I had the privilege of being in the middle of the verbal exchange. An intense man when it comes to the competitive side of the game, Hay doesn't have to hide on the persona that he is a tough nosed coach who won't allow the "real person' to shine through. I am impressed every time I meet him.

If you were at the game last night you noticed Sportsnet using a cameraman on skates taking close shots of the players during stoppages in play. These too close for comfort shots were mainly taken when coming back from a commercial break. I am sure it was a treat for the TV audience, but when is it too much? The players are mic'd up, we see them in the dressing room gearing up and now this. I couldn't believe it when a fight broke out and the cameraman on skates wheels out there and attempts to get a closer look for the TV viewing audience. I thought he was going to get a penalty for being the third man in.

A suggestion. Scrap the skills competition. The fan interest isn't there and I think the overall event would benefit from keeping it to just two full days, for the sake of the players, rather than three. Let the players fly in a day in advance for a pre-game skate and then play the game the next evening.

The Top Prospects festivities went off without a hitch. If their was a hiccup, I didn't notice it. The media are treated first rate at this event and player accessibility is nothing short of outstanding. I find the CHL brass go out of their way in helping the media find the player they are looking for.
They need to be commended for what they do.

I always make a point of shaking hands with out of town media and introduce myself as a way of welcoming them to Kelowna. I know if I was in a similar situation, I too would want the same courtesy. Plus, you get to meet some great people. You find the odd ego floating around, but my general sense is it isn't as prevalent in today's media circles. The old adage is treat people like you would like to be treated. It works for me.

That was fun

2012-02-01T00:00:00.000-08:00

The CHL/NHL skills competition last night at Prospera Place was a lot of fun. A good crowd of 55 hundred watched Team Orr defeated Team Cherry 15-9, but the score meant little to those in attendance. What the fans saw was a good display of skill and a better appreciation of what these young draft eligible players offer to the scouts that are evaluating their every move.

Here are the highlights:
The one thing that stood out for me was the breakaway move by Kamloops Blazers forward Tim Bozon. Before I talk about the move, I should clarify that the first shootout attempt by all of the players involved was a trick move. Bozon picks up the puck at centre ice, approaches the blue line, puts the puck on the blade of his stick, and with one arm extended, raises it high in the air over his head and waves it around as he skated towards the goaltender. Unfortunately as he attempts to tuck it past the goalie, he loses control of the puck and it goes wide of the net. Several players attempt trick moves as well, but if my memory serves me correctly, no one scored in the 'trick' portion of the shootout.

Here is the link to the move: http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=614609&print=true

"To be honest I didn't work a lot with this move", said Bozon after the skills competition. "I try when I have time back home in Kamloops after practice to work on this move, just for fun with the guys. I discussed this move with my roommate Colin Smith and he said just do this, so I tried it and it was a good move and I just missed the net".
Did he see fellow countryman Nino Niederreiter's shootout move at the Top Prospects Game?
"Oh for sure. I saw him two years ago. He had a pretty good move and he won it. I tried to be creative like him, even if I didn't score."
Even Kelowna Rockets forward Colton Sissons was impressed.
"I think he had the most impressive move. It surprised me. We play against 'loops' quite a bit. I didn't know he had that skill on him, so that was pretty cool. He almost had it in the net too, which would have been the cherry on top".

Seattle Thunderbirds forward Branden Troock was just edged out for the fastest skater. Troock's time (14.542) was just tenths of a second slower than Francis Beauvillier of Rimouski.
"I thought I did pretty well coming in second. I was a little bit nervous going around that last turn there, I lost an edge almost, but I was happy with my performance. The ice was a little soft. I forgot to get my skates sharpened before, so that probably would have helped a bit".
Kelowna Rockets Damon Severson had a time of 14.547 in the fastest skater competition.
"It was a strong start out of the gate. I just tried to get quicker around the corner and was doing my crossovers and getting power from my legs. I just tried to do my best. Going around the last corner I caught an edge and it kinda threw me off, but overall I think it went pretty well."

Gianluca Curcuruto of the Sault Greyhounds and Scott Laughton of Oshawa each hit 4 of 5 targets Then in a tiebreaker, Curcuruto hit his target while Laughton missed. The most impressive WHL player was Edmonton Oil Kings d-man Griffin Reinhart who hit all four targets in seven attempts. He also hits three goal posts, so he was so close to hitting all four in just four attempts.

Nick Ebert of the Windsor Spitfires won the hardest shot competition at 94.7 MPH.
Here are the results of the other WHL shooters:
Regina's Chandler Stephenson: 94.1 MPH
Saskatoon's Dalton Thrower: 92.4 MPH
Red Deer's Matt Dumba: 91.8 MPH
Swift Current's Coda Gordon: 84.2 MPH

Quick thoughts on CHL Prospects

2012-01-31T09:02:00.000-08:00

Pat Quinn looked like the 'God Father' as he entered Prospera Place last night prior to the CHL Top Prospects opening skate. Quinn had a black hat on and a long black trench coat. Unlike the God Father, he was all smiles as he shook hands with various members of the media as he worked the room. I also had the pleasure of speaking with Quinn, who truly appreciates being involved in this event. Quinn is the honorary coach for Team Orr along with Vancouver Giants Don Hay. When asked what role he will play with Team Orr, Quinn said he will be doing very little because, "Hay doesn't need the help."
Mark Recchi flew in from Pittsburgh last night for the event and was surprised to learn that he would be on the ice with his new team, Team Cherry, for a lite skate that evening at Prospera Place. Recchi is an honorary coach and will be behind the bench with Rockets head skipper Ryan Huska.
Monday night was a good opportunity to meet the players participating in this two day showcase. My focus was on the WHL players here but one Ontario Hockey League player that I wanted to speak with was 19 year-old Tanner Pearson. Pearson, who plays with the Barrie Colts, is the oldest player at the event and is considering a late bloomer. NHL Central Scouting ranks him as the 22nd best prospects for the draft. Pearson is one of only two players at this event that played for Canada at the World Juniors. The other is Everett defenceman Ryan Murray.
Pearson has never been to Kelowna, and when asked what he thought of the Okanagan his first response was, "It looks like Banff". It is really a shame that these players won't get a real feel for the city over the next two days as the majority of the time will be spent either inside the rink or in a hotel room.
The best interview I conducted was with Red Deer Rebels d-man Matt Dumba. "I love coming to Kelowna. It is a great city. The weather is always nice here....it's a bit of a change from Red Deer." Dumba is a confident 17 year-old who has his head screwed on straight. He is not only an impressive player on the ice but equally as impressive and comfortable behind a microphone.
I had to talk with Dan Marr, the Director of NHL Central Scouting before this event began. "No one will ever lose their stock at an event like this. Some players here have an opportunity to play outside of the role they play with their home teams so they can showcase their abilities a little more. What the scouts like about it is they (players) are very competitive."
What does Marr and NHL Central Scouting think of Colton Sissons? "We like him because he has a lot of versatility. He is strong in a lot of areas. There are no weak links to his game. He is a player that comes at you every game and that's what scouts like to see when they are at a game. They don't want to have to look for a player."
The Vice President of the WHL is here. Richard Doerksen is always good to chat with. Doerksen has seen his share of Prospects Game's include most recently in Edmonton and Vancouver. "This is very exciting for us as a league. I know it is for the Kelowna Rockets and any time you can host a prestigious event of this nature, we have been looking forward to it."
A lot has been made out of the players that are not here because of injury. The biggest hit is obviously the loss of Sarnia's Nail Yakupov. Yakupov will likely be the first pick in this summes draft. The good news is second ranked Mikhail Grigorenko is here.
The biggest opportunity over the next two days is with the players that were added to the roster because of injuries.Chris Driedger of the Calgary Hitmen, Tim Bozon of Kamloops, Dalton Thrower of the Saskatoon Blades and Branden Troock of Seattle are all additions to Prospect Game because of injuries to players that were originally named to the 40 man roster.
One rumor this morning centered around Edmonton Oil Kings Griffin Reinhart not playing in the Prospects Game because he was injured. Well, I saw the white of his eyes last night at Prospera Place, so I would put my money on him dressing for Team Orr. I don't think the Oil Kings would send him to this event if they figured he couldn't play.
The skills competition goes tonight at Prospera Place. Kelowna Rockets Damon Severson is in the fastest skating competition while Rockets captain Colton Sissons is in the breakaway event. Personally, my favourite event is the hardest shot. I will be Tweeting the results, so follow me (Reganrant) if you so desire.
I heard a number of times last night from visiting media that I must feel fortunate to be in Kelowna as a member of the media hosting this event. That statement is true. The only downside is life stays the same when it is in your own backyard, so enjoying the Top Prospects Game to it's maximum is tough to do. As a member of the local media, I still drive my kids to school, do home work with them, do house hold chores and complete my obligations with the radio station. If you are visiting media, the sole focus is on the event and the activities surrounding it. Don't get me wrong, I am not complaining, but 'life' gets in the way a bit, so you can't enjoy it to its maximum.

Top Prospects in Pictures

2012-01-30T19:14:00.000-08:00

Kelowna Rockets captain Colton Sissons speaking with R.J Broadhead of Sportsnet. Team Cherry jerseys.
Team Orr uniforms.
The top rated player in the NHL draft isn't here, but Russian Mikhail Grigorenko made an appearance. Grigorenko is expected to be selected 2nd overall.
I'm thinking we will see a lot of this guy in the playoffs. Derek Pouliot. Good Saskatchewan kid.
Everett Silvertips Ryan Murray getting weighed.
Kelowna Rockets d-man Damon Severson signing some jerseys.
Red Deer's Matt Dumba. Best interview I conducted when it came to the players.
Griffin Reinhart of the Oil Kings in the media spotlight.
The logo at Prospera Place looks good.
I had to take a pic of Swift Current Broncos forward Coda Gordon. If he's from 'Swifty', he's a good guy in my books. Technically he is from Cochrane Alberta, but you get the idea.

Rockets rolling in January

2012-01-29T22:39:00.001-08:00

At the start of January the Kelowna Rockets likely looked at the daunting schedule hoping it would come to an abrupt end. Now that it's over, saying goodbye to a month that treated them so well is a tough thing to do. The Rockets concluded a stretch of playing 14 games in 29 night's with a 4-3 win Sunday over the Seattle Thunderbirds. The Rockets closed off the month going 8-5-0-1. Those 17 points that were earned in January were five points better than the 14 points the team collected in November.

The key in Sunday's win was a four goal second period. Damon Severson, Cody Chikie, Colton Sissons and Brett Lyon scored in a period where the visitors generated 21 shots on goal. Lyon's goal with four seconds left in the period was the game winner when he received a pass from Tyrell Goulbourne at the right face-off circle and knifed it high under the cross bar of T-Birds goaltender Calvin Pickard.

Sissons goal, his 26th of the season, came on the power play, which ended the night going 1 for 4. But it was the Rockets penalty killing unit that deserves the most credit after shutting out the T-Birds on three power opportunities and a crucial fourth chance with Goulbourne in the box late in the game and Pickard on the bench for the extra attacker.

Carter Rigby got into the act with a fight with T-Birds d-man Dave Sutter. It was Rigby's third fighting major of the season. Brett Bulmer also got into a fight with Brad Deagle, but that scrap was more of a wrestling match than anything. I thought both teams showed more emotion in the re-match after a hum-drum effort Friday night in Kelowna.

Jordon Cooke earned his 6th win of the season in a rare start. The 18 year-old's best save came against d-man Dave Sutter when the T-Birds were holding a 1-0 lead. Sutter received a nice cross-crease pass but saw his shot go directly into the path of the left pad of a sprawling Cooke.

The Rockets sit 11 points back of the Giants for 5th place in the Western Conference and now sit 12 points up on Seattle for 6th. Up next, a trip to Prince George for back to back games next weekend.

A fascinating lady at T-Bird games

2012-01-29T16:00:00.000-08:00

Who's that lady that has been attending Seattle Thunderbirds hockey games for years now, always busy knitting before and during games?
For the last 17 years, I've notice that she shows up close to two hours before the game and is often seen an hour after the game busy knitting.
What's her story? My curiosity got the best of me and I had to find out.
Now I have the answer.
Her name is Char McDonald. Char is the mother of Bruce MacDonald, who provides color commentary on T-Birds radio broadcasts. Char has been attending T-Bird games with her son Bruce for years, knitting a winter hat every game and then giving it away to the less fortunate. In some cases she has even knitted a hat for a T-Birds player.
What a special lady with a great heart. I'm glad I took a few minutes to find out who she was. McDonald is just one of the many people I see on the road during the hockey season but often don't take time out to find out their story.
Now, I am glad I did.

Look who I ran into

2012-01-28T23:39:00.000-08:00

I took in the second and third period of Saturday night's game at ShoWare Center between the T-Birds and the Winterhawks. I thought I would drop by the Winterhawks broadcast booth where I said hello to Andy Kemper (left) and Todd Vrooman (right). These two guys like to live on the edge. Considering the hatred towards the Winterhawks, these two elected to keep the broadcast door unlocked.

Seattle 2 Adam Brown 1 (SO)

2012-01-28T10:23:00.000-08:00

Fortunately Adam Brown was on his game last night against the Seattle Thunderbirds. Had the 20 year-old Kelowna Rockets goaltender followed the lead of his teammates, they would have been in a heap of trouble. Brown was sharp, making 12 saves in the first period, in a 2-1 shootout loss to the visiting Seattle Thunderbirds. Brown made several solid stops as the home team was fortunate to escape with at least a point.

Colton Heffley opened the scoring in the first period despite the T-Birds carrying the majority of the play. The 17 year-old returned to the line up after missing 10 games with an upper body injury. It is interesting to note that Heffley has scored goals in back-to-back games though. The Swift Current resident scored January 4th against Spokane, the game in which he was hurt, and then returned last night and fired home his fourth of the season.

T-Birds goaltender Calvin Pickard had a relatively easy night. A breakaway stop against Colton Sissons and a nice right pad save in the third period on Colton Heffley were his best efforts. In the shootout, Pickard shut down Zach Franko and Myles Bell.

Speaking of Franko, it was his first miss in the shootout in eight attempts. Franko went stick side against Pickard, who appeared to be leaning that direction before the 18 year-old picked up the puck at centre ice. I was wondering if Franko would go for that move considering Pickard is a student of the game and would have likely seen Franko on video preform that move/shot time and time again.

I was really impressed with the play of Branden Troock. I thought the 17 year-old had some really good scoring chances and brought a solid work ethic to the ice. Troock is a replacement for the CHL Top Prospect game in Kelowna next week.

The T-Birds dominated at the face-off circle. It was not a good night for the Rockets face-off men.

Unlike what we saw Wednesday, no real big hits in this game. It was a tame affair by comparison with no hatred among the two teams. The T-Birds couldn't have wished for a better scenario as they kicked off a weekend playing three games in three nights. The T-Birds host Portland tonight before welcoming the Rockets on Sunday (5 PM).

Game notes vs. Seattle

2012-01-27T08:08:00.000-08:00

Tonight’s Preview: The Kelowna Rockets play their 50^th game of the season tonight when they host the Seattle Thunderbirds. These two teams are meeting for the first of four times this season. The Rockets are in Seattle (Kent) Sunday before the seasonal series comes to a close with games February 8^th (home) and February 14^th (road). The Rockets will play the T-Birds four times in their next eight games. The Rockets were 2-2-0-0 against the T-Birds last season and were out-scored 13-10. Seattle was one of only two teams to shut out the Rockets on home ice last season. Chilliwack was the other. Calvin Pickard made 23 saves March 23/11 in a 5-0 road win. The Rockets are playing the fifth and final game of a five game home stand. The Rockets are 2-2-0-0 in the first four games, winning the last two by shootouts. The Rockets enter tonight’s game with four wins in their last ten home games. On the road, the Rockets have points in eleven of their last sixteen road games (8-5-1-2). Overall, the Rockets have won seven of their last eleven games.

Who’s Hot: Cody Chikie has 1+2=3 in his last three games. Chikie had a five game point streak to start the season…Colton Sissons has goals in four of his last six games…Carter Rigby has eight points (3+5=8) in his last nine games…Brett Bulmer has thirty-six points in thirty-one games this season (20+16=36). Bulmer has just two goals in his last eight games…Shane McColgan has seventeen points (5+12=17) in his last twenty games, yet has just two goals in his last nine…Adam Brown has started in goal in thirty-four of the first forty-nine games. Who’s Cold: Zach Franko has one goal in his last 19 games. Yet in saying that, Franko has seven shootout goals this season in eight attempts. No player in the WHL has scored more shootout goals than Franko this season. Geordie Wudrick had five shootout goals last season and didn’t miss in any of the five games he participated in.

This and That: Last season the Rockets played in six shootout games. This season the Rockets have been involved in nine that required a shootout. The Rockets are 6 and 3 in those nine shootout situations… The Rockets were 8-5-0-0 in 13 games last January. This season they are 8-4-0-0 during the month…Colton Sissons has been named the captain for Team Orr for next Wednesday’s CHL Top Prospects Game in Kelowna….The Rockets have two 20+ goal scorers this season. Colton Sissons (25) and Brett Bulmer (20) lead the charge. Last season the team had five 20+ goal scorers… Forward Brett Lyon turned 21 on Monday…Damon Severson returned to the lineup Wednesday after missing 16 games with a hand injury…..Thirteen of Colton Sissons 25 goals have been scored on the road this season…Brett Lyon has 1+2=3 in eight games with the Rockets…Defenceman Myles Bell has 24 points this season. Fifteen of those points have been recorded on the road…Four members of the Kelowna Rockets are rated in NHL Central Scouting's mid-term rankings. Captain Colton Sissons is ranked 14th among North American skaters for this summer’s draft. Teammate Damon Severson is rated 46^th, rookie defenceman Cole Martin is ranked 146^th and Colton Heffley (191) is also rated. Both Sissons and Severson will participate in the CHL Top Prospects game at Prospera Place at the end of the month…The Rockets were 3-5-0-2 in ten games with head coach Ryan Huska at the World Junior Hockey Championships…In ten of their last twelve wins, the Rockets have given up two or less goals per game…The Rockets are 16-11-1-3 with Brett Bulmer in the line-up….Tyrell Goulbourne leads the team with 13 fighting majors. Mitchell Chapman has nine….The Rockets are 1-9-0-1 when giving up five or more goals…Last season they gave up five or more goals in ten games…The Rockets have been involved in 24 one goal games this season. The Rockets are 12-7-1-4 in those twenty-four games….The Rockets are playing their 1490^th regular season game tonight and will hit the 15 hundred mark when they host Red Deer on February 18^th…Birthdays. Shane McColgan turned 19 (Jan 1), Austin Ferguson turned 17 on Wednesday (Jan 11^th) and Tyrell Goulbourne turned 18 (Jan 26) yesterday…Following this five game home stand, the Rockets play 12 of their final 22 games on the road…Zach Franko has scored in seven consecutive shootout situations. The 18 year-olds only miss came on opening night against Everett…Only Franko and Colton Sissons have played in all 49 regular season games this season.

How do you like me now?

2012-01-26T00:30:00.000-08:00

Country singer Toby Keith sang it best, "How do you like me now". How do you like the Rockets now?

Ryan Huska didn't want to admit it was his teams biggest win of the season. Yet, he did agree that it was one of the most complete efforts of the 2011-2012 campaign. The Kelowna Rockets knocked off the best team in the Western Hockey League Wednesday night with an impressive 3-2 shootout win over the Kamloops Blazers. The Blazers hadn't tasted a defeat in nine straight games. Zach Franko,again, scored the shootout winning goal with his 7th of the season after beating Blazers goaltender Cole Cheveldave to the stick side. Franko's heroics came on the heels of a third period goal from Brett Bulmer, who tied the game at two after a great rush up the ice. It marked only the second time this season, and second in two games, that the Rockets rallied to win after trailing after 40 minutes. Up until that point, the Rockets had gone 19 games without a win when trailing after two periods.
I thought the Rockets had a really good start thanks to an opening shift by veteran Cody Chikie. The 20 year-old set the tone that a win in Kelowna wouldn't come easy for a Blazers team loaded with depth and talent. While out-shot 9-6 in the opening frame, the Rockets created no less than three solid scoring chances.
Brett Bulmer! What can you say? When he is on his game the 19 year-old is a force. Bulmer scored a crucial goal in the third period but was dangerous every time he touched the puck. He looked so much better alongside Shane McColgan after head coach Ryan Huska changed up the lines in an effort to generate more offense. Bulmer was named the games first star.
Damon Severson returned to the line up Wednesday night after missing 16 games with a hand injury. The 17 year-old, remarkably, didn't miss a beat and was arguably the Rockets best d-man. In fact, the entire d-core had an extremely solid game, and despite a series of turnovers, they did a good job of recovering after making an error.
How big was MacKenzie Johnston's sweep check in the dying seconds of regulation time off of Blazers leading scorer Brendan Ranford? Ranford picks up a pass behind Johnston and is going in on what appears to be a breakaway in a 2-2 game. Johnston doesn't give up on the play, skates back hard, dives, and gets his stick on the puck and sweeps it aside. What a great play with a tremendous desire to compete. Impressive.
Speaking of impressive. How about Tyrell Goulbourne's second period fight with Blazers d-man Tyler Bell. Goulbourne again showed that he is one of the toughest 17 year-old's in the entire WHL. Question is, has Goulbourne lost a fight this season?
The Rockets were clearly ramped up for this game. They were facing the best team in the league, had a national TV audience watching and a big crowd in the building. Clearly if they could play with that type of passion and intensity every game they wouldn't find themselves in the lower portion of the Western Conference. In saying that, if this indeed is the turning point of the season so be it. It is better to find your game in late January than lose it with two months left in the regular season. Because as they say, anything can happen in the playoffs. If the Rockets play like they did Wednesday, beware!

Rockets game notes vs. Blazers

2012-01-25T09:36:00.000-08:00

Tonight’s Preview: The Kelowna Rockets play their 49^th game of the season tonight when they host the Kamloops Blazers. Surprisingly, this is only the fourth of eight meetings between these two teams this season. The Rockets are 0-3-0-0 against Kamloops this season, with losses 3-2 (Oct 16), 5-2 (Oct 28) and 4-3 (Oct 29). Overall the Blazers have out-scored the Rockets 12-7 in the first three games. Kelowna is playing game four of five straight on home ice. The Rockets conclude the home stand against Seattle Friday night before visiting the T-Birds on Sunday. The Rockets enter tonight’s game with three wins in their last nine home games. Despite the lack of success at home, the Rockets have points in eleven of their last sixteen road games (8-5-1-2). Overall, the Rockets have won six of their last ten games.

Seasonal Series Breakdown:

Period 1 2 3 Total

Rockets: 2 2 3 7

Kamloops: 2 7 3 12

*The Blazers have out-shot the Rockets in two of three games. Overall, the Blazers lead the shot-clock 100-85 in the three games. The Rockets are 3 for 15 (20%) on the power play in the seasonal series while the Blazers are 3 for 11 (27.3%) with the extra man.

Who’s Hot: Adam Brown has started 20 regular season games over his career against the Blazers and is 10-8-0-1. In one game he was pulled but not tagged with the loss…Colton Sissons has goals in four of his last five games…Carter Rigby has eight points (3+5=8) in his last eight games…Brett Bulmer has thirty-five points in thirty games this season (19+16=35). Bulmer has just one goal in his last seven games…Shane McColgan has fifteen points (4+11=15) in his last nineteen games, yet has just one goal in his last eight…Adam Brown has started in goal in thirty-three of the first forty-eight games. Who’s Cold: Zach Franko has one goal in his last 18 games. Yet in saying that, Franko has six shootout goals this season in seven attempts. No one in the WHL has scored more shootout goals than Franko this season.

This and That: Forward Brett Lyon turned 21 on Monday…Tanner Moar’s third period goal against Vancouver on Saturday was his first in 22 games….Tyrell Goulbourne’s goal last Friday was his first in 19 games…Thirteen of Colton Sissons 25 goals have been scored on the road this season…Brett Lyon has 1+2=3 in seven games with the Rockets…Defenceman Myles Bell has 24 points this season. Fifteen of those points have been recorded on the road…Four members of the Kelowna Rockets are rated in NHL Central Scouting's mid-term rankings. Captain Colton Sissons is ranked 14th among North American skaters for this summer’s draft. Teammate Damon Severson is rated 46^th, rookie defenceman Cole Martin is ranked 146^th and Colton Heffley (191) is also rated. Both Sissons and Severson will participate in the CHL Top Prospects game at Prospera Place at the end of the month…The Rockets were 3-5-0-2 in ten games with head coach Ryan Huska at the World Junior Hockey Championships…The Rockets are just 21-19-0-2 in their last 42 home games dating back to last season…In nine of their last eleven wins, the Rockets have given up two or less goals per game…The Rockets are 15-11-1-3 with Brett Bulmer in the line-up….Tyrell Goulbourne leads the team with 12 fighting majors. Mitchell Chapman has nine….The Rockets are 1-9-0-1 when giving up five or more goals…Last season they gave up five or more goals in ten games…The Rockets have been involved in 23 one goal games this season. The Rockets are 11-7-1-4 in those twenty-two games…The Rockets are playing their 1489^th regular season game tonight and will hit the 15 hundred mark when they host Red Deer on February 18^th…Birthdays. Shane McColgan turned 19 (Jan 1), Austin Ferguson turned 17 on Wednesday (Jan 11^th) and Tyrell Goulbourne turns 18 (Jan 26) later this month…Following this five game home stand, the Rockets play 12 of their final 22 games on the road…Zach Franko has scored in six consecutive shootout situations. The 18 year-olds only miss came on opening night against Everett…Only Franko and Colton Sissons have played in all 48 regular season games this season.

On location

2012-01-24T20:36:00.000-08:00

Adam Brown, fresh off his 100th WHL career win, joined Gord McGarva (centre) and myself at Bar One in the Sandman Hotel Tuesday for AM 1150's Rockets Round table. It was a lot of fun. We spent the first hour exclusively with General Manager Bruce Hamilton.

Join us!

2012-01-23T19:55:00.000-08:00

Shoot the Breeze - photography by Marissa Baecker

AM 1150 is proud to present our first ever, Kelowna Rockets Round-Table.
From 5 until 7, Tuesday (Jan 24), we will be broadcasting live talking Rockets at Bar One in the Sandman Hotel. You can join us at Bar One and be a part of our live audience, or you can listen on AM 1150 or AM 1150.ca.
Rockets GM Bruce Hamilton, coach Ryan Huska and players Brett Bulmer, Mitchell Chapman and Adam Brown will be there. Plus we will be joined on the phone by Tyson Barrie, who is enjoying his first season of pro hockey in the American Hockey League.
Hope to see you there.

100!

2012-01-21T23:29:00.000-08:00

Will the real Kelowna Rockets please stand up? The Rockets looked nothing like the team we witnessed in losses to Lethbridge and Everett earlier in the week. Instead this team that struggles, more out of a lack of effort than anything else, had their work boots on Saturday night in a 4-3 shootout win over the visiting Vancouver Giants. On this night, I could have taken a loss and still been impressed with the overall effort. But isn't it funny if you really put forth the work, you tend to win the game at the end of the night? In a worse case scenario you give yourself a fighting chance? What stood out most for me was the Rockets physical play. Huge hits, gritty play and just determination were massive factors in the 20th win of the season. When you witness Shane McColgan and MacKenzie Johnston making efforts to hit people, you can't help but get involved in the act and be inspired.

One of the players I was most proud of last night was Johnston. Amping up his physical play to a height we have not seen before, 'Johnny' had the jam to get involved physically and win puck battles. It was nice to see him rewarded with two assists for sticking his neck out physically. He was named the third star on our broadcast even though he didn't receive a star in the building. If Johnston wants an example how he needs to play, look at the video tape from the game on January 21st against Vancouver. If you play like that, even minus the two assists, you increase your effectiveness two-fold.
Cody Chikie, who has been as quiet as a mouse over the last two weeks has come alive over the last two games. The 20 year-old scored a greasy goal late in the second period to send his team into the dressing room down by two. Then to witness the Rockets score three straight goals, including the winner from Zach Franko in the shootout was impressive. Franko has now scored six consecutive shootout goals in seven attempts. Money.
Congratulations to Kelowna Rockets goaltender Adam Brown for reaching 100 wins for his WHL career. How about his stop on Marek Tvrdon in the second period on a bang-bang play? Unreal. Some people have accused me of being a big fan of Brown...to which I say..yes I am.
It was fun to watch 17 year-old Tanner Moar score such a crucial goal late in the game to tie the score at 3. How can you not get excited when a 4th liner is able to contribute at such an important time of the game?
Can the Rockets play better than what we witnessed Saturday? No question. I still think Colton Sissons and Brett Bulmer can be better, and will need to be when the top team in the WHL, the Kamloops Blazers pay a visit on Wednesday.
This game is another reason this Rockets team would be scary to face in an opening round playoff series.
A reminder to join us at Bar One in the Sandman Hotel on Tuesday as AM 1150 presents our first ever, 'Rockets Round Table'. General Manager Bruce Hamilton and Head Coach Ryan Huska will join us as we broadcast live from 5 until 7 pm as we talk Rockets Hockey. Come down and be a part of our live audience. Brett Bulmer and Adam Brown will also join us plus we will hear from Tyson Barrie, who is now in his first season in the AHL.

One line won't do it

2012-01-21T09:48:00.000-08:00

The line of Cody Chikie, Carter Rigby and Colton Sissons created numerous scoring chances last night in a 5-3 home ice loss to the Lethbridge Hurricanes. Unfortunately, while that line was generating the bulk of the offense, the other three lines were pretty much non existent.
Specifically Chikie and Rigby had glorious chances to score in the first period but were denied by Hurricanes goaltender Liam Liston, who despite facing just eight shots in the first, no less than five of them were quality saves.
The best player on the ice was 20 year-old Brody Sutter. Sutter, the Hurricanes captain, created numerous scoring chances and dominated the play in the first period. Sutter then went out and scored twice in a span of 1:19 seconds early in the second frame to help the Hurricanes to their sixth road win of the season.
Rockets starting goaltender Jordon Cooke was yanked after giving up the Hurricanes fourth goal. No less than three of the goals Cooke gave up where grade 'A' scoring chances by the Hurricanes. The fourth one was a centering pass that appeared to go off Cooke and into the back of the net .
Despite being down 5-0 in the second period, the Rockets did show some fight by getting goals from Jesse Lees and Colton Sissons to close out the period down 5-2. Had they scored on a early third period power play, we would have been in for a terrific finish but again Liston was there to thwart any comeback attempt by the home team.
Colton Sissons has now scored goals in four consecutive games.
Tyrell Goulbourne's third period goal was his first in 19 games.
The Rockets are now two games below the .500 mark on home ice. Only once have the Rockets been two games under .500 at home. In 1999-2000, the team was 16-18-1-1. Back then the record translated to 16 wins, 18 losses, one tie and one overtime loss. The shootout format wasn't used back then.

Rockets game notes vs. Hurricanes

2012-01-20T08:24:00.000-08:00

Tonight’s Preview: The Kelowna Rockets play their 47^th game of the season tonight when they host the Lethbridge Hurricanes. These two teams met back on December 7^th with the Rockets earning a 5-2 win. The Rockets close out the seasonal series in Lethbridge on February 24^th. Kelowna is playing game two of five straight on home ice. The Rockets host Vancouver tomorrow night before welcoming Kamloops next Wednesday and concluding the home stand against Seattle one week from this evening. The month comes to a close on January 29^th with a trip to Kent to face the T-Birds. The Rockets enter tonight’s game with just two wins in their last seven home games. Despite the lack of success at home, the Rockets have points in eleven of their last sixteen road games (8-5-1-2). Overall, they have won five of their last eight games.

Who’s Hot: Colton Sissons has goals in three straight games…Carter Rigby has seven points (3+4=7) in his last six games…Brett Bulmer has thirty-five points in twenty-eight games this season (19+16=35). Bulmer has points in fourteen of his last nineteen games (15+6=21)…Shane McColgan has fifteen points (4+11=15) in his last seventeen games…Adam Brown has started in goal in thirty-two of the first forty-six games. Who’s Cold: Cody Chikie has been held off the score-sheet in 11 of his last 12 games. Zach Franko has one goal in his last 16 games.

This and That: Thirteen of Colton Sissons 24 goals have been scored on the road this season…Brett Lyon has 1+2=3 in five games with the Rockets since the 20 year-old was acquired from the Moose Jaw Warriors at the trade deadline…..Defenceman Myles Bell has 23 points this season. Fifteen of those points (65%) have been recorded on the road…Zach Franko has 7 goals after 46 games this season. Last season Franko had 11 goals after 46 games…Four members of the Kelowna Rockets are rated in NHL Central Scouting's mid-term rankings. Captain Colton Sissons is ranked 14th among North American skaters for this summer’s draft. Teammate Damon Severson is rated 46^th, rookie defenceman Cole Martin is ranked 146^th and Colton Heffley (191) is also rated. Both Sissons and Severson will participate in the CHL Top Prospects game at Prospera Place at the end of the month…The Rockets were 3-5-0-2 in ten games with head coach Ryan Huska at the World Junior Hockey Championships…The Rockets are just 20-18-0-2 in their last 40 home games dating back to last season…In eight of their last ten wins, the Rockets have given up two or less goals per game…The Rockets are 14-11-1-3 with Brett Bulmer in the line-up….Tyrell Goulbourne leads the team with 11 fighting majors. Mitchell Chapman has nine….The Rockets are 1-8-0-1 when giving up five or more goals…Last season they gave up five or more goals in ten games…The Rockets have been involved in twenty two-one goal games this season. The Rockets are 10-7-1-4 in those twenty-two games…The Rockets are playing their 1487^th regular season game tonight and will hit the 15 hundred mark when they host Red Deer on February 18^th…Birthdays. Shane McColgan turned 19 (Jan 1), Austin Ferguson turned 17 on Wednesday (Jan 11^th) and Tyrell Goulbourne turns 18 (Jan 26) later this month…Following this five game home stand, the Rockets play 12 of their final 22 games on the road…Zach Franko has scored in five consecutive shootout situations. The 18 year-olds only miss came on opening night against Everett…Only Franko and Colton Sissons have played in all 46 regular season games this season.

Ryan Murray Interview

2012-01-19T20:39:00.000-08:00

Here is an interview I conducted last night with Everett d-man Ryan Murray.

(You can follow me on Twitter @Reganrant)

Thoughts?

2012-01-18T23:01:00.001-08:00

They were due. They were badly overdue. For the first time in almost three months, the Everett Silvertips earned a road win. Last night at Prospera Place, two goals in the first period and a third period seeing eye wrist shot from defenceman Nick Walters, propelled the Tips to a 3-2 win over the Kelowna Rockets. It was the Tips third win on the road this season and first since October 28th. The victory snapped a winless streak on the road that reached 13 games. For the last place Silvertips, who have looked anything but a last place team over the last couple of nights, it was only their 9th win of the season.
This game could have been over in the second period had it not been for the play of Rockets goaltender Adam Brown. The 20 year-old made two breakaway stops and then denied Joshua Winquist on a penalty shot. In total, Brown faced four breakaways in the game and stopped three of them.
Brown took the bullet for the team after the game by blaming himself for two of the three goals. But in this situation that's like blaming yourself for the loss when you score three goals yet turn over the puck for a goal against. Brown did so many positive things in this game that even a suspect goal wasn't the reason his team lost the game.
Frankly I would like to see more veteran players be accountable for their actions and follow Brown's lead. Was Brown sending a message to his teammates by sticking his neck out when he wasn't the guilty party in the one goal loss?
Tyrell Goulbourne was again the fire that attempted to light a spark for his team. The 17 year-old was involved in two fights including a dandy against Luke Grayson. Goulbourne threw some heavy shots at Grayson, who impressively and miraculously shook off, in a tilt that saw two 17 year old's square off just inside the Everett blue line.
Sorry three star selectors, Tips goaltender Kent Simpson was not the games first star. Adam Brown should have been. If you want to pick a Tips player, how about some love for forward Ryan Harrison. The 19 year-old won every puck battle he was involved in. Harrison, who is from Kelowna, wouldn't quit on a puck and played like an older player should. When you play against younger competition, you should dictate and dominate play. Harrison did that.
The future of the Tips looks bright. Look no further than forward Kohl Bauml. Does he play like this all the time? The 17 year-old, who scored 27 goals playing midget last year in Saskatoon, was awesome in the two games I witnessed.
The Rockets record at home is now one game under the .500 mark. The Rockets dropped their 11th game at home this season. The Rockets also have 11 road losses.
I had a solid conversation with Tips d-man Ryan Murray before the game. We talked about Twitter, his worst enemy, after he was roasted on the social media site for his play in the semi final game at the World Juniors. Murray shared some thoughts on the emotional and mental struggle he had following the tournament as he tried to brush away the harsh criticism.

Rockets game notes vs. Tips

2012-01-18T08:38:00.001-08:00

Tonight’s Preview: The Kelowna Rockets play their 46^th game of the season tonight when they host the Everett Silvertips. These two teams met Sunday in Everett with the Rockets earning a 3-2 shootout win. Following tonight’s game the two teams conclude the seasonal series March 14^th at Prospera Place. The Rockets are 2-0-0-0 against the Tips this season, with both games ending in shootout wins. Kelowna opens a five game home stand tonight. The Rockets host Lethbridge Friday, Vancouver Saturday before welcoming Kamloops next Wednesday and then concluding the home stand against Seattle on January 27^th. The month comes to a close on January 29^th with a trip to Kent to face the T-Birds. Overall, the Rockets have points in eleven of their last sixteen road games (8-5-1-2) and have won five of their last seven games overall.

Who’s Hot: Carter Rigby has six points (3+3=6) in his last five games…Brett Bulmer has thirty-five points in twenty-seven games this season (19+16=35). Bulmer has points in fourteen of his last eighteen games (15+6=21). Bulmer has goals in nine of his last fifteen games and has sixteen goals in his last eighteen games…Shane McColgan has thirteen points (3+10=13) in his last sixteen games…Adam Brown has started in goal in thirty-one of the first forty-five games.

This and That: Thirteen of Colton Sissons 23 goals have been scored on the road this season…Brett Lyon has 1+1=2 in four games with the Rockets since the 20 year-old was acquired from the Moose Jaw Warriors at the trade deadline…..Defenceman Myles Bell has 23 points this season. Fifteen of those points (65%) have been recorded on the road…Zach Franko has 7 goals after 45 games this season. Last season Franko had 11 goals after 45 games…Four members of the Kelowna Rockets are rated in NHL Central Scouting's mid-term rankings. Captain Colton Sissons is ranked 14th among North American skaters for this summer’s draft. Teammate Damon Severson is rated 46^th, rookie defenceman Cole Martin is ranked 146^th and Colton Heffley (191) is also rated. Both Sissons and Severson will participate in the CHL Top Prospects game at Prospera Place at the end of the month…The Rockets were 3-5-0-2 in ten games with head coach Ryan Huska at the World Junior Hockey Championships…The Rockets are just 20-17-0-2 in their last 39 home games dating back to last season…In January of last year the Rockets were 8-5-0-0 in 13 games. They started the month with four straight losses before winning eight of their next nine games…In eight of their last ten wins, the Rockets have given up two or less goals per game…The Rockets are 14-10-1-3 with Brett Bulmer in the line-up….Tyrell Goulbourne and Mitchell Chapman each have nine fighting majors this season.… The Rockets are 1-8-0-1 when giving up five or more goals…Last season they gave up five or more goals in ten games…The Rockets have been involved in twenty one-one goal games this season. The Rockets are 10-6-1-4 in those twenty-one games…The Rockets are playing their 1486^th regular season game tonight and will hit the 15 hundred mark when they host Red Deer on February 18^th…Birthdays. Shane McColgan turned 19 (Jan 1), Austin Ferguson turned 17 on Wednesday (Jan 11^th) and Tyrell Goulbourne turns 18 (Jan 26) later this month…Following this five game home stand, the Rockets play 12 of their final 22 games on the road…Zach Franko has scored in five consecutive shootout situations. The 18 year-olds only miss came on opening night against Everett…Only Franko and Colton Sissons have played in all 45 regular season games this season.

Hay on coaching in NHL and Huska endorsement

2012-01-17T09:31:00.000-08:00

I spoke to Vancouver Giants head coach Don Hay before Saturday's game. I didn't want to re-live every moment of the WJ's (that has been analysed to nauseum), so our discussion centered around other topics. I asked Hay, point blank, if he would entertain a return to the National Hockey League.

"Would I like another chance? Ya, I would like another chance but I am not going to look in every door that's coming open. There are coaches that are looking around all the time, but if you have a good enough resume, teams will come to you."

"I have been there and done that. I could take it or leave it. I am getting to the age now that I am pretty set in my ways and pretty happy with what I am doing."

After two years as an assistant coach for Canada's entry at the World Junior's, does Hay believes Kelowna Rockets coach Ryan Huska be a good candidate to take over the head coaching duties of Team Canada at next years tournament in Russia?

"I think Ryan would do a great job. He has been through two of them. He (Huska) has lots of experience now. He knows the process you have to go through as far as working with coaches and working with the management group and the players there. No doubt in my mind that Ryan would do a great job if he had the opportunity."

The Rockets organization has had two coaches guide Canada's entry at the World Juniors. Marcel Comeau was the head coach in 1995 while Marc Habscheid was at the helm in 2003.

Random pic

2012-01-16T16:50:00.000-08:00

Just a random pic of my broadcast location at the Rose Garden in Portland.

Batman and Robin

2012-01-15T23:43:00.001-08:00

They are a dynamic duo. Both are masked men who are heralded as heroes at weekends end. No, I am not talking about Batman and Robin, but I'm referring to goaltenders Adam Brown and Jordon Cooke. The Kelowna Rockets can thank those two for spectacular play in back-to-back road wins Saturday in Vancouver and Sunday in Everett. Brown was named the 1st star in a 4-3 win in Vancouver, a game where the Rockets generated just 15 shots on goal. A night later, in Everett, it was Jordon Cooke's turn to earn 1st star status in a 3-2 shootout win in Everett. If it wasn't for their exceptional play, the Rockets would be coming home from a six game road trip with only two wins in their back pocket.

In Sundays win in Everett, the Tips deserved a better fate. They were clearly the better team. A work ethic that looked nothing like a last place team, the Tips peppered Cooke and played a solid two way game. The problem with the Tips is their inability to score, but their worth ethic on this night can't be questioned.

The Rockets had ample opportunities to end the game with three consecutive power plays with about six minutes left in the game. One of the power play chances extended into overtime, yet the Rockets couldn't find the killer instinct.

Should we be surprised that forward Zach Franko scored the game winning goal in the shootout? The guy is money. Franko has now scored in five of six shootout situations this season. Jordon Cooke didn't allow a goal on three Everett shooters.

The smallest crowd I've witnessed ever in Everett watched the Sunday match up. Whether the NFL playoff games were a factor or not, under four thousand fans took in the game. That's a far cry from the over six thousand strong I fondly remember during better times.

Ok, I finally understand why Tips d-man Nick Walters is rated by NHL Central Scouting. What a great hitter. Walters is aggressive. You have to love his style of play. The 17 year-old had not less than three huge hits in the game.

The Rockets open a five game home stand Wednesday against the Tips. It is followed by games against Lethbridge Friday and Vancouver Saturday night.

Ugly would best describe it

2012-01-15T00:42:00.001-08:00

The Kelowna Rockets deserved better Friday night in a 2-1 loss to the Portland Winterhawks. A night later in Vancouver, they deserved worse and got better.
Make sense? Let me explain.
The Rockets looked flat and only generated seven shots through 40 minutes. By the grace of the hockey Gods, the Rockets earned a 4-3 win over a depleted Giants line up. Vancouver, losers 11-4 to Tri City a night earlier, fired 39 shots at the Rockets net despite playing without leading scorer Brendan Gallagher and top defenceman David Musil. Giants veteran goaltender Adam Morrison was also sidelined with injury meaning 16 year-old Jackson Whistle received the start and struggled. At the other end, Adam Brown essentially stole the two points with a terrific goaltending performance. Carter Rigby's third period goal stood up as the game winner. Brown was named the game's first star.

The game started off with fireworks just nine seconds into the opening period. Giants d-man Wes Vannieuwenhuizen elected to fight Rockets 19 year-old Mitchell Chapman, which proved to be a bad idea. Chapman totally dominated Vannieuwenhuizen with several huge upper cuts that were never returned. It was all Chapman in the most lopsided decision of the d-man's career. If he keeps this up, NHL scouts are going to be inquiring about his services as a camp invite.

What surprised me most was the Rockets response after the Chapman tilt. They looked totally flat, it appeared they had driven five hours the night before and planted their heads on a hotel pillow at 4:30 in the morning. Oh ya, come to think of it, they did. Fortunately, the Rockets escaped the first period tied at one despite generating just four shots on net.

The second period was much like the first with the Rockets generating little in the way of offense. Yet, when Myles Bell came out of the penalty box and Brett Bulmer flipped the puck to centre ice, the 18 year-old d-man found himself on a two on one with Colton Sissons. Sissons took the pass from Bell and fired home his team leading 22nd goal of the season. Who would have thought the Rockets could be leading 2-1 after 40 minutes with only seven shots on net?

The Rockets let a 3-1 third period lead slip away as the Giants scored two quick goals less than a minute apart to tie the game at three. Head Coach Ryan Huska immediately called a time out before Carter Rigby promptly scored the game winner 46 seconds later.

I sure like the confident swagger 20 year-old Brett Lyon brings to the team. Involved in two fights against the Giants, the veteran engages himself physically and is tough to play against. Lyon's open ice hit on Taylor Makin was a prime example of the physical element he brings to the team. It is only three games, but I think Rockets fans will be happy with him when he makes his home debut Wednesday night.

The road trip ends Sunday afternoon in Everett against the Tips. Wouldn't it be fitting if euro Filip Vasko would score his first career WHL goal in Everett? You may remember, Vasko scored the game winner in a shootout on opening night against the Tips. Vasko hasn't found the back of the net since.

The Rockets almost spoiled the party

2012-01-14T04:38:00.001-08:00

One thing is guaranteed. You will get two very different opinions from both the winning and losing side after a hockey game.
The winner will feel their team was full marks for the victory while the losing team believes they either under performed or were slighted in some way.
Let me give you the losing perspective as I witnessed the Kelowna Rockets 2-1 loss to the Portland Winterhawks at the Rose Garden Friday night.
Defenceman Mitchell Chapman is assessed a cross checking penalty at the side of the Rockets net with under six minutes to play in a terrific 1-1 tie. The Hawks go on the power play where d-man Joe Morrow scores the game winning goal.
We've seen this time and time again where an official involves himself in the game when he could have simply let the two teams decide it on their own. Previously to Chapman's cross check, Rockets rookie forward Tyson Baillie is seen receiving what appears to be a high hit just outside the blue line. No call...and you know what? I can handle that because it's a good game, and while it is likely a penalty, it would be a marginal call in a tied game. I'm still of the school of thought that unless it's vicious, keep the whistle in the pocket and let the two combatants duel it out until buzzer sounds.
It didn't happen.
Too bad, but let's move on.
The rant is over.

Both goaltenders have to be applauded for the excellent performance. Jordon Cooke was tremendous in the Rockets net and Mac Carruth, while not spectacular in the early stages of the game, saved his best save for last. With the Hawks clinging to a 2-1 lead and the Rockets net empty for the extra attacker, rookie d-man Madison Bowey finds teammate Brett Bulmer in the slot with the puck. Bulmer's shot looks labeled for the right side of the net, but Carruth makes a game saving stop with 5 seconds left on the clock.

Of the 35 stops Jordon Cooke made, how many came off the stick of Hawks d-man Joe Morrow? Man, he shoots the puck a lot and has a great release. Sure he makes errors in his own zone, but what he does at the other end of the ice is awfully impressive.

I thought 20 year-old Cody Chikie came alive as the game wore on. Chikie's best period was the third, when he had two golden opportunities. Like his teammates, the veteran forward is struggling finding the back of the net. He's creating things but now has to bear down for a stronger finish.

It was nice to see Zach Franko score. His third period goal was his first in 14 games.

As previously mentioned, this game was played at the Rose Garden. Spectacular! Everything about the game you had to enjoy. From the score clock to the cheerleaders to the game itself, it was a treat to be back. You can't beat the American sports fan, you just can't. In the final minute everyone gets on their feet and cheers as the home team is attempting to tie a franchise record with it's 16th consecutive home ice win. You just can't get better fan interaction than that.

The Rockets were on the bus immediately after the game where they arrived to snow flurries in Vancouver. The team will likely get a cold reception Saturday night after the Giants were humiliated at home to the visiting Tri City Americans.

Winterhawks announcer appears on Jeopardy

2012-01-13T14:03:00.000-08:00

Sean Norris is the public address announcer for the Portland Winterhawks. He had the chance to appear on Jeopardy as a contestant recently. Here is the interview I had with him Wednesday night.

Do you know what day it is?

2012-01-13T08:41:00.001-08:00

Can the Kelowna Rockets beat the Portland Winterhawks tonight, ending the Hawks quest of tying a franchise record for wins on home ice?
You bet they can.
Reason #1. Tonight's game will be played at the Rose Garden, the same building the Rockets won two of three games in during their second round playoff series with the Hawks last season. The Rockets won game one and five in that building. Who can forget Jessey Astles overtime winner in game five? The Hawks go for their 16th consecutive home ice win tonight, which in the process, would tie a franchise record set during the 1993-94 season.
The other variable heading into tonight's game is it is Friday the 13th. On a day like that, anything can happen.
All joking aside, AM 1150 has tonight's game from the Rose Garden, starting with the pre-game show at 6:30 and the play-by-play at 7 o'clock. The Rockets will need to take fewer penalties while showing more urgency on the power play.
Wednesday night the Rockets were just one for six on the power play while surrendering two shorthanded goals. The Rockets are now tied for the league lead in shorthanded goals allowed with 11. The Hawks also scored the two-first period goals on the power play. Overall, the specialty teams will have to be a whole lot better for the Rockets to do something that only Tri City and Kamloops has been able to accomplished this season.
That is beating the Winterhawks in their own backyard.

Bitten again on the power play

2012-01-12T02:02:00.001-08:00

When a penalty killing unit shows more urgency then the other teams power play, it poses a heap of trouble for the one with the man advantage. That happened Wednesday night in the Kelowna Rockets 4-2 loss in Portland. Two-second period shorthanded goals helped vault the Winterhawks to their 15th straight home ice win while snapping the Rockets three game winning streak.

Down 2-1 after 20 minutes, the Rockets started the second period on the power play. A lost battle against the boards resulted in Winterhawks forward Taylor Peters scoring shorthanded, giving the home team a 3-1 lead. Oliver Gabriel would make it 4-1 with another shorthanded goal, marking the 11th time this season the Rockets have given up a goal while enjoying the power play.

The second period could have been a whole lot worse had goaltender Adam Brown not stopped 28 goal man Brad Ross on a penalty shot.

This isn't the first time the Rockets have given up two shorthanded goals in a game this season. In Tri City, the Rockets surrender two shorthanded goals in a 5-1 loss.

Last season the Rockets gave up ten shorthanded goals.

It could be worse. In 1996-97, the Rockets gave up a staggering 23 shorthanded goals.

Brett Lyons debut was a good one. Playing on the left side with Brett Bulmer and Zach Franko, the 20 year-old got into a second period scrap before scoring his 12th goal of the season on a third period power play.

Despite the 4-2 loss, the Rockets out-shot the Hawks 35-29. It marked the first time in eight home games that Portland was out-shot.

The Hawks have now won 15 consecutive home games. They can tie the team record set in 1993-94 tomorrow night when the two teams meet at the Rose Garden.

An impressive debut for Hawks forward Cam Reid. Portland obtained his playing rights earlier in the week from Edmonton and the 20 year-old didn't disappoint. Playing with leading scorer Ty Rattie, Reid scored his first career WHL goal. Rattie ended the game with a goal and two assists.

Hawks newcomer Marcel Noebels was less effective, but that is bound to happen to any player getting accustomed to new teammates.

Welcome to Portland

2012-01-11T12:10:00.000-08:00

Athletic Therapist Jeff Thorburn works on the finishing touches of putting the name bar of Brett Lyon on a Rockets jersey.

Tonight’s Preview: The Kelowna Rockets play their 42^nd game of the season tonight when they visit the Winterhawks in Portland. This is the third of just four meetings between these two teams this season. Back in November the Hawks earned a 6-5 shootout win followed by a 3-1 victory in back-to-back games in Kelowna. The Rockets are making their first visit to Portland since last year’s second round playoff series, which the Winterhawks won in six games. Surprisingly, both Rockets wins in the series came in Portland. Tonight’s game is the third of six straight on opposition ice. The Rockets face the Winterhawks again Friday before stops in Vancouver Saturday and Everett on Sunday. Overall, the Rockets have points in nine of their last twelve road games (6-3-1-2) and have won three straight overall.

Trade Winds Blow: The Rockets made two player moves as the Western Hockey League trade deadline came to an end on Tuesday. The Rockets acquired 20 year-old forward Brett Lyon from the Moose Jaw Warriors for a 5^th and 7^th round bantam pick. To make room for Lyon, the team released 20 year-old defenceman Kevin Smith. Lyon has 11 goals and 17 assists for 28 points in 41 games this season.

Who’s Hot: Brett Bulmer has thirty-three points in twenty-four games this season (18+15=33). Bulmer has points in thirteen of his last fifteen games (14+5=19). Bulmer has goals in eight of his last twelve games and has fifteen goals in his last fifteen games…Shane McColgan has twelve points (3+9=12) in his last thirteen games…Carter Rigby has (6+7=13) in his last fourteen.…Adam Brown has started in goal in twenty-nine of the first forty-one games.

This and That: Three members of the Kelowna Rockets are rated in NHL Central Scouting's mid-term rankings. Captain Colton Sissons is ranked 14th among North American skaters for this summer’s draft. Teammate Damon Severson is rated 46th while rookie defenceman Cole Martin is ranked 146th. Both Sissons and Severson will participate in the CHL Top Prospects game at Prospera Place at the end of the month…Adam Brown reached the 10 thousand minutes played mark last Wednesday in a 5-2 win over Spokane. Brown now has played 10 thousand and 114 minutes in his WHL career. The only other active goaltender in the WHL with over 10 thousand minutes played is Seattle’s Calvin Pickard…The Rockets were 3-5-0-2 in ten games with head coach Ryan Huska at the World Junior Hockey Championships…The Rockets are just 20-17-0-2 in their last 39 home games dating back to last season…In January of last year the Rockets were 8-5-0-0 in 13 games. They started the month with four straight losses before winning eight of their next nine games…In seven of their last eight wins, the Rockets have given up two or less goals per game…The Rockets are 12-8-1-3 with Brett Bulmer in the line-up….Tyrell Goulbourne has nine fighting majors this season.… The Rockets are 1-8-0-1 when giving up five or more goals…Last season they gave up five or more goals in ten games…The Rockets have been involved in eighteen-one goal games this season. The Rockets are 8-5-1-4 in those eighteen games…The Rockets are playing their 1482^nd regular season game tonight and will hit the 15 hundred mark when they host Red Deer on February 18^th…Birthdays. Shane McColgan turned 19 (Jan 1), Austin Ferguson turns 17 (Jan 11^th) and Tyrell Goulbourne turns 18 (Jan 26) later this month.

Three ranked by NHL Central Scouting

2012-01-11T09:18:00.000-08:00

Three members of the Kelowna Rockets are rated in NHL Central Scouting's mid term rankings.
Captain Colton Sissons is ranked 14th among North American skaters for this summers draft.
Teammate Damon Severson is rated 46th while rookie defenceman Cole Martin is ranked 146th.
Both Sissons and Severson will participate in the CHL Top Prospects game at Prospera Place at the end of the month.

Trading for Lyon

2012-01-10T20:38:00.001-08:00

The Kelowna Rockets were looking at upgrading the talent among their three overage players at the Western Hockey League trading deadline. Unfortunately for veteran defenceman Kevin Smith, the North Vancouver resident was the odd man out.
Adam Brown and Cody Chikie dodged the bullet while Smith was given his out-right release after the Rockets acquired forward Brett Lyon from the Moose Jaw Warriors.
The 20 year-old Lyon came at a low price, with the Rockets surrendering a 5th and 7th round bantam pick. Lyon provides the team with more depth up front, a bigger body and some scoring punch. Lyon has 11 goals this season and an impressive 28 points in his final season in the WHL. The Grand Forks, BC resident won't wow you with his play making ability, but he adds some maturity to the forward ranks which consists now of just two 20 year-old's (Lyon and Chikie) and 19 year-old Brett Bulmer and injured Spencer Main.
The departure of Smith makes a very young defensive core even younger, with 19 year-old Mitchell Chapman surrounded by 18 year-old's MacKenzie Johnston and Myles Bell, 17 year-old's Damon Severson and Cole Martin and 16 year-old's Jesse Lees and Madison Bowey.
The blue line has suffered more than it's fair share of growing pains this season with Smith in the line up, so that won't change with 30 games left in the regular season.
While Smith was the only player shown the exit, many fans are wondering why Brett Bulmer didn't yield a healthy return for a team in 6th place in the Western Conference.
The interest, I'm told, was there for Bulmer. Rockets GM Bruce Hamilton told me no less than four teams made solid pitches for the 19 year-old, but draft picks alone were not of interest to management. Hamilton wanted a proven player, someone likely in the 18 year-old age group that would complement fellow 18 year-old forwards Zach Franko, Shane McColgan and Colton Sissons. In these times where drafting players at 15 is at best, a crap shoot, the high picks were likely offered, but that proven player wasn't on the table to entice Hamilton to pull the trigger.

Deadline Deal

2012-01-10T12:11:00.001-08:00

The Kelowna Rockets made two moves as the Western Hockey League trading deadline came to a close on Tuesday.
The Rockets acquired 20 year-old Brett Lyon from the Moose Jaw Warriors for a 5th and 7th round bantam pick.
To make room for Lyon, the Rockets released 20 year-old defenceman Kevin Smith. Smith will likely play in the BC Hockey League to close out his junior career.
In Lyon, the Rockets receive a forward who has grit and can score. From Grand Forks BC, Lyon started his WHL career with the Kamloops Blazers before moving to Vancouver. The Giants dealt him to Moose Jaw last season.
Heading into this season, Lyon had 442 penalty minutes.
The newest member of the Rockets will make his debut tomorrow night against Portland.

Rockets make a trade

2012-01-09T19:51:00.000-08:00

Will they, or won't they?
Last season at the deadline, Kelowna Rockets GM Bruce Hamilton sat idly by.
Despite many fans believing he should trade 19 year-old defenceman Tyson Barrie, Hamilton was committed to having the Victoria resident remain with the team for his entire WHL career.
In 2010, Hamilton was much more active sending Kyle Verdino to Swift Current, obtaining the rights to Colton Sissons and acquiring Dallas Jackson from Prince George.
In 2009, Hamilton acquired Ian Duval from Moose Jaw for Jesse Paradis and Riley Grantham from the Warriors for Dylan Hood.
In 2008, again the Rockets did not make a deal on trade deadline day.
No question it will be a busy day for all 22 WHL GM's as they try to improve their teams, either short term or long term.

Leaving Vic with 4 pts

2012-01-08T07:31:00.001-08:00

Zach Franko has struggle mightily this season finding the back of the net. But when it comes to the shootout, the 18 year-old looks like a 50 goal scorer. Franko scored the game winner Saturday night in a 4-3 shootout win over the Victoria Royals. Franko now has four shootout goals in five attempts this season. Sadly, Franko has gone ten games without a goal in either regulation or overtime.

The shootout win was the Rockets first on the road since an opening night victory in Everett. Between then and now, the Rockets have suffered shootout losses on the road in Swift Current and Prince Albert. The Rockets are now 3 and 3 in shootouts this season. The only other shootout loss came on November 4th in a 6-5 home ice loss to Portland.

Myles Bell continued his hot hand against the Royals. The 18 year-old has five of his eight goals against Victoria this season. Bell's seeing-eye snap shot tied the game at two.

Jordon Cooke received the start in goal and made several timely saves. The 18 year-olds best stop came in the dying seconds when Royals leading scorer Kevin Sundher broke in on a clear cut breakaway. Sundher could have been a factor in the shootout but took himself out of the game when he head-butted Rockets forward Shane McColgan in frustration at the conclusion of overtime. Sundher was given a double minor for head butting and a ten minute misconduct. Props to McColgan for getting under his skin.

The win extended the Rockets winning streak to three games. It marked the first time since late November that the team registered three straight victories. The loss was Victoria's 9th straight.

After the game, the Rockets stayed overnight in Victoria before catching a ferry at 9 am Sunday morning. The bus will make a quick stop in Kelowna before heading back on the road Tuesday for a date with the Portland Winterhawks Wednesday night.

This was the final game for both teams before the WHL trade deadline. It will be interesting to see if the two line up's look any different following Tuesday's mayhem.

Bell bulges the twine - twice

2012-01-07T13:39:00.001-08:00

Myles Bell was acquired from the Regina Pats in September to provide an offensive spark on the Rockets defensive core. The 18 year-old did just that Friday night with two goals and an assist in a 5-2 win against the Victoria Royals. Bell fired home two goals in two very different ways. One came courtesy of a quick snap shot in the second period before hammering one home with a slap shot just over a minute into the third period to break open a 2-2 tie. The win, the Rockets second straight, extended the Royals losing streak to 8 games.

Bell has four goals and three assists in four games against the Royals this season. He had a goal and two assists October 14th in Victoria.

The Rockets couldn't have wished for a better start with a goal 30 seconds into the game. Again, this was proof they were mentally ready. Unfortunately, the Rockets couldn't build on that start and ended up going into the dressing room with a slim 1- 0 lead. Better to be up than down by a goal heading into the intermission.

The second period saw the Royals fall into penalty trouble and the Rockets enjoying a prolonged 5 on 3. The save that kept the Royals in it was Keith Hamilton's shoulder stop against Brett Bulmer when the puck was labeled for the high right corner.

The poise the Rockets showed heading into the third period was impressive. While they were no where close to being in control of the game heading into the third period - they gave up a goal late in the second to make it 2-2 - they looked like they had the confidence and resolve to win. Again, an encouraging sign for a team that won for only the 6th time on the road this season.

Adam Brown made several solid saves in the third period when the Royals attempted to battle back. That's where your veteran goaltender is of such value. You have to make the routine saves, but being steady and not allowing a 'squeaker', which can really take the air out of your tires, was a reason why the Rockets won for the 16th time this season. Brown was named the games third star.

Forward Jessey Astles left the game in the second period and didn't return after he was hit from the side and appeared to strike his head against the glass.

The Royals played their first game without Jesse Pauls. Pauls retired this week after suffering a series of injuries, including a broken leg that needed surgery.

Welcome to Victoria

2012-01-06T09:37:00.000-08:00

Tonight’s Preview: The Kelowna Rockets play their 40^th game of the season tonight when they visit the Royals in Victoria. It is the sixth of 8 meetings between the two teams. The Rockets have a record of 1-3-1-0 in the first five games and have been out-scored 21-17. Following these two games this weekend the seasonal series concludes March 9^th at Prospera Place. Tonight’s game is the first of six straight on opposition ice. The Rockets are in Portland this upcoming Wednesday and Friday before stops in Vancouver and Everett. Overall, the Rockets have points in seven of their last ten road games (4-3-1-2).

Seasonal Series Scoring Breakdown:

Period: 1 2 3 OT Total

Rockets: 7 7 3 0 17

Royals: 4 8 8 1 21

Extra’s: The Rockets are 7 for 24 (29.2%) on the power play in the seasonal series while the Royals are 7 for 28 (25%) with the extra man. The Royal have out-shot the Rockets 143-140 in the first five games.

Who’s Hot: Brett Bulmer has thirty-one points in twenty-two games this season (17+14=31). Bulmer has points in eleven of his last thirteen games (13+4=17). Bulmer has goals in seven of his last ten games and has fourteen goals in his last thirteen games…Shane McColgan has eight points (3+5=8) in his last eleven games…Carter Rigby has (4+5=9) in his last twelve.…Adam Brown has started in goal in twenty-eight of the first thirty-nine games.

This and That: Adam Brown reached the 10 thousand minutes played mark Wednesday in a 5-2 win over Spokane. Brown now has played 10 thousand and 54 minutes in his WHL career. The only other active goaltender in the WHL with over 10 thousand minutes played is Seattle’s Calvin Pickard (12,274)…. The Rockets were 3-5-0-2 in ten games with head coach Ryan Huska at the World Junior Hockey Championships…The Rockets are just 20-17-0-2 in their last 39 home games dating back to last season…In January of last year the Rockets were 8-5-0-0 in 13 games. They started the month with four straight losses before winning eight of their next nine games…In their last six wins, the Rockets have given up two or less goals per game…The Rockets are 10-8-1-3 with Brett Bulmer in the line-up….Tyrell Goulbourne has nine fighting majors this season.… The Rockets are 1-8-0-1 when giving up five or more goals…Last season they gave up five or more goals in ten games…NHL Central Scouting has rated captain Colton Sissons as the 6^th top skater available from the WHL for the 2012 draft…. The Rockets have been involved in seventeen-one goal games this season. The Rockets are 7-5-1-4 in those seventeen games…The Rockets are playing their 1480^th regular season game tonight and will hit the 15 hundred mark when they host Red Deer on February 18^th…Even with season ending injuries to Jason Seibert and Max Adolph, the Rockets have still failed to ice a complete line up this season…Rockets rookie Madison Bowey scored once in Team Western’s 6-3 loss Tuesday to Germany in a fight for 9^th place at the Under 17’s in Windsor Ontario. Team West was 0 and 5 at the tournament.….Tyson Baillie and Jesse Lees helped Team Pacific finish 5^th in Windsor…Birthdays. Shane McColgan turned 19 (Jan 1), Austin Ferguson turns 17 (Jan 11^th) and Tyrell Goulbourne turns 18 (Jan 26) later this month.

Milestone Makers:

Shane McColgan has 176 career points in 179 career games.

Mitchell Chapman played in his 125^th WHL game November 5^th.

Brett Bulmer has 120 career points.

Damon Severson played in his 100^th career game December 10^th in Moose Jaw.

Adam Brown has 97 career wins, most of any active WHL goaltender.

Colton Sissons played in his 100^th career WHL game December 29^th vs. Tri City.

Man Games Lost to Injury:

Carter Rigby: 7 games missed Madison Bowey: 9 games missed

Jason Siebert: 39 games missed Max Adolph: 39 games missed

Kevin Smith: 12 games missed Jessey Astles: 9 games missed

Tyrell Goulbourne: 8 games missed Jesse Lees: 18 games missed

Spencer Main: 27 games missed Filip Vasko – 1 game served for suspension

Myles Bell – 14 games missed Cody Chikie: 11 games missed

Man Games Lost to Injury Continues:

Damon Severson: 7 game missed Colton Heffley: 6 games missed Cole Martin: One game missed

Jessey Astles – three games because of suspension

Total: 206 man games lost to injury (suspensions not included in that number)

Blogging from the BC Ferry

2012-01-05T18:16:00.001-08:00

All aboard!
Is that what the captain of a BC Ferry says when you leave the mainland for Victoria?
Whatever the case, the Kelowna Rockets began a six game road trip this afternoon with a day trip to the Island. The road trip starts tomorrow night against the Victoria Royals.
The weekend match up should be interesting. Both teams have frankly struggled this season, with arguably the Royals stumbling more often than their BC Division counterparts. The Royals can score goals but for the life of them can't keep the puck out of their own net.

It will be interesting to see how much different both teams look after this weekend with the trade deadline set for Tuesday.
The Royals didn't part with their assets at last years trade deadline but may be tempted if the asking price is high enough for leading scorer Kevin Sundher. As dynamic a player as he may be, Sundher hasn't helped prevent the number of goals the Royals have given up no matter how he has produced at the other end of the ice. I would think if Royals GM Marc Habscheid could get a good young d-man or goalie in a trade, he would gladly part ways with the Buffalo Sabres draft pick. I will talk too him about that tomorrow night. Doesn't hurt to ask!

I anticipate two real good games this weekend. The Royals have earned seven points in the first five games of the seasonal series while Kelowna has earned just three. In October, the Rockets and Royals combined for 12 goals in the opening game before Victoria was an overtime winner when defenceman Jesse Zgraggen scored the game winner.

In case you are wondering, both Rockets head coach Ryan Huska and Athletic Therapist Jeff Thorburn will fly from Calgary to Victoria tomorrow morning and will be behind the Rockets bench. I am sure both mentally and physically exhausted, the two will have a number of great stories to share, some that will be made public, with others being shared in a more relaxed (off the record) setting.
Both should be proud of their accomplishments despite not obtaining the desire medal color they had hoped to obtain.

Not only will Huska and Thorburn be back behind the bench but 16 year-olds Madison Bowey, Jesse Lees and Tyson Baillie have already arrived in Victoria and are awaiting the teams arrival.
Regardless of the struggles both the Rockets and Royals have had to endure this season, this should be a fun weekend.

We will talk to you tomorrow night from Victoria. If everything goes according to plan, color analyst Gord McGarva will be on hand as he does his best Donald Trump impersonation by flying to the game. No, I'm not kidding.
See you at 6:35.

What was that?

2012-01-04T23:29:00.001-08:00

Oh, that's what the Kelowna Rockets look like when they play as a team. I forgot after seeing them drop three straight games after the Christmas break. Wednesday night against Spokane, Brett Bulmer scored three times in a 5-2 win, moving past Seattle and into sole possession of 6th place in the Western Conference. The Rockets scored four unanswered goals in the second period to break open a 1-1 tie and earned their 15th win of the season. Colton Heffley and Mitchell Chapman, with the 'Gordie Howe Hattrick', rounded out the scoring.
It was Bulmer's second hat trick of the season. The 19 year-old had three goals against the Portland Winterhawks back on November 4th. On this night, Bulmer was the best player on the ice and proved that he is an elite player when he puts his mind to it. While he was spectacular in the offensive zone, he was equally good in his defensive responsibilities. Bulmer was dangerous playing with Zach Franko and Filip Vasko.
Chapman was named the games second star after scoring a goal, adding an assist and getting into a fight with 20 year-old Chiefs captain Darren Kramer. It was another solid game for the 19 year-old defenceman who often times doesn't get the credit he deserves.
Several big hits in this game including Jessey Astles crunching Chiefs d-man Tyler King and forward Colton Sissons running over Spokane's Blake Gal at the Rockets blue line.
Adam Brown reached the 10 thousand minutes played mark in Wednesday's win. Only one other current WHL goaltender (Calvin Pickard) has played more minutes than Brown, who also earned career win #97.
The win snapped a three game losing streak.
It marked only the fourth time this season the Rockets have beaten an American based team. The other three wins came against Tri City (twice) and Everett on opening night.
The Rockets open a six game road trip Friday in Victoria. The Rockets are now five points up on the Royals, who hold down the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Game notes vs. Chiefs

2012-01-04T08:13:00.001-08:00

Tonight’s Preview: The Kelowna Rockets play their 39^th game of the season when they host the Spokane Chiefs. These two teams met back on December 27^th with the Chiefs earning a 4-1 win. The seasonal series wraps up March 7^th in Spokane. The Rockets open the month of January playing 14 games in 29 days. Of those 14, seven are on the road including a six game road trip from January 6^th to January 15^th. Following today’s game the Rockets travel to Victoria for back-to-back games this Friday and Saturday night before visiting Portland for two games on January 11^th and 13^th. Overall, the Rockets have lost three straight games and have just three wins in their last eight home games. The Rockets have scored just two goals in their last three games with losses to Spokane (4-1), Tri City (5-1) and Calgary (2-0).

Who’s Hot: Brett Bulmer has twenty-eight points in twenty-one games this season (14+14=28). Bulmer had a ten game point streak (10+4=14) snapped last Thursday in a 5-1 loss in Tri City. Bulmer has goals in six of his last nine games and has eleven goals in his last twelve games…Shane McColgan has six points (3+3=6) in his last ten games…Carter Rigby has (4+5=9) in his last eleven games…Adam Brown has started in goal in twenty-seven of the first thirty-eight games.

This and That: The Rockets are 1 for 14 on the power play in their last three games…Adam Brown is just six minutes shy (9994) of hitting the 10 thousand minutes played in his WHL career. The only other active goaltender in the WHL with over 10 thousand minutes played is Seattle’s Calvin Pickard…. The Rockets are 2-5-0-2 in nine games with head coach Ryan Huska at the World Junior Hockey Championships…The Rockets are just 19-17-0-2 in their last 38 home games dating back to last season…In January of last year the Rockets were 8-5-0-0 in 13 games. They started the month with four straight losses before winning eight of their next nine games…In their last five wins, the Rockets have given up two or less goals per game…The Rockets are 9-8-1-3 with Brett Bulmer in the line-up….Tyrell Goulbourne has nine fighting majors this season.… The Rockets are 1-8-0-1 when giving up five or more goals…Last season they gave up five or more goals in ten games…NHL Central Scouting has rated captain Colton Sissons as the 6^th top skater available from the WHL for the 2012 draft…. The Rockets have been involved in seventeen-one goal games this season. The Rockets are 7-5-1-4 in those seventeen games…The Rockets are playing their 1479^th regular season game tonight and will hit the 15 hundred mark when they host Red Deer on February 18^th…Even with season ending injuries to Jason Seibert and Max Adolph, the Rockets have still failed to ice a complete line up this season…Rockets rookie Madison Bowey scored once in Team Western’s 6-3 loss Tuesday to Germany in a fight for 9^th place at the Under 17’s in Windsor Ontario. Team West was 0 and 5 at the tournament.…The Rockets lost four straight home games from October 29^th to November 9^th….Birthdays. Shane McColgan turned 19 (Jan 1), Austin Ferguson turns 17 (Jan 11^th) and Tyrell Goulbourne turns 18 (Jan 26) later this month…The Rockets haven’t played a game on January 4^th since a 6-0 shutout win against the visiting Prince George Cougars on January 4, 2008 when Kristofer Westblom made 22 saves.

Things that make me go hmm...

2012-01-03T09:40:00.000-08:00

Don't throw the baby out with the bath water. That would best describe my thoughts about the impending WHL trade deadline. The Kelowna Rockets need a tweak. They need something. Whole sale changes won't happen. I haven't seen GM Bruce Hamilton deal with his team that way in the past and I don't anticipate anything huge this season. Whether he adds a player or sends a veteran packing for a future prospect, my belief is a move will be made on or before January 10th.
I have no knowledge of this, but how cool would it be for Hamilton to come home from the World Junior's with the announcement that Teemu Pulkkinen was joining the team in the second half? That one significant addition would change the direction the team is headed. Hey, it is a long shot but it is still fun to dream. What makes the situation more probable is the fact the Rockets have only one import on their roster. Is that by design?
I still get questions asking me why Hamilton didn't trade Tyson Barrie last season for a future prospect. The clear answer is Barrie gave everything he could to the organization and consistently worked his tail off thanks to his inner drive and pride in the Rockets jersey. Barrie was a positive figure both in the dressing room and on the ice. It is those type of veterans you want to keep around in your dressing room because they are 'special players' and are not looking for the easy way out. The easy way out is for a veteran to put in a half hearted effort over the final three games before the trade deadline in the hopes that you are traded to a contender. Sadly, many of today's players have that mindset. I will be watching with interest this week on which veteran players play with passion and heart in an effort to stay on the team.
Everett Silvertips GM Doug Soetaert has been quoted as saying he will not trade 18 year-old defenceman Ryan Murray. This falls in line with Hamilton's philosophy that this elite player is of more benefit to his team by the way he competes and carries himself than trading him away for a handsome sum.
The Rockets will be on the road when the WHL trade deadline happens. The team will be on the bus headed to Portland that day. It will be interesting to see who is on the bus and who surprisingly is told to stay behind as the team heads south of the border.
Being traded while on the bus does happen. In my first season with the Rockets, J.J Hunter was told he was traded to the Prince Albert Raiders while the team made a stop in Cranbrook. Seeing the tears coming from his eyes when he was told the news made for a miserable day as you witness first hand the affect the trade deadline has on a player involved. While we usually hear of the excitement a player feels going from a pretender to a contender, it is often a sad day for a player that is shown the door.
Get ready to hit the road. Following the Rockets home game this Wednesday against Spokane, the Rockets will play 16 of their next 26 games on opposition ice.
It was interesting to touch base with Calgary Hitmen defenceman Collin Bowman before Sunday's game. Bowman was the Rockets second round pick in the 2006 WHL Bantam Draft. It is a amazing to look at the picks the Rockets made in 2006 and come to the conclusion that the majority of those players, outside of Tyson Barrie, were eventually traded. Bowman (2nd rd) was sent to Moose Jaw, Jesse Paradis (4th rd) was also traded to the Warriors, Aaron Borejko (5th rd) went to Red Deer, Kyle Verdino (6th rd) was shipped to Swift Current and Curt Gogol (8th rd) was dealt to Saskatoon.
Another milestone for Adam Brown. The 20 year-old goaltender will hit the 10 thousand minutes played mark against Spokane tomorrow night. It is a huge achievement. No Rockets goaltender has ever played that many minutes. Only Calvin Pickard of the Seattle Thunderbirds has played more minutes of any active goaltender in the WHL.
Zach Franko may be frustrated, but shouldn't teammate Filip Vasko be the most frustrated shooter on the roster? Vasko has yet to score his first career WHL goal despite some glorious chances. The bad news is he hasn't found the back of the net. The good news is he is getting quality chances and the dam will eventually break. As for Franko, the 18 year-old has one goal in his last 16 games.
Oh, a fairly significant game takes place in Calgary this afternoon as Team Canada faces Russia at the World Juniors. AM 1150 has the semi final game at 5:30. I hope to see Ryan Huska and Jeff Thorburn battling for gold later this week and then welcoming them back to the team at the Victoria airport this weekend.

Rockets alumnus making most of final season in WHL

2012-01-02T18:36:00.000-08:00

Do I dare say it?

2012-01-02T11:05:00.000-08:00

Photo by Marissa Baecker

We are eight days away from the Western Hockey League trade deadline. After Sunday's 2-0 loss to the Calgary Hitmen, it is hard for me not to suggest that changes in personnel need to be made to this years edition of the Kelowna Rockets. My hope was a smidgen of momentum was gained after a fairly successful Eastern Conference road swing before Christmas, but any positive feelings from those six games appear to be lost. Against the Hitmen Sunday afternoon, the Rockets wilted when the game was still within reach. Despite being down 2-0 with a full 20 minutes to be played, where was the urgency? Where were the top end players when an early third period goal could have turned the tide and gotten the fans back in the game? It wasn't there. The game breaking players are in place, but is the will to succeed? That's the most disappointing aspect of Sunday's effort. If you can't accomplish the small feat of erasing a 2-0 deficit with your top end players, is it better to send out your younger players, who may not have the polish of the older veteran, but are willing to work to the greater good of the team?
Sunday's contest was winnable. The Hitmen deserve credit for ramping up their game in the third period, but the Rockets had little push back. The line of Bubnick, Sylvester and Gogolev took over in the third period, spending good portions of the final frame with sustained pressure inside the offensive zone. Why? They simply outworked the Rockets. Is it any coincidence that all three of those players are 20 and 19 respectively? Those older players led the charge and Gogolev, who is also 19, looked like a viking with no fear as he followed the lead of his line mates. It was impressive to watch if you are a Hitmen fan, yet concerning if you are a follower of the home team.
Jordon Cooke was a bright spot in the Rockets 19th loss of the season. The 18 year-old goaltender appeared to fight the puck early but was one of the main reasons they were in a position to rally in the third period despite being down 2-0. Cooke could have been given the first star in the building but was edged out by Hitmen goaltender Chris Driedger, who was solid in the shutout victory. Driedger's effort was made easy as the Rockets were neither willing to get traffic in front of him or secondary shots.
Tyrell Goulbourne, Mitchell Chapman and Colton Heffley all returned to the lineup. Goulbourne made the biggest noise on his return after getting into a scrap with 20 year-old Collin Bowman. Goulbourne clearly won the fight, despite being three years younger than the veteran d-man. Despite a fired up Goulbourne, the inspired effort had little impact on his teammates, who generated just 12 shots through the final 40 minutes of the game.
The 2-0 loss was only the second time this season the Rockets have failed to score a goal on home ice. Back on November 25th the Kootenay Ice earned a 4-0 win at Prospera Place.
Only Prince George ( 11) and Everett (12) have lost more times on home ice in the Western Conference than the Rockets (10) this season.
This group has just three games before the trade deadline to show that the post Christmas struggles are just another dip on what has been a roller coaster ride this season. Spokane pays a visit Wednesday followed by pivotal back-to-back games against Victoria this Friday and Saturday night. The Rockets lead the Royals by just three points for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Game notes vs. Hitmen

2012-01-01T11:31:00.001-08:00

Tonight’s Preview: The Kelowna Rockets play their 38^th game of the season this afternoon as they face-off against the visiting Calgary Hitmen. This is the first of three meetings between the two teams this season. The Hitmen make a return visit on February 17^th before the Rockets make a stop in Calgary on February 26^th. These two teams met twice last season with the Rockets earning 5-1 (Dec 17, 2010) and 4-3 (Feb 26, 2011) victories. The Rockets open the month of January playing 14 games in 29 days. Of those 14, seven are on the road including a six game road trip from January 6^th to January 15^th. Following today’s game the Rockets host Spokane Wednesday before playing back-to-back games in Victoria this Friday and Saturday night. Overall, the Rockets have lost two straight games and have just three wins in their last seven home games.

Who’s Hot: Brett Bulmer has twenty-eight points in twenty games this season (14+14=28). Bulmer had a ten game point streak (10+4=14) snapped Thursday in a 5-1 loss in Tri City. Bulmer has goals in six of his last eight games and has eleven goals in his last eleven games…Shane McColgan has six points (3+3=6) in his last nine games…Carter Rigby has (4+5=9) in his last ten games…Adam Brown has started in goal in twenty-seven of the first thirty-seven games. Jordon Cooke has a record of 1-1-0-1 in his last three starts and a goals against average of 1.92. Cooke has earned points in seven of his last eight starts.

This and That: Adam Brown is just seven minutes shy of hitting the 10 thousand minutes played in his WHL career. The only other active goaltender with over 10 thousand minutes played is Seattle’s Calvin Pickard…. The Rockets are 2-4-0-2 in eight games with head coach Ryan Huska at the World Junior Hockey Championships…The Rockets are just 19-16-0-2 in their last 37 home games dating back to last season…In January of last year the Rockets were 8-5-0-0 in 13 games. They started the month with four straight losses before winning eight of their next nine games…In their last five wins, the Rockets have given up two or less goals per game…The Rockets are 9-7-1-3 with Brett Bulmer in the line-up….Head Coach Ryan Huska is an assistant coach on Team Canada while Jeff Thorburn is an athletic therapist….Huska was a member of the Team Canada coaching staff last year. Huska is the fourth Rockets’ coach to represent Team Canada. Marcel Comeau and Marc Habscheid have been head coaches while Jeff Truitt was a video coach….The Rockets have sent 11 players to represent Canada at the WJHC…Tyrell Goulbourne has eight fighting majors this season.… The Rockets are 1-8-0-1 when giving up five or more goals…Last season they gave up five or more goals in ten games…NHL Central Scouting has rated captain Colton Sissons as the 6^th top skater available from the WHL for the 2012 draft….Jesse Lees and Tyson Baillie are playing with Team Pacific at the Under 17 World Hockey Challenge in Windsor, Ontario…Madison Bowey is on Team West for the Under 17 World Hockey Challenge…The Rockets have been involved in seventeen-one goal games this season. The Rockets are 7-5-1-4 in those seventeen games…The Rockets are playing their 1478^th regular season game tonight and will hit the 15 hundred mark when they host Red Deer on February 18^th…Even with season ending injuries to Jason Seibert and Max Adolph, the Rockets have still failed to ice a complete line up this season.

Lambert mourns 25 years later

2011-12-30T18:09:00.000-08:00