Foot soldiers win war

• The penalty killing unit was the story last night in the Kelowna Rockets 3-2 win over the Prince George Cougars. The Cougars had four-third period power plays and generated just five shots on goal through the final twenty minutes. On this night it was the foot soldiers that won the game in the defensive zone.
• Not only did the Rockets surrender just five shots on goal in the final period but they allowed just 22 through the entire game. Those 22 shots allowed is the fewest they've given up this season.
• The Rockets could have disposed of the Cougars in the second period but just couldn't find that elusive fourth goal. The window of opportunity for a comeback for the Cougars came early in the third period when they scored 46 seconds into the final frame. The Cougars almost tied it when a Troy Bourke shot went off the cross bar and fortunately stayed out.
• From my vantage point, the two goal lead was uncomfortable at best. I would have liked to see the Rockets play with more urgency in creating the knock out punch rather than letting the home team hang around for a possible comeback.
  
• It was nice to see Carter Rigby score a goal against his former team. It must have felt good. Rigby's opening goal was a case of crashing the net and plugging away at a rebound. Being hungry in front of the net and battling a defender for a loose puck won't make the highlite reel, but it is those types of goals that are timely for a team that can still do greater things in the offensive zone.
  
• The attendance. I hate to harp on it, but how long can this team stay in Prince George when 18 hundred people show up? I applaud those that do because they make some significant noise.
• It is not often you see another WHL GM in Prince George at this time of the year, but Prince Albert Raiders Bruno Campese was sitting with Cougars GM Dallas Thompson for the entire game. I am sure what type of winter tires Thompson chose to put on his vehicle wasn't the only thing Campese was discussing during the two hour game.
• Brett Bulmer was wearing an 'A' on his jersey. That 'A' is usually sported by Spencer Main, who remains sidelined with an upper body injury.
  

PK comes up large in one goal win

• 
• The power play could have put the game away in the second period, but the penalty killing unit ended up being the story in the third as the Kelowna Rockets pulled out a 3-2 win Friday night over the Prince George Cougars. The win, the Rockets second on the road this season, snapped an eight game road losing streak. The Rockets killed off four-third period penalties and six overall for their 7th win of the season.
• The Rockets built up a 3-1 first period lead but manufactured little with two-second period power plays to open up a three goal margin. On this night it didn't cost them. Fortunately the Cougars own the worst power play unit in the WHL.
• Carter Rigby snapped a 12 game goal scoring drought with his third goal of the season to open the scoring. Cody Chikie and Madison Bowey, with a power play goal, rounded out the scoring for the visitors.
  
• The Rockets have now been involved in three straight one-goal games. The Rockets are 2-0-1-0 in those one goal games.
  

Pictures from Prince George.

Rookie defenceman Cole Martin unloads his gear and attempts to avoid my camera.
Just outside the dressing room at Prospera Place the Rockets bus awaits.
Tyrell Goulbourne (right) looks a little chilled as we arrive at the CN Centre in Prince George. Joining Goulbourne is Filip Vasko and Tanner Moar.
The Rockets bus looking clean as it awaits the sloppy drive to Prince George.

A diary of the Rockets trip to Prince George

Rockets defenceman Jesse Lees is seen here putting his gear on the bus before leaving to Prince George. I have more pic's to share on tomorrow's blog.

Bartel, Regan

10:45 am: Arrive at arena. The Rockets bus, all 800 thousand dollars of it, sits waiting behind Prospera Place as the players load it with equipment, the skate sharpener and the jersey's. Don't forget the jersey's! Vancouver did that and it didn't go over well.

9:28 PM

10:45 am: Arrive at arena. The Rockets bus, all 800 thousand dollars of it, sits waiting behind Prospera Place as the players load it with equipment, the skate sharpener and the jerseys. Don't forget the jerseys! The Vancouver Giants made that error and it didn't go over very well with management. Rookie Tanner Moar, Tyrell Goulbourne, Tyson Baillie and Filip Vasko do most of the grunt work. In saying that, veteran Adam Brown doesn't enter the bus empty handed. With a dozen water bottles in hand for the boys at the back of the bus, Brown acknowledges he understands the importance of staying hydrated.

11:15 am: We depart for the Wood Fire Bakery for lunch before hitting the road. With coach Huska in Moose Jaw at the Subway Super Series, one of the four deluxe lazy boy seats are now available at the front of the bus. I take over that seat for the trip to Prince George as I sit behind Rockets assistant coach Dan Lambert. As we head for lunch the sun is shining beautifully and the snow that fell the night before is melting at a steady pace.

11:23 am: Arrive at Wood Fire Bakery, a favourite stop of the players. If you have never been to the small eatery make a note of stopping in there. The soup and sandwiches are outstanding. Plus you will hear the owner bellow out "cordone bleau ready" in his own unique style.

11:46 am: With our stomach's full, it is time to hit the road. The bus has additional room on this trip considering coach Huska and players Brett Bulmer, Zach Franko and Colton Sissons are not on board. The three players flew into Prince George from Regina while Huska joins the team tomorrow. The big winners in the extra room on the bus are rookies like Tanner Moar and Austin Ferguson who get two seats to themselves. When the bus is full those two sit with each other which provides for little elbow room.

11:55 am: As the bus heads out to Vernon, the first movie of the road trip is fired up.' Trailer Park Boys' provide a few early laughs that even have bus driver Mel giggling as he keeps his eye on the road guiding our chariot along the way. Speaking of the roads, despite the snowfall overnight, the road is wet but clear. Even if the road conditions hold up, we are in for a 8 hour bus ride.

1:45 pm: The first movie of the trip is over as we arrive in Kamloops where their is virtually no snow. We are welcomed by the sun which is ripping through the bus windows. Hate to say it, but it is makes it hard to have a mid afternoon nap.

3:25 pm: After a short nap, assistant coach Dan Lambert brings out the WHL Media Guide for an impromptu trivia round. The participants are myself, athletic therapist Jeff Thorburn and assistant Ryan Cuthbert. The question of who holds the record for the longest losing streak on the road (36 games) in the WHL raises the eyebrows of everyone within ear shot. The league record for most points for a rookie also has us amazed. Good fun.

3:40 pm: It is usually at this time of the day that the noon meal becomes a distant memory and several players bring out snacks. Within ear shot of me I can hear rookie Austin Ferguson putting his hands into a brown bag and picking out some delectable treats.

4:23 pm: It is time to watch some satellite TV, which means tuning into the NHL Network to watch Boston and Carolina. Having the 'dish' on the bus and moving within a half hour of Williams Lake where rolling hills, not mountain terrain prevail, provides for great reception.

5:05 pm: We arrive in Williams Lake for supper. Ahead of schedule as the roads are better than first feared, the team takes it's time at Boston Pizza where the meal in conveniently pre-ordered. The players had three options to choose from, so no one is disappointed. Truth be told, assistant coach Ryan Cuthbert has a pretty good grasp of what the boys like to eat, so even the pickiest of eaters leave satisfied.

7:05 pm: After a quick stop in Williams Lake it is back on the bus for the final two and a half hour leg of the trip. After ideal road conditions, they take a turn for the worse just outside of Quesnel. Few inside the bus notice the slower pace of the bus as it waits to pass semi's that are gingerly crawling along the highway. The players attention is on the video screen as the Trail Park Boys marathon continues.

8:49 pm: Touchdown! We officially arrive in Prince George. Everyone is a little stir crazy inside the bus as the long trip comes to an end. The first stop is the CN Centre where the players will unloaded their gear before heading to the hotel. Outside of a few players that may make a quick walk to Tim Horton's for a bite to eat, it's in their rooms for the night.

Pumping the tires of a colleague

Congratulations to Tri City Americans radio voice Craig West who called his 1000th game with the organization on the weekend.
That is no small feat.
Here's an interview from two seasons ago with the Americans broadcaster:

http://reganbartel.blogspot.com/2010/01/tri-city-americans-radio-voice-craig.html

Attention to d-zone translates into three pts.

• Are you a glass half empty type of person or a glass half full? If you assess the Kelowna Rockets weekend with the glass half full, it was a remarkable improvement in effort and attention to detail defensively that resulted in a shootout win and an overtime loss. Add it up and the Rockets earned three out of possible four points. It marked the first time since October 1st and 5th, with wins over Vancouver and Tri City, that the Rockets earned points in back-to-back games.


• We shouldn't look past the Rockets improved defensive effort in Saturday's 3-2 overtime loss in Vancouver. The Rockets allowed just 13 shots on goal over 40 minutes and goaltender Jordon Cooke must have been wondering if he was playing with the same team that allowed 49 shots on goal in a 6-5 shootout loss last Friday to Portland. The Rockets were much more committed to defense and the forwards deserve a lot of credit for getting back to help the d-men. Sure they lose in overtime, but giving up just four goals in back-to-back games shows me the players are buying in to what the coaches are telling them.
  


• If Brett Bulmer was showcasing himself for Giants head coach Don Hay, he got his point across that he will challenge for a spot with Canada's world junior team. The best skater on the ice Saturday night, Bulmer scored a sweet goal by using his speed to out race a Giants d-man before niftily tucking the puck past Giants goaltender Adam Morrison.


• Colton Sissons also had a terrific effort when he stole the puck just outside the Giants blue line, skated in and scored his team leading 10th goal of the season. The shorthanded goal gave the Rockets a short lived 2-1 lead.
  


• The Rockets power play again struggled by failing to score on four chances. It also gave up another, yes another, breakaway opportunity that Cooke turned aside. The Rockets are now 1 for 19 in their last four games on the power play. That's a success rate of 5.3%.


• Both of the Giants goals were scored on the power play. Half of the goals the Rockets have given up in the last three games (5 of 10 goals scored) have been while shorthanded.


• Kevin Smith returned to the line up this weekend for games against Edmonton and Vancouver. The 20 year-old is no game breaker, but his addition was noted as he was able to spell off some of the younger d-men from playing for long periods of time and in crucial situations.
  


• Captain Colton Sissons remained in Vancouver after the game, where he will fly out to Regina for game one of the WHL portion of the Subway Super Series on Wednesday. Teammates Brett Bulmer and Zach Franko fly out of Kelowna to join Sissons in the 'Queen City'.
  

The number five is prominent in more ways than one.

• The number five played a prominent role in the Kelowna Rockets 2-1 shootout win Friday night over the visiting Edmonton Oil Kings. The win snapped the Rockets' five game losing streak. Goaltender Jordon Cooke, the games first star, stopped the Oil Kings five times when the visitors could have won the game by getting one past him in the shootout. The 18 year-old also earned his first win of the season in his 5th appearance of the year. Prior to last night's win, Cooke had lost in regulation time, had lost in overtime and suffered a shootout loss last Friday against Portland. In his only other appearance, Cooke made 9 saves on 9 shots after taking over from Adam Brown in a third period setback in Kamloops.
• This is scary. The Rockets won their 19th game of the season with that 2-1 victory over the Oil Kings. One season ago, in their 19th game, the Rockets again beat the Oil Kings 2-1. The shots Friday night were 27-25 Oil Kings. Take a guess what the shots were back on November 10th, 2010 against Edmonton? Yep, 27-25 Oil Kings.
  
• While Jordon Cooke was named the games number one star, you had to feel good for forward Zach Franko. Franko scored the game winner as the Rockets won for the 6th time this season. Franko has had a rough time this season finding the back of the net.
  
• Impressive goals in the shootout also came from Shane McColgan and Myles Bell. McColgan's goal showed great patience in a pressure cooker situation and Myles Bell exchanged his cage for a half visor in the shootout to score a beautiful goal that hit the cross bar and went in.
  
• Rookie defenceman Cole Martin had a solid game. With no goals this season, he twice, uncharacteristically, rushed up ice with the puck with great success. The 17 year-old also made some terrific plays in his own zone. Worthy of third star status on our broadcast.
  
• Tyrell Goulbourne deserves some credit in the win. The forward does very well in an opening period fight and then blocks a shot with a diving play that either hits him in the shin or ankle as he throws his body into harms way. What an effort! What a warrior!
  
• I sure liked Oil Kings d-man Griffin Reinhart. Big, mobile and solid defensively. He's a beauty.
• The best 16 year-old forward I've witnessed this season resides in Edmonton. Curtis Lazar had a great game. The best 16 year-old d-man is the one I have the privilege of watching every night.
  

Rockets' game notes vs. Oil Kings

Tonight’s Preview: The Kelowna Rockets face the Edmonton Oil Kings tonight for the first of only three meetings this season. The Oil Kings are at Prospera Place February 15^th before the Rockets return the favor on February 22^nd. This is the fifth and final game of a five game home stand. The Rockets are winless (0-3-1-0) in the first four games and have been out-scored 19-13. Wednesday night, the Rockets fell 6-4 to the visiting Red Deer Rebels. Following tonight’s game the Rockets play three straight on the road with stops in Vancouver (tomorrow) and Prince George, for back-to-back games, next weekend. The Rockets have lost five straight and have just two wins in their last fifteen games (2-11-1-1). Overall the team is 5-11-1-1 this season which includes 4-5-0-1 on home ice.

Who’s Hot: Brett Bulmer has seven points in three games (2+5=7)…Madison Bowey has three goals in his last five games…Shane McColgan has points in 13 of his last 15 games and has been held off the score sheet just three times this season. McColgan has (6+11=17) over that period….Adam Brown has started in goal in fifteen of the first eighteen games…Who’s Not: Colton Sissons snapped a seven game goal scoring drought Wednesday night against Red Deer…Cody Chikie has two goals in his last ten games…Tyson Baillie is without a goal in ten games (Oct 15^th last goal) after scoring twice in the first three games…The Rockets are the youngest team in the WHL with an average age of 17.78 years.

This and That: The Rockets are 5-11-1-1 this season. The last time they got off to this slow of a start was in 2006-2007 when the team was 5-11-0-2 and missed the playoffs that season…The Rockets have failed to out-shoot the opposition in seven games. The last time they managed the feat was in a 3-2 loss in Victoria October 24^th when they out-shot the Royals 24-23….Rockets are winless in four straight home games (0-3-0-1). The last time the Rockets lost four straight games (or more) at home was back in the 2009-2010 season when the team dropped five straight games (0-3-0-2) from January 6^th to January 20^th….Brett Bulmer and Zach Franko have been added to Team WHL for the Subway Super Series later this month. Bulmer and Franko will play in one of two games…Colton Sissons will also play after being one of 29 players named to the roster for Team WHL for the Subway Super Series. Sissons, Franko and Bulmer will play against the Russians on November 16^th in Regina. Last season, Tyson Barrie represented the Rockets at the Subway Super Series and eventually made Team Canada. Head Coach Ryan Huska will be behind the bench for both games…The Rockets are winless in seven straight road games (0-6-1-0) with their only win coming in Everett on September 24^th…The Rockets lost seven straight road games (0-6-1-0) during the 2009-2010 season…Adam Brown is second – all-time - in games played by a Kelowna Rockets goaltender. Brown has 163 career appearances. The franchise leader is Kevin Swanson, who played in 167 games in 1998-2001…The Rockets were 8-10-0-0 after eighteen games last season…The Rockets have scored 57 goals in eighteen games this season after scoring 60 times in their first eighteen games one season ago…The Rockets have allowed seventy-four (74) goals against in eighteen games this season after giving up seventy (70) goals in the first eighteen games last season….The Rockets are playing their 1459^th regular season game tonight and will hit the 15 hundred mark when they host Red Deer on February 18^th…Ryan Huska has 163 wins behind the Rockets bench…The Rockets have scored a power play goal in nine of their last ten games. The Rockets failed to score a power play goal last Saturday night in a 3-1 loss to Portland…Rockets’ November birthdays are Colton Sissons (18) on November 5^th and Tyson Baillie (16) on November 16^th.

Milestone Makers:

Cody Chikie played in his 150^th WHL game last Sunday in Kamloops. Chikie has 79 career points.

Shane McColgan has 158 career points in 159 career games.

Spencer Main is playing in his 198^th WHL game tonight.

Myles Bell played in his 150^th WHL game last Saturday against Portland.

Kevin Smith is five games shy of 250^th of his WHL career.

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

Brett Bulmer is 4 points shy of 100 for his career.

Man Games Lost to Injury:

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

Jason Siebert: 18 games missed Max Adolph: 18 games missed

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

Tyrell Goulbourne: 3 games missed Jesse Lees: 8 games missed

Spencer Main: 6 games missed Filip Vasko – 1 game served for suspension

Myles Bell – 1 game missed

Total: 92 man games lost

Power outage on power play

• The Kelowna Rockets power play proved to be their worst enemy last night in a 6-4 loss to the Red Deer Rebels. The Rockets were rewarded with four straight second period power play chances, yet failed to score, as they dropped their overall record to 5-11-1-1. What made matters worse is they also allowed a shorthanded goal as the Rebels broke open a 1-1 game with three unanswered goals in the second period.
• Where is the urgency on the Rebels shorthanded goal? Brown makes a save on a sharp angle shot and Rebels defenceman Alex Petrovic wins a race to a loose puck and awkwardly puts it into the net to make it 4-1. If the Rockets defender, even in the least bit, gets back to check Petrovic, the goal doesn't happen.
  
• A great start for the the Rockets, who scored less than two minutes into the game thanks to a power play goal from Madison Bowey and physical play from throughout the line up. With 15 shots on goal, the Rockets were doing all the right things in order to have success. Unfortunately that game plan was railroaded after two penalties which gave the visitors a 5 on 3 at the midway point of the second period. The Rebels would score to make it a 3-1 game.
• The Rockets found themselves down 4-1 heading into the third period but rallied with three goals, including Shane McColgan's marker to make it a one goal game. The Rockets surrender a goal just 1:48 minutes later and the Rebels regain the two goal edge.
• A tough night for goaltender Adam Brown. In this game the Rebels were better in that area. Rebound control was an issue and timely saves were few and far between. Rebels netminder Patrik Bartosak, like his team, seemed to get better as the game went on.
• Playing on a line with Brett Bulmer, Cody Chikie and Colton Sissons broke out of significant goal scoring slumps. Chikie snapped a seven game goal scoring drought. Sissons also scored in the third period for only his second in ten games.
• Bulmer ended the game with three assists.
  
• I still see to much individualistic play by the forwards, specifically in the neutral zone, but that may be the result of the defenseman's inability to get the puck into the forwards hands. How many passes from the d-men are landing in the skates of the forwards?
• It was nice to see Carter Rigby back in the line up after missing seven games with an upper body injury. Rigby played well considering the length of time he was out. He also provided us with the best quote of the night when he was asked if some players on his team accept losing. "If you accept losing, get the hell out of the league", Rigby said emphatically on our AM 1150 post game show. Loved the quote and the fire in his eyes when asked. That's the competitive spirit I like to see. Does the question need to be asked? I think so. The response is what I hoped to hear.
• The Rebels didn't play the 'vanilla' game I anticipated. They played with good pace after what I am sure the coaching staff would suggest was a terrible opening period. While looking over- matched after 20 minutes, the Rebels picked up their skill game and turned up their work ethic by out-shooting the Rockets 9-0 in the first half of the second period.
  
• Mathew Dumba didn't disappoint. The 17 year-old Rebels d-man was steady, but not spectacular. What he does well is make hard plays with the puck. He wasn't guilty of over playing pucks or making soft passes. When Dumba rims the puck to get the puck out of the zone, he does it with urgency and rifles it so the defending team has no chance of keeping it inside the zone. He is not without his flaws, but what young player is?
  

Rockets game notes vs. Rebels

Tonight’s Preview: The Kelowna Rockets face the Red Deer Rebels in one of only two meetings this season. The Rockets make a trip to Alberta in February with stops in Lethbridge, Edmonton, Medicine Hat and Calgary but bypass Red Deer after making two stops last season. The Rockets and Rebels met twice in 2010-2011 with Kelowna winning both games by scores of 5-1 and 1-0. The Rebels haven’t made a stop at Prospera Place since January 10, 2010 in a 4-3 victory. The Rockets play the fourth of five straight on home ice. The Rockets are winless (0-2-1-0) in the first three games and have been out-scored 13-9. The home stand concludes Friday against the Edmonton Oil Kings before playing three straight games on the road. Overall, the Rockets have just two wins in their last fourteen games (2-10-1-1) and have been out-scored 58-37 over that period.

Who’s Hot: Shane McColgan has points in 12 of his last 14 games and has been held off the score sheet just three times this season. McColgan has (5+11=16) over that period….Adam Brown has started in goal in fourteen of the first seventeen games…Who’s Not: Colton Sissons hasn’t scored in seven games…Cody Chikie has one goal in his last nine games…Tyson Baillie is without a goal in nine games (Oct 15^th last goal) after scoring twice in the first three games…The Rockets are the youngest team in the WHL with an average age of 17.78 years.

This and That: The Rockets have failed to out-shoot the opposition in six games. The last time they managed the feat was in a 3-2 loss in Victoria October 24^th when they out-shot the Royals 24-23….The Rockets have given up 36.8 shots per game in their last six contests….Rockets are winless in three straight home games (0-2-0-1). The Rockets suffered three straight home losses last season from October 13^th to October 20^th with setbacks to Kamloops, Portland and Vancouver. The Rockets would snap the slide with a 4-3 shootout win against Everett….The last time the Rockets lost four straight games (or more) at home was back in the 2009-2010 season when the team dropped five straight games (0-3-0-2) from January 6^th to January 20^th….Brett Bulmer and Zach Franko have been added to Team WHL for the Subway Super Series later this month. Bulmer and Franko will play in one of two games…Colton Sissons will also play after being one of 29 players named to the roster for Team WHL for the Subway Super Series. Sissons, Franko and Bulmer will play against the Russians on November 16^th in Regina. Last season, Tyson Barrie represented the Rockets at the Subway Super Series and eventually made Team Canada. Head Coach Ryan Huska will be behind the bench for both games…The Rockets are winless in seven straight road games (0-6-1-0) with their only win coming in Everett on September 24^th…The Rockets lost seven straight road games (0-6-1-0) during the 2009-2010 season…Adam Brown is second – all-time - in games played by a Kelowna Rockets goaltender. Brown has 162 career appearances. The franchise leader is Kevin Swanson, who played in 167 games in 1998-2001…The Rockets were 7-10-0-0 after seventeen games last season…The Rockets have scored 52 goals in seventeen games this season after scoring 51 times in their first seventeen games one season ago…The Rockets have allowed sixty-eight goals against in seventeen games this season after giving up sixty-seven goals in the first sixteen games last season….The Rockets are playing their 1458^th regular season game tonight and will hit the 15 hundred mark when they host Red Deer on February 18^th…Ryan Huska has 163 wins behind the Rockets bench…The Rockets have scored a power play goal in eight of their last nine games. The Rockets failed to score a power play goal Saturday night in a 3-1 loss to Portland…Rockets’ November birthdays are Colton Sissons (18) on November 5^th and Tyson Baillie (16) on November 16^th.

Milestone Makers:

Cody Chikie played in his 150^th WHL game last Sunday in Kamloops. Chikie has 78 career points.

Shane McColgan has 157 career points in 157 career games.

Spencer Main is playing in his 198^th WHL game tonight.

Myles Bell played in his 150^th WHL game Saturday night against Portland.

Kevin Smith is five games shy of 250^th of his WHL career.

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

Brett Bulmer is 7 points shy of 100 for his career.

Game notes vs. Hawks

Tonight’s Preview: The Kelowna Rockets face the Portland Winterhawks in the back end of a mini two game series at Prospera Place. These two teams met last night with the Hawks coming back for a 6-5 shootout win. The Hawks never led in the game until the winning goal in the shootout. Brett Bulmer had four points (2+2=4) in the setback. Following tonight’s game, these two teams close out the seasonal series January 11^th and 13^th in Portand. Overall, the Rockets have just two wins in their last thirteen games (2-9-1-1) and have been out-scored 55-36 over that period. This is game three of five straight on home ice. The Rockets welcome Red Deer this Wednesday before hosting Edmonton Friday night. The Rockets are back on the road, one week from tonight, in Vancouver.

This and That: Jordon Cooke is 0-2-0-1 in three career starts at Prospera Place. The 18 year-old has made three other appearances, but all were in a relief effort....Last night’s shootout loss was the Rockets first at home since a 5-4 setback to the team formerly known as the Chilliwack Bruins. Jamie Crooks scored the game winner February 11/11 in the Bruins one goal win…Brett Bulmer’s four point game was not the first of his career. Bulmer had 1+3=4 back on December 17/10 in a 5-1 win in Calgary. Bulmer was named the first start…The Rockets received some good news Monday when the Minnesota Wild shipped 19 year-old forward Brett Bulmer back to the team. Bulmer played in nine NHL regular season games...Bulmer and Zach Franko have been added to Team WHL for the Subway Super Series later this month. Bulmer and Franko will play in one of two games…Colton Sissons was one of 29 players named to the roster for Team WHL for the Subway Super Series last week. Sissons, Franko and Bulmer will play against the Russians on November 16^th in Regina. Last season, Tyson Barrie represented the Rockets at the Subway Super Series and eventually made Team Canada. Head Coach Ryan Huska will be behind the bench for both games…The Rockets are winless in seven straight road games (0-6-1-0) with their only win coming in Everett on September 24^th…The Rockets lost seven straight road games (0-6-1-0) during the 2009-2010 season…Adam Brown is second – all-time - in games played by a Kelowna Rockets goaltender. Brown has 161 career appearances. The franchise leader is Kevin Swanson, who played in 167 games in 1998-2001…The Rockets were 6-10-0-0 after sixteen games last season…The Rockets have scored 51 goals in sixteen games this season after scoring just 47 times in their first sixteen games one season ago…The Rockets have allowed sixty-five goals against in sixteen games this season after giving up sixty-four goals in the first sixteen games last season….The Rockets are playing their 1457^th regular season game tonight and will hit the 15 hundred mark when they host Red Deer on February 18^th…The Rockets closed out a portion of their schedule last Saturday where they played nine straight games against teams in the BC Division. The Rockets were 2-6-1-0 over that period…Ryan Huska has 163 wins behind the Rockets bench…The Rockets have scored a power play goal in eight straight games…The Rockets have allowed 4.06 goals per game this season. Victoria allows the most goals against in the BC Division per game at 4.4…The Rockets own the 5^th best power play in the W.H.L.

Who’s Hot: Shane McColgan has points in 12 of his last 13 games. McColgan has (5+11=16) over that period….Colton Sissons has points in twelve of his first sixteen games. Sissons has 7+5=12 over that stretch…Adam Brown has started in goal in thirteen of the first sixteen games…Who’s Not: Cody Chikie has one goal in his last eight games…Zach Franko snapped a five game goal scoring drought with a two goal effort last night…Tyson Baillie has one goal in his last thirteen games after scoring twice in the first three games…The Rockets are the youngest team in the WHL with an average age of 17.78 years.