Colin Look to Cory During A Disappointment

• Some thing's in life happen for a reason. What that means for Kelowna Rockets forward Colin Long after losing the scoring title to Chilliwack's Mark Santorelli by one point on the final night of the regular season remains a question mark. Santorelli scored twice Sunday in a 5-3 loss to the Vancouver Giants, giving him 101 points, one better than Long's 100. This isn't the first time I've witnessed a scoring race go down to the last game of the season. As the play-by-play voice of the Swift Current Broncos in the 1997-98 season, I remember a scoring title battle between the Broncos Sergei Varlamov and Brandon's Cory Cyrenne. The two went back and forth all season long, but on the final night Cyrenne tied Varlamov for the scoring crown with an apparent three point night. One day later Cyrenne admitted he was credited for being in on a Wheat King goal when indeed he should not have been given an assist. Varlamov ended up winning the scoring crown with 119 points, one better than Cyrenne's 118. My point is Cory Cyrenne didn't let a scoring title consume him. Cyrenne wanted something more than a personal award, Cyrenne wanted a league title. The 20 year-old helped the Wheat Kings to the WHL Championship that season before losing out to Portland. Sure Sergei Varlamov had a scoring title, but his team was booted from the playoffs in the second round.
• Torrie Jung and Kristofer Westblom shouldn't be fooled into thinking they can play just a small part in the Rockets success in this years playoffs. I have an example of how one goaltender can not only win a playoff series, but lead a lower seeded team to a league championship final. In the 2004-2005 season a goatender by the name of Danny Battochio led the Ottawa 67's to the O-H-L finals against the London Knights. Battochio played on a 67's team that ended up placing 6th in the Eastern Conference (the Rockets are a 6th seed this season) with just 34 wins. Despite some struggles during the regular season, Battochio stood on his head and led the 67's to three playoff upsets before eventually falling to London in the O-H-L final. Battochio would play at the 2005 Memorial Cup though. As an O-H-L runner up to the host Knights, Ottawa received a birth into the tournament where they managed to win just one game. Which team did they beat at the tournament? Kristofer Westblom and the Kelowna Rockets were beaten by Battochio and the 67's in overtime. Battochio made a Memorial Cup record 62 saves in the win, during a playoff and Memorial Cup that saw one single player - the goaltender - lead a 6th place team during the regular season into the four team round robin for the Canadian Hockey League title.
• The Rockets and T-Birds have met three times before in the playoffs. In 2001 the two team's met in the quarter finals. The T-Birds would win in 6 games. Then in 2003 the Rockets and T-Birds collided in the Western Conference final, with the Rockets winning in 5 games. In the 2005 playoffs the Rockets again met the T-Birds, this time in the semi's, where the Rockets would advance against Kootenay in a hard fought 7 game series.
• How good was the Rockets regular season in comparison to a non-playoff year in 06-07? The Rockets won 16 more games, lost 15 fewer games and recorded 31 more points. The Rockets scored 92 more goals while allowing 31 fewer against. The biggest improvement from one season ago was the teams road success. After just 6 road wins, the Rockets managed 17 this season.
• The Rockets specialty teams were improved from a season ago. The team scored 82 goals with the extra man, 25 more than in 06-07.
• The only category last years team bettered than this season was the number of power play chances. The Rockets had 412 power play chances this season after having 458 a year ago.
• The Rockets and T-Birds are evenly matched if you use statistics as a measuring stick. The Rockets scored 248 goals, 7 more than Seattle. The T-Birds allowed 179 goals against, 36 fewer than Kelowna.
• The Rockets had 8 players with 15 or more goals this season. The team also had ten players with 10 or more goals. By comparison the T-Birds had seven players who scored 15 or more goals and nine players who scored 10 or more.