Three Way Horse Race for 4th Begins - Giddy Up!

• Sunday night's 2-1 win in Portland saw the Rockets dominate the play, yet the Hawks were a shot away from sending this game into overtime. The Rockets built up a 2-0 lead after 40 minutes only to have the Hawks score a power play goal with less than 2 minutes left in regulation time to make it a one goal game. The power play goal came with the goaltender pulled for the extra attacker.
• The lack of a killer instinct by the Rockets just about cost them. Several quality chances, including failed breakaway attempts by Brandon McMillan and Lucas Bloodoff shorthanded gave the Hawks a fighting chance. Those missed opportunities against better teams will come back and bite you. On this night the Rockets got a scare, but came away with the two points.
• With a 2-0 third period lead in their pocket, the Rockets were awarded a 5 on 3 for basically a full two minutes after the Hawks took a minor penalty and then were assessed a bench minor. A goal would have put a dagger in the Hawks heart. It would have been game over, and would have eliminated those anxious moments the team endured as they hung on for the win. But the Rockets generated few chances with the two man advantage, and gave the home team renewed life.
• Goaltender Kristofer Westblom wasn’t overly tested in this one, facing just 17 shots. Westblom has now started four straight, and has won 4 of his last 6 starts.
• Colin Long has feasted on the worst team in the WHL this season, yet was held off the score-sheet last night. Long’s 9 game point streak came to an end, yet his one point lead on Chilliwack’s Mark Santorelli for the scoring title remains intact.
• It was nice to see Kyle St. Denis and Evan Bloodoff hook up for the games first goal. The two seventeen year-old forwards have cooled off considerably over the last month. St. Denis had just one goal in his last 12 games while Bloodoff hasn’t scored in his last 13.
• Lucas Bloodoff is now the Rockets official power play leader. Bloodoff scored his team leading 14th power play goal of the season to give the Rockets a 2-0 lead. Bloodoff now has one more power play goal than Colin Long and injured forward Jamie Benn.
• The Rockets make just one more stop this season south of the border. That road game has them stopping in the Tri Cities. The Rockets have just 7 wins in 18 games against a U.S opponent this season. Four of those wins have been against Portland.
• The win moves the Rockets back into 5th place in the Western Conference, one point back of Seattle and one point better than 6th place Everett.
• Since the trade deadline the Rockets are 10-10-0-2. By comparison the team the Rockets are trying to chase down for 4th place in the Western Conference – Seattle – is 19-7-0-1 since the deadline.

Here is a picture of two hockey fans who harassed me all weekend long. All joking aside, it's actually Steve and Lana Long, the parents of Rockets leading scorer Colin Long.