Game notes vs. Royals

Tonight’s Preview: The Kelowna Rockets play their 6^th road game of the season tonight with a stop in Victoria to face the Royals. This is the first of two stops in Victoria this season. The Rockets make a return visit for back-to-back games February 22^nd and 23^rd.  These two teams are meeting for the first of eight times this season. Oddly, the Royals don’t visit Prospera Place until January 2^nd. Last season the Rockets were 1-3-0-0 at home against the Royals and 2-1-1-0 on the Island. Five of the eight games were decided by a single goal. Overall, the Rockets were out-scored 28-27 in the seasonal series. The Rockets are coming off a 6-4 home ice loss Wednesday night to the Spokane Chiefs. Ryan Olsen scored twice and Myles Bell added three assists in the setback. Following tonight’s game, the Rockets meet the Royals again tomorrow night before welcoming the Prince George Cougars in a rare Thursday (October 18^th) night game at Prospera Place. Overall, the Rockets have won three of their last five games.

This and That: The Rockets have allowed 21 goals against in their first five road games…The Rockets have scored 19 goals on the road in their first five games…Defenceman Myles Bell leads the WHL in scoring heading into this weekend. Bell has 5+9=14 and is tied with Blazers forward J.C Lipon for the league lead. Bell also leads all defenceman in scoring. The 19 year-old has 12 points in his last five games….Colton Sissons is riding a team high six game point streak with 4+7=11 over that period…Goaltender Jordon Cooke has played the second most minutes of any goaltender in the WHL this season. The 19 year-old has started all seven games and has racked up 442 minutes in goal. Only Tri City’s Eric Comrie has spent more time in goal (484) than Cooke….The Rockets are 3-4-0-1 after eight games this season. They were 3-4-0-1 after eight games last season…Four of the Rockets first eight games have been decided by a single goal….The Rockets were involved in a whopping 37-one goal games last season…The Rockets have surrendered 30 goals in the first eight games this season. Last season the team surrendered 35 goals after eight games…The Rockets open a portion of their schedule playing six of their next eight games on the road. When it is all said and done, the Rockets will have played 11 of their first 16 games away from Prospera Place…In November the team plays eight of 11 games on home ice…The Rockets have opened the scoring in five of the first eight games…Dylen McKinlay has four multiple point games this season and has nine points in his last five games (2+7=9).   

Let’s Make a Deal: The Kelowna Rockets traded 17 year-old Austin Ferguson to the Red Deer Rebels Wednesday for a condition WHL bantam pick. Ferguson was a 10^th round pick in the 2010 draft. Ferguson was second in pre-season scoring but dressed in only two of seven games this season.

For Whom the Bell Tolls: Myles Bell has 23-multiple point games in his WHL career. The 19 year-old is one of three Rockets with over 100 points in his WHL career. Bell has 119 points. Dylen McKinlay has 122 points while Zach Franko hit the 100 point plateau last weekend and now has 101 career points.