Rockets game notes vs. Wheat Kings

Tonight’s Preview: The Kelowna Rockets play their 5^th home game of the season tonight when they welcome the Brandon Wheat Kings. This is the one and only meeting of the season between the two teams. In their last visit, October 26/2010, Mark Stone scored once and added an assist in a 3-1 win. Shane McColgan scored the lone goal in a losing cause. Neither of those players are with those two teams. Last season, in Brandon, the Wheat Kings earning a 5-3 win. Colton Sissons scored twice while Carter Rigby added his 9^th of the season in a losing cause. Following tonight’s game, the Rockets head out on a Central Division road trip which starts Wednesday in Medicine Hat. The trip includes stops in Red Deer, Edmonton and Calgary. Overall, the Rockets have won four of their last seven games. The Rockets next home game is November 1^st against the visiting Kamloops Blazers.

This and That: In the Rockets 5 wins this season, Myles Bell has earned 15 points (6+9=15). Of the 25 goals scored by the team, Bell has been in on 15 of them or 60 percent…Bell has 8+11=19 after 11 games this season. Last season after 11 games, Bell had 4+7=11….Colton Sissons is a +8 in the month of October. The Rockets captain has 6+5=11 in October after going scoreless in four games in September. Sissons leads the Rockets in +/- with a +9…Ryan Olsen is serving game two of a three game suspension for a high hit against Victoria last Saturday. Olsen leads the team in power play goals with three. Last season Colton Sissons led the team in power play goals with 13…Dylen McKinlay has a five game point streak. McKinlay has 2+6=8 in his last five games…Myles Bell has 7+15=17 in his last eight games….Colton Sissons has the longest point streak of any Rockets player this season (6)…The Rockets are 5-5-0-1 after eleven games this season. They were 4-6-0-1 after eleven games last season…Five of the Rockets first eleven games have been decided by a single goal….The Rockets were involved in a whopping 37-one goal games last season…In November the team plays eight of 11 games on home ice…Dylen McKinlay has four multiple point games this season and has twelve points in his last eight games (3+9=12)…Zach Franko has missed the last two game with an undisclosed injury. Franko was hurt last Friday in Victoria, snapping his consecutive game streak at 153 straight regular season games…Did you know that Kelowna Rockets defenceman Damon Severson was born in Brandon? While he was raised in Melville Saskatchewan, the 18 year-old was born in the Manitoba city… Tyrell Goulbourne, J.T Barnett and rookie Austin Glover are the only three skaters that have failed to find the score sheet this season…The Rockets have scored 20 goals in their last five games. Bell (4), Sissons and Chartier (3 each), Franko, Severson and McKinlay (2 each) and Lees and Nyberg (1 each) lead the way.         

Rockets Prospects Recognized: Two prospects with the Kelowna Rockets will participate in the upcoming Western Canada U-16 Challenge Cup. Nick Merkley will play for Team Alberta while Joe Gatenby will suit up for Team BC. Merkley was the Rockets 1^st round pick in the 2012 WHL bantam draft while Gatenby was taken in the second round. The U-16 Challenge Cup takes place Nov 1^st to 4^th in Calgary.   

Milestone Makers:

Zach Franko played in his 150^th career game October 5/12 in Prince George.

Dylen McKinlay played in his 250^th career WHL regular season game September 22/2012

Ryan Olsen is five games shy of 150 for his career. This is game #146 tonight.

Myles Bell played in his 200^th career WHL game Thursday against Prince George.

J.T Barnett has scored 46 career WHL goals.

Colton Sissons has 96 career points.

Three Stars       1^st      2^nd        3^rd   

Jordon Cooke:   3                     1    

Colton Sissons: 1         1

Madison Bowey:                       1

Zach Franko:               1            1           

Myles Bell:         1        2           1

Rourke Chartier:                        1      

Dylen McKinlay            1           1

Damon Severson                      1