Game notes vs. Blazers

Tonight’s Preview: The Kelowna Rockets face the Kamloops Blazers in a rare Monday night game. This is the fifth meeting of the season between the two teams. The Rockets are 2-1-1-0 in the first four games, having out-scored the Blazers 17-12 in the seasonal series. After tonight these two teams meet again in a home and home series February 15^th and 16^th. The seasonal series concludes with games March 3^rd (@Kamloops), March 8th (@Kamloops) and March 9th (in Kelowna). The Rockets are playing their 4^th game in five nights after winning three games in three nights with victories over Seattle (twice) and Prince Albert. Following tonight’s title with the Blazers, the Rockets host Victoria (Thursday, Jan 31), are in Vancouver (Friday, Feb 1) before hosting the Giants (Saturday, February 2^nd).  This is game 51 of the regular season for the Rockets, who enter tonight’s contest with 37 wins on the season and 77 points in the standings, five more than all of last season. The Rockets have five regulation losses in their last 40 games (33-5-1-1) with setbacks to Tri City (twice), Edmonton, Seattle and Calgary. The Rockets have won 30 of their last 34 (28-4-1-0) games overall. The Rockets enter tonight’s game riding a 21 game home ice winning streak. The only two teams to beat the Rockets on home ice this season are Kamloops and Spokane. Overall, the Rockets have points in fifteen straight games (14-0-1-0), having out-scored the opposition 79-35. The Rockets have won six in a row.  

Seasonal Series Breakdown:

Period      1       2     3    OT   Total

Rockets:   3      9     5     0       17

Blazers:    1      5     5     1       12

*The Rockets have out-shot the Blazers in three of the four games. The Rockets power play is 4 for 16 in the seasonal series. (25%). The Blazers have had seven more power play chances than the Rockets in the four games. (5 for 23 or 22%). 

Home Cook’n: The Rockets are 22-2-0-0 at Prospera Place this season. The team has scored 124 goals (5.2 per game) and has allowed 46 goals against (1.9 per game).  The Rockets have scored at least 3 or more goals in every home game this season except one, when they lost 3-2 to the visiting Kamloops Blazers. The Rockets have scored four or more goals in 18 of their 24 home games. Jordon Cooke and Jackson Whistle have combined for five home ice shutouts this season. The team has allowed two or fewer goals at home this season in 17 of 24 games.

This and That: The Rockets have road games left in the regular season with 8 of them against BC Division teams…With 22 games left in the regular season, the Rockets sit in first place in the BC Division with a eight  point lead on second place Kamloops…. The Rockets 37 wins this season is six better than their win total from all of last season….Five of the Rockets 10 losses this season have been decided by a single goal… Jordon Cooke was named the WHL Goaltender of the Month for December. Cooke was 6-0-0-0 and posted a goals against average of 2.00. Cooke has won his last 20 games. That is a franchise record and is believed to be a league record yet that mark is not recorded in the WHL record book. Kelly Guard won 10 straight games – four different times between 2002 and 2004….The Rockets are rated as the 4^th best team in Canada according to the CHL Top 10 rankings.…Since a 3-0 win over the Kamloops Blazers November 1^st the Rockets are 28-4-1-0….The Rockets 21 game home ice winning streak is a team record. The franchise record is held by the Tacoma Rockets, who won 24 straight home games in 1992-93….Dylen McKinlay is  the only Rocket to play in every game this season…The Rockets have led going into the third period in 33 of their last 41 games with two games being tied heading into the final frame.…The Rockets have 34 power play goal in their last 41 games (34 for 141 over that span – 24.1 %)…..The Rockets have scored 199 goals in their last 42 games (average 4.74)....The Rockets are 22 and 2 after 24 home games this season…Madison Bowey (22), Mitch Wheaton (63) and Myles Bell (87) are rated among the top players by NHL Central Scouting for June’s draft. The mid-season rankings were released by NHLCS on Tuesday. Jackson Whistle is rated (26) among North American goalies…The Rockets have out-scored the opposition 124-46 on home ice this season…The Rockets have scored the most goals in the WHL (223)….Zach Franko has fourteen more points (53) than the 39 he put up all of last season. Franko has tied his career high of 53 points (22+31=53) set in his rookie season in 2010-2011...J.T Barnett has 8+11=19 in 26 games with the Rockets…Dylen McKinlay has four shorthanded goals…Since relocating from Tacoma to Kelowna for the start of the 1995-96 season, the Rockets have picked up 664 wins over the last 18 seasons…Since entering the WHL in 1991, the Tacoma/Kelowna Rockets have scored 4 thousand 553 goals (4,553)…Zach Franko has 53 points this season. Twenty-eight (29) have been registered on the road with 24 coming on home ice…Jordon Cooke’s 27 wins is the most in the WHL….The Rockets have participated in one shootout game this season. That is a league low. Last season the Rockets were involved in a league high 15…The Rockets lead the WHL in home ice wins with (22)…Dylen McKinlay leads the team in plus/minus with a +40. Jesse Schultz was +40 in 2002-2003…Since November 1^st the Rockets have lost four times in regulation…Six of the teams ten regulation losses came in the first five weeks of the season…Dylen McKinlay will play in his 300^th game this Thursday against visiting Victoria. McKinlay is playing his 299^th career game tonight.  McKinlay has 98 career assists…Zach Franko is three points shy of 150 for his career….Colton Heffley played in 150^th career game Saturday  vs. Prince Albert…JT Barnett is 6 games shy of 250 for his WHL career…Tyrell Goulborune has 16 fighting majors this season.              
 

Who’s Hot: Tyson Baillie has 3+3=6 in his last three games…..Jesse Lees has four goals in his last five games…Colton Sissons is riding a seven game point streak. Sissons has 3+7=10 over that period… Ryan Olsen has goals in seven of his last nine games… Zach Franko has 7+5=12 in January, tops among Rockets players…MacKenzie Johnston has 11 points (3+8=11) in his last 11 games…Carter Rigby has 6+3=9 in last four games.