Notes, a quote and anecdotes

• Isn't 72 regular season games in the WHL too much? The question comes to the forefront again after the Kelowna Rockets just completed a stretch which saw them on the ice four times in the last five night's. Surprisingly they came away with 3 wins and an overtime loss.
• The Victoria Royals come into Kelowna red hot. The Royals have won 7 of their last 8 games after a shootout loss last night to the PA Raiders. The guy to watch Thursday is Brandon Magee. The 18 year-old has nine goals in his last four games and should have arguably been named the WHL Player of the Week after putting up six goals against the Vancouver Giants in back-to-back games on the weekend. I guess with that said, Rockets forward Carter Rigby could also be considered for POW after recording back-to-back hat tricks on home ice.
• Myles Bell now has 7-two goal games this season. Ryan Olsen has five-two goal games while Cody Fowlie has four. In total, 11 players on this years team has multiple goal games.
• Speaking of Olsen, (pictured right), the 18 year-old has two more points than Shane McColgan of the Saskatoon Blades. The two were traded for one another this summer. McColgan has 11 goals while Olsen has 26. Olsen is only three back of Myles Bell for the team lead in goals. Bell has 29, five back of the league lead.   
• I wonder if every time Blades coach Lorne Molleken looks at Olsen's stats he cringes? Maybe that only happens when he looks at Colton Sissons. How good would those two players look in a Blades uniform right now?   
• I was a Blackberry user and reluctantly went to an IPhone at the request of the radio station. Would never go back.
• I just downloaded the Edmonton Oilers app on my phone. It is outstanding. I would love the Kelowna Rockets to offer a similar app where blogs, articles and video would be as close as your phone. Only time will tell.
• Who do you want to win tonight...Kamloops or Portland? The two teams collide tonight in the Rose City. A Portland win and they are seven points up on the Rockets for first place in the WHL standings. A Blazers win and the Rockets lead them by just five points for first place in the BC Division. Personally, I will go with a Winterhawks victory and let you figure out why I'd say that.
•  Here is Seattle coach Steve Konowalchuk's take on the Kelowna Rockets. "They are playing with so much confidence. You can really see it...they are playing for one another as a team. When it's 6-0 they are still blocking shots and doing things for the reason of winning. They have depth and they keep coming at you".  
• Ryan Olsen and Myles Bell are approaching 30 goals. When was the last time two Rockets scored 30 or more goals in the same season? It was 2008-2009 when Jamie Benn (43), Colin Long (33) and Cody Almond (33) all reached the 30 goal benchmark. 
• I received a nice e-mail this week from a mother of a Kelowna Rockets player. I won't mention what was said, but her kind words were appreciated. I am glad that this blog, which is time consuming, provides families/friends and fans with a little more than what you can read either in the newspaper or hear on our broadcasts. I try to share my opinion to make it an interesting place to visit.
• I am still amazed that when Gary Glitters - Rock'n Roll song comes on at the ShoWare Center, the fans yell out in unison, "Portland Sucks".   
• I made this comment on Twitter the other day but I thought I should get it in print. Ryan Huska should be considered a front runner for the Western Conference coach of the year. While Travis Green and Guy Charron have done a great job with Portland and Kamloops respectively, those two teams were suppose to be at the top of the conference. The Rockets, led by Huska, weren't suppose to be in the same breath as those two teams.