Game notes vs. Chiefs

Tonight’s Preview: The Kelowna Rockets play the second of a three game road trip with a stop in Spokane to battle the Chiefs. This is the first of four meetings between the two teams this season. The Rockets make a return visit November 11^th. The Chiefs make two stops in Kelowna on November 7^th and March 7^th. Last season the Rockets were 1-1-0-0 in Spokane and 1-0-0-1 at home ice. In the four meetings the Rockets were 2-1-0-1, with the Chiefs out-scoring the defending WHL regular season champions 14-13. The Rockets are coming off a 6-4 win in Kamloops Wednesday night. Rourke Chartier and Austin Glover each scored twice in the win while Nick Merkley chipped in with three assists. The team went 3 for 5 on the power play. Jackson Whistle made 35 saves in the victory. Following tonight’s game the Rockets are in Tri City tomorrow before welcoming the Americans this Wednesday at Prospera Place.

Last season vs. Spokane Chiefs:

In Spokane: 6-3 loss and 2-1 win.

In Kelowna: 6-5 shootout loss and a 2-1 win.  

Bowey-Baillie represents WHL: Captain Madison Bowey and 19 year-old forward Tyson Baillie will represent the Western Hockey League in the Subway Super Series in November. Games against the Russian Selects will take place in Saskatoon November 10^th and in Brandon November 11^th.  Kelowna, Red Deer, Calgary, Brandon and Edmonton have two or more players on that WHL team.  

Trade winds blow: The Rockets reduced their roster last Friday by sending 20 year-old Carter Rigby to the Swift Current Broncos for a third round bantam pick. Rigby was originally acquired from the Prince George Cougars in September, 2011 for a third round bantam selection. Rigby played 157 regular season games in the Okanagan and scored a career high 21 goals in 2011-2012.

Rockets roar up top 10 rankings: The Rockets are now the top rated team in the CHL. The Rockets moved into the #1 spot in the CHL Top 10 rankings this week. Last week the team was ranked #2. They started the season rated as the 5^th best team in the nation.

Tyson Time: Tyson Baillie leads the WHL in goals with 10. Baillie has scored a goal in seven of the nine games he has played this season. The 19 year-old played in his 200^th career game Wednesday in Kamloops. Baillie is the highest scoring third round bantam pick the team has ever had. Randall Gelech, a third round pick from 1999, had 112 career points in a Rockets uniform.  Baillie has 155 career points including 68 goals and 87 assists.   

This and That: The Rockets are riding a 9 game winning streak to start the season. The team had a 16 game winning streak last season from November 22/13 to January 2/14….The Kamloops Blazers went 17 games without a regulation loss to start the season in 2012-2013…..The Calgary Hitmen went 11 games without a regulation loss to start the season in 1998-99. The team was 9-0-2 in its first 11 games when ties were a possible way of ending games...Rourke Chartier’s three points (2+1=3) Wednesday night allowed him to reach the 100 point plateau for his career. Chartier now has 102 career points in 138 regular season games…Chartier has three-multiple goal games this season. Chartier had four-multiple goal games last season. Of the seven career multiple goal games, six have been recorded on the road.…The Rockets gave up a season high 39 shots against Wednesday against the Kamloops Blazers. It was the first time this season the team was out-shot….Nick Merkley is second in WHL scoring with 3+15=18. That is one point fewer than Medicine Hat’s Cole Sanford….Nick Merkley now has 76 points in 76 career games….Rookie Dillon Dube will represent Canada at the Under 17 World Hockey Challenge at the end of the month. Dube will play for Team White. Rockets Head Coach Dan Lambert will coach Team Red….The Rockets are an incredible 119-27-3-5 in their last 154 regular season games dating back to the start of the 2012-2013 season….The Rockets have scored five shorthanded goals this season. Last season the team managed 13 shorthanded goals and had the best penalty killing unit in the WHL…Colton Heffley played in his 250^th career WHL game October 7^th against the Swift Current Broncos…. The Rockets have scored a power play goal in seven of nine games…The opposition has opened the scoring in six of the nine games….The Rockets have out-shot the opposition in eight of the nine games this season…Tyson Baillie had a six game goal scoring streak earlier this season. It is the second longest in the WHL this season. Victoria’s Austin Carroll is riding an 8 game goal scoring streak….