Tonight’s Preview: The
Kelowna Rockets play game two of a five game Alberta road trip tonight against
the Medicine Hat Tigers. The Rockets are playing five games in eight nights’
which includes stops in Calgary (Sunday), Edmonton (December 16th)
and Red Deer (December 17th). The team only plays back-to-back games once on
this road trip with stops in Edmonton and then a night later against the
Rebels. On Wednesday night, Dillon Dube scored twice and added an assist in a
4-3 shootout win over the Lethbridge Hurricanes. Nick Merkley scored the game
winning goal in the shootout. Rodney Southam added his second goal in a Rockets
uniform in the teams’ 25th win of the season. This is the first of
two meetings between the Rockets and Tigers this season. They meet again in
Kelowna on January 10th – trade deadline day in the WHL. Last season
the Rockets were 2-0-0-0 with a 5-4 victory and a 4-3 win. Overall, the Rockets
have a record of 5-3-2-0 in their last 10 games. The Rockets return home after
the Christmas break to host the Kamloops Blazers on December 27th.
Blockbuster Deal: The Kelowna
Rockets pulled off a four player deal with the Prince Albert Raiders Wednesday
night. The Rockets acquired 19 year-old Josh Morrissey and 19 year-old Gage
Quinney from the Raiders for 19 year-old Jesse Lees, 18 year-old Austin Glover
and a 2nd and 3rd round draft pick. Morrissey is attempting to make Canada’s entry at the World Junior
Hockey Championships while Quinney is making his debut tonight with his new
team after playing Tuesday night in Vancouver with the Raiders.
Digging Deeper: Josh
Morrissey is a first round pick of the NHL’s Winnipeg Jets. Morrissey was an
Eastern Conference 1st team all-star last season, recording 28 goals
on the Raiders blue line. Morrissey is also the older brother of Rockets rookie
goaltender Jake Morrissey. Gage Quinney was born in Las Vegas Nevada when his
father Ken (born in Quesnel BC) was playing down there for the Las Vegas
Thunder of the defunct International Hockey League. Quinney’s father was a 10th
round NHL pick of the Quebec Nordiques and is a former teammate of Rockets head
coach Dan Lambert. Gage’s brother Landon is listed by the Moose Jaw
Warriors.
First to 30: Rourke
Chartier became the first Kelowna Rockets player to reach 30 goals in under 30
games. Chartier has 31 goals in 28 games after scoring twice on Wednesday. That
breaks the old mark of the quickest player to 30 goals, set by Brett McLean,
who scored 30 goals in 30 games in the 1997-98 season. Here are other Rockets
players to reach 30 goals in a short period of time.
1)
Rourke
Chartier: 30 goals in 28 games (2014-2015).
2)
Brett
McLean: 30 goals in 30 games (1997-98).
3)
Jamie Benn:
30 goals in 36 games (2008-2009).
4)
Jason
Deleurme: 30 goals in 36 games (1997-98).
5)
Chuck
Kobasew: 30 goals in 39 games (2001-2002).
The Saskatoon Sniper: Rourke
Chartier had 18+10=28 in the month of November. In 14 games, Chartier scored a
goal in 12 of them. The 18 year-old had points in 13 of those 14 games.
Chartier had 9 multiple point games in the month. Chartier had 6-3 point games
and three-two point games. By comparison, last seasons’ WHL scoring champion
Mitch Holmberg had 12+14=26 in November. The only player to record more points
over the last five seasons in the month of November is Portland’s Brendan
Leipsic. Leipsic had 9+21=30 in November 2012.
Walking wounded:
Tanner
Wishnowski: missed 32 games Mitch
Wheaton: missed 28 games
Dillon
Dube: missed 25 games Dalton
Yorke: missed 14 games
Joe
Gatenby: missed 7 games Jake Morrissey: missed 6 games.
Justin
Kirkland: missed 6 games Cole
Martin: missed 1 game
Total # of games = 134
man games lost to injury. (Unofficial)
*16
games lost by departed players Glover and Lees.
World Junior Bound:
Congratulations Madison Bowey, Josh Morrissey and Rourke Chartier for being three
of 29 players named to Team Canada’s training camp roster for the WJHC. Kelowna
Rockets forward Kris Schmidli will participate in the upcoming World Junior’s
with Switzerland. Rockets majority owner Bruce Hamilton is a member of Team
Canada’s management team.
This and That: Gage
Quinney’s dad Ken played four seasons with the WHL’s Calgary
Wranglers…Quinney’s mother is from Nova Scotia…Nick Merkley is playing in his
100th career game tonight in Medicine Hat…The Rockets have had 12
players play for Canada at World Junior Hockey Championship. Tyler Myers, Luke
Schenn (twice), Tyson Barrie, Shea Weber, Josh Gorges, Brandon McMillan, Blake
Comeau, Chuck Kobasew, Brett McLean, Jamie Benn and Robb Gordon.…Rourke
Chartier was named the WHL Player of the month for November…Nick Merkley is
rated 22nd by the International Scouting Service for this June’s NHL
draft….The Rockets have been held to three goals or less only 8 times this
season…The Rockets are rated as the second best team in Canada according to the
CHL Top 10 junior rankings…Nick Merkley has 16 multiple point games….Rourke
Chartier and Nick Merkley have been held off the score-sheet five times this
season…In case you are wondering, the Rockets have not been shut-out in 107
consecutive games. The last time the Rockets were held without a goal was March
3, 2013 in a 3-0 loss in Kamloops.
Who’s Hot: Tyson
Baillie has six goals in his last 12 games and has points in 9 of his last 15…Over
that period, the 19 year-old has (8+7=15)...Rourke Chartier has eight more
goals (32) than he had all of last season. Chartier has goals in 16 of his last
19 games….Nick Merkley has 6+20=26 in his last 17 games…Madison Bowey has 93
points in his last 100 regular season games.
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