Rockets game notes vs. Rebels

Tonight’s Preview: The Kelowna Rockets open a four game road trip tonight with a stop in Red Deer against the Rebels. This is the second and final meeting of the season between the two teams. These two teams met back on December 17^th with the Rockets earning a 6-3 win. Justin Kirkland scored twice and added an assist in the victory. Jackson Whistle made 25 saves. The Rockets are coming off a 9-3 win Saturday against the Everett Silvertips. Tyrell Goulbourne scored twice and added three assists. The Rockets exploded for five goals in the second period in the lopsided game. The Rockets have won five straight games in Red Deer dating back to the 2009-2010 season. The Rockets last loss in Red Deer was February 27/2009 in a 3-2 setback. Stepan Novotny and Ian Duval scored in the one goal loss as the Rockets fired 43 shots at first star Darcy Kuemper. Following tonight’s tilt, the Rockets are in Edmonton (Wednesday), Lethbridge (Friday), and Kootenay (Saturday). The Rockets next home game is February 6^th against the Kamloops Blazers.        

Lordy, Lordy it’s 40!! Rourke Chartier became the first player in Rockets history to score 40 goals in 40 games Saturday night. The last Rockets player to score 40 goals was Myles Bell back in the 2013-2014 campaign when he responded 42 times. Bell scored his 40^th goal in his 61^st game. Geordie Wudrick scored 43 goals in the 2010-2011 season. Wudrick’s 40^th goal came in his 70th game. Jamie Benn scored 46 times in the 2008-2009 campaign. Benn would score his 40^th in his 50^th game.   

Goulby is WHLPOW: Tyrell Goulbourne was named the WHL Player of the Week. Goulbourne tallied seven points (3g-4a), while posting a plus-five rating in just two games over the past week, leading the Rockets to two consecutive victories in that span. On Friday, January 23^rd, Goulbourne scored the opening goal and set up another in a 5-3 win over the visiting Everett Silvertips. In the rematch on Saturday, Goulbourne contributed with a five-point effort (2g-3a) and finished the game with a plus-four rating while earning first star honours in a 9-3 triumph over the ‘Tips. The 21-year-old from Edmonton has notched 33 points (17g-16a) along with a plus-14 rating in 39 games this season.

Rockets catch eye of NHLCSS: Three members of the Kelowna Rockets made the mid-term rankings for NHL’s Central Scouting Service. Nick Merkley is rated 13^th, Devante Stephens is ranked 108^th and 17 year-old defenceman Joe Gatenby is 134^th among North American skaters. Stephens makes his first appearance on the list after failing to catch the eye of Central Scouting in the preliminary rankings. The 2015 draft will be held June 26-27 at BB&T Center in Sunrise, Florida.      

This and That: The Rockets have lost only twice in regulation time on the road this season. Those two losses came in Tri City and Calgary...The Rockets are riding a four game road winning streak….The Rockets are 48-9-2-0 on opposition ice in the last two seasons….The Rockets have 25 games left in the regular season. Of those 25, thirteen will be played on the road with twelve on home ice…The Rockets closed out a five game home stand going 3-2-0-0. The team out-scored the opposition 26-17. The Rockets suffered a 5-3 loss to Medicine Hat, a 7-1 win over Tri City, a 5-2 loss to the Seattle Thunderbird, a 5-3 win over the Everett Silvertips and a 9-3 win over the Tips….The Rockets have a league high 19 road wins this season...Justin Kirkland is one goal shy of his career high 17 he scored last season...The Rockets played 11 games without Madison Bowey and Josh Morrissey. The Rockets were 9-2-0-0 in those 11 games.…The Rockets have played in 11-one goal games this season. The team is 7-2-0-2 in those games…The Rockets have not been shut-out in 123 consecutive games. The last time the Rockets were held without a goal was March 3, 2013 in a 3-0 loss in Kamloops…Tyrell Goulbourne celebrated his 21^st birthday yesterday.

Who’s Hot: Madison Bowey has 3+4=7 in his last five games…Leon Draisaitl has points in six of his last seven games. The 19 year-old has goals in four of seven games and is 4+7=11 in those seven games……Tyson Baillie has 8+6=14 in his last 13 games….Rourke Chartier has 8+5=13 in his last 10 games…Chartier has points in 15 of his last 18 games…Cole Martin has 13 assists in his last 15 games…Justin Kirkland has 7+10=17 in his last 14 games…Rourke Chartier has 16 more goals (40) than he had all of last season. Chartier has goals in 22 of his last 29 games….Nick Merkley has 6+6=12 in January. 

Three Star Balloting: *Other first star winners are: Leon Draisaitl, Tyrell Goulbourne (twice) and Cole Martin.

Player:                          1^st Star    2^nd Star   3^rd Star   Total 
Rourke Chartier:              6              6              2            14
Jackson Whistle:             7              4              2            13
Nick Merkley:                   5              2              5            12
Tyson Baillie:                   2              5              2             9
Madison Bowey:              2              2              3             7

Walking wounded: 

Tanner Wishnowski: missed 47 games    Mitch Wheaton: missed 43 games

Dillon Dube: missed 25 games                Joe Gatenby: missed 7 games               
Jake Morrissey: missed 6 games.           Justin Kirkland: missed 6 games
Cole Martin: missed 1 game                   Rourke Chartier: missed 1 game.
Total # of games = 163 man games lost to injury and includes departed players. (Unofficial)