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Tonight’s Preview: The Kelowna Rockets
open a four game home stand this afternoon against the visiting Seattle
Thunderbirds. This is the third of four meetings this season. The Rockets are
2-0-0-0 in the seasonal series after a 5-1 win in Seattle (October 22nd)
and a 6-1 victory (December 7th) at Prospera Place. The two teams
close out the four game series February 25th at ShoWare Center. The
Rockets host Spokane Friday night and the Prince George Cougars on Saturday.
The home stand ends Wednesday February 22nd against the Edmonton Oil
Kings. The Rockets have won 5 or their last 6 games and are coming off
back-to-back shutouts Friday and Saturday night over the Vancouver Giants.
What just happened? Brodan Salmond made
19 saves for his second consecutive shutout in a 5-0 win Saturday night against
the Vancouver Giants. Dillon Dube was named the first star with three assists
while Erik Gardiner, Kole Lind, Calvin Thurkauf, Lucas Johansen and James
Hilsendager scored in the teams’ 32nd win of the season. The Rockets were 2 for
4 on the power play and failed to surrender a power play goal against in both
games against the G-Men.
That’s a Fact Jack: Brodan Salmond’s
back-to-back shutouts are the first for a Rockets goalie since Jackson Whistle
had two in a row in the 2015 WHL playoffs vs. Tri City. Adam Brown had back-to-back shutouts during
the regular season against the Chlliwack Bruins in October of 2008…Nolan Foote
became the youngest player in franchise history to score three goals in a game.
Foote accomplished the feat Friday against the Giants, scoring those three
goals at the tender age of 16 years, 2 months and 12 days. The old mark was set
by Shane McColgan who scored a hat trick at 16 years, 11 months and 9 days… The
56 shots the Rockets put up against the Giants Friday night were a season high.
The previous season high was 47 in a 5-1 loss in Kamloops on December 28th…The
Rockets have lost the same number of games (20) as they did all of last season…Reid Gardiner has 14 points (6+8=14)
in 12 games as a member of the Kelowna Rockets...The Kelowna Rockets have 16
games left in the regular season. Of those 16, 9 of them are against BC Division
rivals. The Rockets have three more games against Vancouver, two more vs.
Prince George and one more against the Kamloops Blazers and Victoria Royals. The
team has two more each against US Division Everett, Seattle and Spokane and a
single against Tri City. Edmonton is the only Central Division team they face
down the stretch…The Rockets have generated 30 or more shots in 16 of their
last 17 games…The Rockets have been
shorthanded the most times in the entire Canadian Hockey League. The team has
been shorthanded 297 times…The Rockets have surrendered 5 or more goals 11
times this season. The teams’ record, not surprisingly, is 0-10-1-0.
Hot as a pistol: Calvin Thurkauf has
points in 12 of his last 14 games. Thurkauf has 8+10=18 over that stretch. Kole
Lind has points in 8 of his last 10 with 6+11=17 over that period. Nick Merkley
has points in 6 of his last 8 games with 5+8=13 over that span. Cal Foote has
points in 7 of his last 9 games with 1+7=8. Reid Gardiner has points in 6 of
his last 7 games with 4+5=9 over that stretch….Erik Gardiner has goals in
back-to-back games…..
Broadcasters Bits: Rookie defenceman
Conrad Belcourt earned his first career point, an assist, on Leif Mattson’s
third period goal Friday night….Nolan Foote’s three goal game isn’t the first
by a Rockets rookie this season. Kyle Topping had three goals in a game in
Seattle October 22nd …Calvin Thurkauf and Devante Stephens also have
three goal games this season….Kole Lind was the WHL Player of the Week ending
February 9th. Lind had 3+5=8 in three games to earn the honour…In
the Rockets last 11 losses (regulation or overtime loss) the opposition has opened
the scoring….The Rockets are 8-5-1-0
since the trade deadline….The Rockets have scored 10 shorthanded goals this
season, the same number as all of last season…..GM Bruce Hamilton has
traded/released six players from the teams opening day roster…Kole Lind had his
13 game point streak snapped December 18th against the Edmonton Oil
Kings. It is the longest point streak by a Rockets player this season …Calvin
Thurkauf was named the WHL Player of the Week December 7th to 11th …The
Rockets were 8-3-2-0 in December...The Rockets were 6-4-0-0 in 10 games in
November after going 8-4-0-0 in 12 games in October…The Rockets are the only
team in the WHL that has failed to surrender a shorthanded goal against this
season…The Rockets are 13-12-0-0 against BC based teams this season…Michael Herringer has started in 35 of
the last 46 games…The Rockets are 8-2-2-0 against U.S Division teams this
season.
Game Notes Compiled by Regan Bartel of AM 1150
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