Rockets/Giants game notes

Shoot the Breeze Photography

Rockets/Giants Preview: This is the first of eight meetings between the Kelowna Rockets and Vancouver Giants this season. The Rockets are riding a 24 game home ice winning streak against the G-Men. The last win for the Giants at Prospera Place was March 19, 2011 in a 4-3 victory. This is the start of a four game home stand for the Rockets, who host Red Deer tomorrow, Edmonton on Tuesday and close out the four games in eight day stint by welcoming Lethbridge one week from tonight. The Rockets are in Vancouver Saturday November 18th. Last season the Rockets were 7-1-0-0 against their BC Division rivals. The Rockets have points in four of their last five games.

Hockey Hotbed: The Kelowna Rockets are in their 27^th year of existence since coming into the Western Hockey League as an expansion franchise in 1991. After four seasons in Tacoma, the team relocated to Kelowna in 1995-96, where the team has spent the last 22 years in the Okanagan. The team has four WHL championships (2003, 2005, 2009, 2015) and have missed the playoffs only once in their existence. The hockey club has made four straight appearances in the Western Conference final and has registered 40 or more wins in five consecutive seasons.

Rockets involved in Canada/Russian Challenge: Three members of the Kelowna Rockets participated for Team WHL in the CIBC Canada-Russia series. Dillon Dube had 2+3=5 in the two games and was named the WHL player of the game Tuesday night in a 4-3 loss in Swift Current. A night earlier, in Moose Jaw, Kole Lind was named the WHL player of the game in a 7-0 win over the Russians. Sixteen year-old defenceman Kaedan Korczak and Rockets goalie prospect Roman Basran are competing at Hockey Canada’s World Under 17 Hockey Challenge in Dawson Creek/Fort St. John November 5-11^th.  Rockets assistant coach Travis Crickard will be a member of the coaching staff of one of three Canadian teams participating. 

Broadcasters Notebook: The Rockets played their 16 hundredth regular season game in franchise history last Friday in Victoria in a 4-2 win….6 of the next 9 games for the Rockets are on home ice…Carsen Twarynski has 6 goals in his last 6 games….James Porter has started in 9 of the last 12 games… The Rockets boast one first round NHL draft pick and two second rounders. Cal Foote was chosen 14^th overall by the Tampa Bay Lightning in June while Kole Lind (2^nd round (33^rd) Canucks - 2017) and Dillon Dube (2^nd round (56^th) Flames - 2016) were picked in the second round….Nolan Foote, last season’s rookie of the year, is not eligible to be drafted until June 2019…The Rockets are 3 and 2 in overtime with game winners coming from Kole Lind, Dillon Dube and Carsen Twarynski. The only loss in OT came against the Tri City Americans and Portland Winterhawks…The Rockets are 4-2-1-0 in the second of back-to-back games….November birthdays include Kyle Topping (Nov 18^th), Carsen Twarynski (Nov 24^th) and Nolan Foote (Nov 29^th).

Who’s Hot? Leif Mattson has goals in five of his last six games.…Carsen Twarynski has goals in three of his last 6 games and has 6 goals over that stretch…Kyle Topping has points in 5 of his last 7 games (3+4=7) and has points in 8 of his last 11 games…Cal Foote has three goals in 6 games.

Milestones: Dillon Dube is 4 assists shy of 100 in his career…Kole Lind hit the 100 assist mark last Saturday against Prince George…Carsen Twarynski played in his 200^th career game last Saturday against the Cougars…James Hilsendager is 3 games shy of 200 for his career.

Roster Stats:

Player total: 25

Year by Year Breakdown:

20’s (1997) – 3   Ballhorn, Twarynski, Hilsendager           

19’s (1998) - 4   Salmond, Lind, Dube, Cal Foote, Chizen

18’s (1999) - 6   Topping, Mattson, Gardiner, Bruggen-Cate, Cowell, Skvrne

17’s (2000) - 10   Porter, Foote, Belcourt, Zabransky, Kindree, Brennan, McGauley, Kushniryk, Pow, Hair

16’s (2001) - 2   Korczak, Basran

NHL Drafted Players: Cal Foote (Tampa Bay 2017), Kole Lind (Vancouver 2017), Dillon Dube (Calgary 2016), Carsen Twarynski (Philadelphia 2016), Brayden Chizen (Minnesota 2016).  

Game Notes Compiled by Regan Bartel of AM 1150