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Rockets/Hurricanes
Preview: This
is the first of three meetings this season. The Hurricanes make a return visit
January 17th before the Rockets make their lone appearance at ENMAX
Centre on January 24th. The Rockets and Hurricanes met twice last
season with the Rockets earning a 6-3 win October 5th before the
Hurricanes recorded a 6-5 victory on December 11th. In the big
picture, the Rockets are riding a 7 game home ice winning streak against the
Hurricanes, who haven’t won at Prospera Place since January 20, 2012. In the
last 15 regular season meetings, the Rockets have come out on the winning end
13 times. Following tonight’s game, the Rockets open a three game road trip
with stops in Vancouver (tomorrow), Spokane (Tuesday) and Vancouver again one
week from tonight. The Rockets have points in 5 of their last 6 games.
Anholt Returns: The Lethbridge
Hurricanes General Manager is Peter Anholt. Anholt is in his third season with
the Hurricanes but also coached in the WHL with the Kelowna Rockets between
1996 and 1998. Anholt was a head coach to defenceman Kris Mallette, who is now
an assistant coach with the Kelowna Rockets. Anholt’s assistant during in two
seasons here was Glen Cochrane, who is a Kelowna resident and is now an NHL
scout with the Anaheim Ducks.
Hockey Hotbed: The Kelowna Rockets
are in their 27th 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.
Broadcasters Notebook:
The
Rockets have won 6 straight games on home ice with wins over Portland, Tri
City, Prince George, Vancouver, Red Deer and Edmonton….The Rockets have scored
15 goals in their last three games….The Rockets played their 16 hundredth regular
season game in franchise history Novembr 3rd in Victoria in a 4-2
win…Carsen Twarynski has 9 goals in his last 9 games….James Porter has started
in 12 of the last 15 games…The Rockets are 4 and 2 in overtime with game
winners coming from Kole Lind, Dillon Dube Carsen Twarynski (twice). The only
loss in OT came against the Tri City Americans and Portland Winterhawks…The
Rockets are 5-2-1-0 in the second of back-to-back games….November birthdays
include Kyle Topping (Nov 18th), Carsen Twarynski (Nov 24th)
and Nolan Foote (Nov 29th).
Who’s Hot? Liam Kindree has
1+6=7 in his last four games and is riding a four game point streak….Kole Lind is riding a 7 game point
streak (3+7=10)…Leif Mattson has goals in 6 of his last 9 games.…Carsen
Twarynski has goals in 5 of his last 9 games and has 9 goals over that
stretch…Kyle Topping has points in 7 of his last 10 games (4+6=10) and has
points in 10 of his last 14 games…Gordie Ballhorn has points in 7 of his last 9
games (1+9=10)…Goalie James Porter is 7-0-0-1 in his last 8 starts.
Milestones: Dillon Dube is 1
assists shy of 100 in his career…Carsen Twarynski played in his 200th
career game October 28th against the Prince George Cougars…James
Hilsendager plays in his 200th career game November 14th
vs. Oil Kings.
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
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