Who's afraid of the big bad wolf?

Tayln Boyko ain't scared of the big bad wolf

• Who's afraid of the big bad wolf, the big bad wolf, the big bad wolf. Remember that song made famous by Disney in 1930? Clearly the Kelowna Rockets are not afraid of the Kamloops Blazers. A 6-0-0-0 record this season is a clear indicator they don't feel intimidated. But can you not blame them if they felt the Blazers were the 'big bad wolf' heading into this season? Failure was common place. Eleven straight losses at Sandman Centre. A play-in game collapse on March 19, 2019 was a devastating blow. Thankfully only current 20 year-old Mark Liwiski was in the lineup on that dreaded night when the Blazers came from a long way back to catch the Rockets for the final playoff spot before gladly ending the Rockets succession of 11 straight playoff appearances by sending them packing with an humiliating loss. But that was then. This is now. Whatever is happening, the Rockets are not cowering to a team that is significantly more skilled. I think physicality is an issue. I think determined play is a factor. The Rockets have it right now. The Blazers, surprisingly, don't. 
• The Rockets enjoyed a 6-2 win over the Blazers last night at Prospera Place. Again, Talyn Boyko was solid and was a key reason why the home team was able to pull away with four goals in the third period. The 19 year-old goalie is now 5-0-0-0 against Kamloops with a 2.39 goals against average and a save percentage of .935.  
• Who holds the hot stick for the Rockets right now? That honour is bestowed on Andrew Cristall. Goals in three straight games, the highly skilled forward doesn't get much attention because the draft class he was apart of was so heavily stacked with Conner Bedard taken 1st overall in 2020. Playing in his shadows may be a blessing in disguise though. Cristall's blind - spinning backhand last night to Mark Liwiski was nothing short of filthy. The composure he showed in his overtime wraparound goal a night earlier is unteachable. The kid just has it. With 10 goals this season, you would think a 20 goal rookie campaign is in reach. He reminds me a bit of Nick Merkley. 'Merks' was more of passer than a shooter. His best season, goal scoring wise, was his rookie campaign when he struck for 25 goals. Merkley had a career high 70 assists and 90 points a few seasons later. Both Merkley and Cristall are pass first players. Both are good on their edges. Both have great on-ice vision. Both are smaller but are able to use their body to leverage themselves against bigger players. 
• Cristall was the 6th forward chosen in the 2020 WHL bantam draft. When you compare his offensive production (10+10=20) with his 16 year-old colleagues, he is pretty much on par with those chosen before him. Regina's Connor Bedard (1st overall) has 24 points. Riley Heidt of the PG Cougars (2nd overall) has 21. Brayden Yager (3rd overall) of the Moose Jaw Warriors is the eye popper with 15 goals and 28 points. Kalan Lind (6th overall) with Red Deer has 13 points. Sam Oremba of the Seattle Thunderbirds (7th overall) has 2+3=5.  
• The Rockets earned back-to-back wins with their top two forwards out of the lineup. Pavel Novak and Colton Dach did not play. Instead, six different players stepped up last night and got involved in the scoring. The Blazers were also playing short staffed. No Logan Stankoven or Dylan Garand. Marko Stacha is absent on the back end,. In my opinion it was a level playing field. No excuses could be used in this home and home series in late December. The Rockets were just better.
• Before we get too excited here, let's remember that hockey teams go through funks during the season. It is never a clean sheet of excellent hockey. The Blazers are struggling scoring goals right now. They have found the back of the net 14 times in their last 7 games. That's not normal. This will indeed pass. It happens to even the most gifted teams. While we won't see the Blazers for another month, I suspect they will look different when the trade winds blow through the 'Tournament Capital'. They will be better and will be a force down the stretch. Remember, no one remembers games in December. We only recall what happens in April and May. At least we do in this neck of the woods. When the bar is low, you go crazy when you win games at this time of the year,. If the bar is high, you quickly move on to the next opponent,.   
• It was nice to see Jake Poole find the back of the net. It was his first goal in 12 games. Poole missed several games with an upper body injury, so his goal last night was his first since November 5th. No pressure, but Poole is the only remaining 19 year-old player on the roster from the 2017 WHL bantam draft. The team had no first rounder. It's second round selection was Ethan Bowen, who elected to play in the BCHL. The third round pick was Ethan Ernst, who was traded to Tri City. The 4th and 5th round selections were players that never materialized. The only saving grace from that 2017 draft class is the fact that the team was able to hit the bullseye with Pavel Novak in the CHL Import Draft later that spring. The team has only three-2002 born players on its roster. Poole, Novak and Talyn Boyko.
• Congrats to Scott Cousins for recording his 1st point of the season on a helper on Steel Quiring's third period breakaway marker. 
• The Rockets are now 14 and 5 against teams in the BC Division. It is the best interconference record of any of the five teams.
• The Rockets ended December with a record of 5-4-0-1. Two of the four losses were decided by a single goal. 
• As we close the books on 2021 - thankfully - the team went 25-14-1-3. That takes into account a 10-5-1-0 record in the abbreviated season and the 15-9-0-3 record in 2021-2022.  
• The Rockets ring in the new year, Saturday January 1st against the Victoria Royals. January brings with it a great set of challenges. The team will play 14 games in 31 days. It includes 5 games against Victoria, who are arguably the most improved team in the division if not the conference. By my records, Dan Price has his team with 10 wins, 2 losses and three overtime losses in their last 15 games. Look out!!!!

Pavel propels Rockets to win

Pavel Novak  

• Did the Kelowna Rockets deserve to win last night against the Victoria Royals? Did they deserve to lose to the visiting Seattle Thunderbirds Saturday night? Hockey and sports in general are not always fair. Sometimes you play well and lose. You see it all the time. Play poorly or subpar and still earn two points. Out-shot 18-3 in the third period in last night's 5-4 win, Steel Quiring's determined effort tied the score before Pavel Novak, who is unquestionably the teams most dangerous player, fired home the game winner snapping a season high 4 game winless streak. It was Novak's final game with his junior team before playing for the Czech Republic at the world junior hockey championships. It was Novak's 13th goal of the season. In Novak's rookie campaign, where he led the team in scoring with 25 goals and 58 points in 55 games, the point producing dynamo had 13 goals at the Christmas break. You can't make this stuff up. 
• With someone so proficient in scoring - it was surprisingly - Novak's first game winner of the season. He had 5 game winners in his rookie campaign.
• The Rockets snapped a four game winless streak. It likely felt longer as losses weigh heavily on a team. Can you imagine being winless in 16 games? Just ask the Medicine Hat Tigers. They went through before beating Red Deer in a shootout on the weekend. 
• The Rockets enjoyed the lead for the majority of the game. Even when Victoria either tied it or finally grabbed it, the home team got it back in a hurry. Evan Patrician tied the score at 1 before Noah Dorey scored :39 seconds later to make it 2-1. The Royals took a 4-3 lead in the third period before Steel Quiring tied the score :54 later. I don't know if the word 'bump up shift' is still used in todays game? It refers to the next shift after allowing a goal being a pivotal one. Getting the goal back after being scored upon on the very next shift is an admirable quality. It was Quiring's first goal in 10 games. 
• I thought both goalies were good despite 9 goals being surrendered. No less than two were tipped with one going off Royals forward Evan Patrician and into the back of the net. At the other end, Victoria back stopper Campbell Arnold was sharp early with several big stops when the Rockets were awarded three consecutive power plays. The ugly goal came when Noah Dorey's wrist shot hit Wyatt Wilson in the leg, ricocheted off Arnold and found the back of the net. No shot was a bad shot.  
• Dorey was a health scratch Saturday against Seattle. He had his first two goal game of his career. Of the three goals he's scored this season, two have been on the power play. The last Rockets d-man to score three goals in a game was Tyson Barrie. Yep, it doesn't happen often. Barrie found the back of the net three times in 2010.
• The Rockets have been to overtime 7 times this season. The WHL high is held by Victoria and Portland, who have played extra time - 8 times. The Royals went into overtime for the 6th time in their last 8 games and for the 8th time in its last 12 contests.
•  It was the sixth time the Rockets have scored 5 or more goals. They are 5-0-0-1 in those games.
• The Royals set a new high with 47 shots on net. It was the second highest total of shots allowed by the Rockets this season. They allowed 48 last Wednesday against Everett in a 5-3 loss.
• It was a rare Tuesday game. It is the only Tuesday home game this season.
• For what it's worth, it was the teams 5th game in 8 nights. Pass me a lozenge. 
• Are you ready for the Teddy Bear Toss game this Saturday against Kamloops? It is the 8th year the team has held the event. The first goal scorer in Kelowna Rockets franchise history was Ryan Olsen back in 2013. Here are a list of the Teddy Bear Toss goal scorers over the years:                   

          2013: Ryan Olsen          
          

          2014: Dillon Dube  

          2015: Dillon Dube

          2016: Nick Merkley 

          2017: Conner Bruggen-Cate

          2018: Mark Liwiski

          2019: Nolan Foote

          2020: No game 

          2021: ?

Rough stretch for Rockets

Goal judges at Rockets games are toast

• With Christmas two weeks away, the Kelowna Rockets and Seattle Thunderbirds were in a giving mood Saturday night at Prospera Place. Big boy hockey was played. Not for the faint of heart hockey was on display. Two fights in the opening three minutes. Big hits at every turn. It was as physical a game we've witnessed this season. In the end the T-Birds stole victory from the hands of defeat with two goals in a span of :57 seconds late in the third period in a 5-4 win. It looked like the Rockets had this one in the bag when Tyson Feist scored with essentially 6 minutes left in the game, but the T-Birds had other ideas. The visitors scored the tying goal just :17 seconds later and the game was lost less than a minute after that when Mekia Sanders fired one home on a two-on-one for the T-Birds 10th road win of the season. This one stings because the Rockets dodged a bullet. Outplayed in the opening 20 minutes, they still enjoyed a 2-0 lead. Only good teams are able to buckle down and fight back. Seattle did just that after feeling good about themselves after handing the Blazers a loss in Kamloops the night prior.
• While it looks like a third period collapse, which on the surface it was, I hate to say it, but a save is required at that crucial point in the game. The game winning goal has Rockets goaltender Tayln Boyko in the right position to make the stop. He is coming across the net, but is set and square to the shooter. I watched it several times on replay. Sanders wrist shot beats him glove side, short side. Good shot? Sure. Big save needed? Yepper.
• Getting into shooting lanes. Damned if you do. Damned if you don't. Two T-Bird shots come from the point that make its way through to the back of the net. Are those stopped with less emphases on blocking them and a better visual for the goalie? I am sure the analytics show shot blocking is more of a help than a hinderance.  
• This game had as much jam as anticipated. We saw two tilts in the opening three minutes. Mark Liwiski takes on 6'9 Matthew Rempe before John Babcock took on a big boy in Reid Schaefer. Much like Tuesday, down at Showare Centre, you had to show courage if you wanted to play in this game. If the puck was on your stick, you had to be prepared to be hit. The T-Birds are as physical as the Rockets, if not more.
• If you were surprised at Seattle's confidence level on the road, you shouldn't have been. They had 9 road wins coming into the game. Only Kamloops (12) had more victories away from home ice.  
• Kris Mallette doesn't like to tinker with his lines. In an astute move, he separate Colton Dach from playing alongside Pavel Novak Saturday night. Ideally, I think it makes the team more lethal to have them apart. Why? When Novak plays with Dach, he becomes less of a shooter and more of a passer. The 19 year-old has to be trigger happy because he can score. You don't get 25 goals in your rookie season by fluke. I like Dach playing with 16 year-old Andrew Cristall. Cristall's skill set is still extremely high in an ability to get Dach, a shooter, the puck. And lets face it. Dach has to get used to playing without Novak anyway. The Minnesota Wild draft pick will be gone for close to 9 games when he plays for the Czech Republic at the world juniors. 
• The Rockets are winless in 4 games. It is the biggest slide of the season. The team has one win in their last 5 games (1-4-0-1). That victory came in Kamloops against the Blazers. During this recent slide, three of the regulation losses and the shootout loss came against teams above them in the standings. The setback that really stings for me was the 3-2 game against Prince George. It can't happen. Why? You've been so good on home ice and the Cougars were playing the final game of six straight on the road. 
• The Rockets are 1-4-0-3 in 8 games against US Division teams this season.
• Saturday's loss was the teams 4th game in 5 nights. It's been a busy schedule of late. But remember, this has been a soft launch to the season for the Rockets, who at the Christmas break will have played just 25 games. 25! Only Tri City and Victoria have played fewer (22) heading into this week. 
• It was nice to see the Rockets open the scoring Saturday night. It was the first time in 6 games it happened. It is only the 7th time this season where the Rockets lit the lamp first.
• If you didn't notice, goal judges weren't used for the first time ever at Prospera Place this weekend. Yep, the goal judges have gone the way of the dodo bird. Many buildings didn't have them from the start of puck drop on the 2021-2022 season. In Kelowna, we finally eliminated them starting with Friday's 3-2 home ice loss to the Prince George Cougars. Let's just say, video didn't only kill the radio star, they also killed the role of the goal judge. The NHL hasn't used goal judges since the 2018-2019 season.
• The Victoria Royals provide the opposition Tuesday. Man, that team has resurrected from the dead. Weren't they 1-11 when they last made an appearance at Prospera Place? Now healthy and busy making trades, the Royals are back in the hunt with points in 9 straight and sit only 6 points back of Kelowna for third place in the BC Division. The only saving grace during this four game slide is the fact that the teams above them in the standings - Kamloops and Vancouver - are also sucking slough water.

The Rockets learning as they go

Alex Swetlikoff faced his old team Wednesday night 
Photo courtesy Kristin Ostrowski

• You can learn a lot from winning. You can also glean a lot of information about yourself when you lose. The Kelowna Rockets have a better understanding about areas of improvement after a 5-3 loss Wednesday night to the best team in the Western Conference. The Everett Silvertips began to take over in the second period and the pace appeared to quicken. The Rockets, who played the night prior in a physical affair in Seattle, seemed to be a little slow-a-foot. The Tips have lots of hurry and hustle in their game. That and the ability to be physical added up to the Rockets making ill advised plays with the puck. Against the better teams like Everett, who could have four players at the upcoming world juniors, they can eat you alive if you don't match the pace and intensity. Despite the onslaught, the Rockets were still within a goal until the Tips manufactured a power play goal 6:10 into the third period. 
• The Rockets are 5-2-0-0 in the second of back-to-back games this season.
• It was one of the better opening periods I've seen from the Rockets in Everett. Sure, goaltender Tayln Boyko had to be sharp, but it was a 1-1 game after 20 minutes and the shots were just 12-10 for the home team. Avoiding colossal damage in the first period against the Tips is paramount. They've out-scored the opposition 30-12 in the first period heading into last nights game. 
• Max Graham made an impression against his old squad. Traded from the Tips to the Rockets for Alex Swetlikoff and a 6th rounder, the draft eligible Graham had two goals. His opening goal caught Tips goalie Braden Holt sleeping, but his second of the game in the third period was a beautiful shot from between the hash marks on a setup from Turner McMillen. Coming into last night's game, Graham had just two shots in his previous seven games. That's an ugly stat. Wednesday night, the Kelowna resident fired four pucks on net which ties a season high for him. 
• Pavel Novak is a clutch player. A perfect example came when the 19 year-old was awarded a shorthanded penalty shot when the game was tied at one. Instead of wilting under the pressure, Novak seized the moment by making it look easy by shooting, not deking to find the back of the net. Lesser players shoot the puck wide or make a move and lose control of the puck. Novak scored his 11th goal of the season, tying him for the team lead with Colton Dach. Novak is a pressure player. 
• I love the deployment of Colton Dach at the point when the goalie is pulled for the extra attacker. The 18 year-old's quick release can come screaming at the goalie and appears to have the velocity of some players who take the massive windup for a slap shot. Those are often blocked. Dach is also able to get shots through with traffic in front of the opposition goaltender. To be honest, I don't think I've ever seen Dach take a slap shot. I'm serious. All of his shots this season are primarily snap shots.
• The Rockets allowed a season high 48 shots against in the 5-3 setback. The previous high was 39 in a 2-1 shootout win to Spokane November 26th. Heading into the game, the Rockets had allowed the 6th fewest shots on goal - per game - at 29.8. 
• Tayln Boyko has made 7 consecutive starts. The last Rockets goalie to play 8 straight games was Michael Herringer in 2015-2016. With Jackson Whistle's season ending with hip surgery, Herringer started a whopping 18 straight. 
• The Rockets seem to play their best when they make the quick, five to six foot passes when transitioning up ice. It not only looks good, but it is often effective in preventing turnovers in the neutral zone. It was on wonderful display Saturday in Kamloops but seemed tougher to execute against Seattle and Everett.   
• Give the Tips credit. They did not take a single penalty until less than a minute remaining in the game with the score 5-3. That's a tough feat in today's game, but the Tips took a delay of game penalty for shooting the puck over the glass and then a holding minor when the games was clearly in the bag.
• The Rockets played this one without forward Mark Liwiski. The 20 year-old was suspended for two games for a hit against Seattle the night prior. Liwiski is eligible to return when the two teams meet again Saturday night at Prospera Place. Liwiski has been suspended twice before, for three games for boarding in 2019 and one game for the accumulation of kneeing minors. 
• With a three game road trip behind them, where the Rockets earned 3 out of a possible 6 points, it's time for four straight home games before the Christmas break. Prince George is on the menu Friday followed by the Seattle Thunderbirds only visit to Prospera Place on Saturday. 

Ignorance is bliss

Allen Douglas photo credit

• I wasn't totally convinced. I had my doubts. I wanted to believe that what I've been witnessing is indeed real. My confidence level in the 2021-2022 edition of the Kelowna Rockets took a significant step forward following a road win last night over BC Division leading Kamloops Blazers. I still had question marks despite two wins earlier this season against them. Could the Rockets win a game on the road, something that hasn't been accomplished in 11 consecutive visits to Sandman Centre? It happened last night, much to my delight in a 4-3 come from behind win. When the buzzer sounded, for the first time since Lassi Thomson patrolled the blue-line, the Rockets stepped off the ice in front of a hostile crowd with two points in their back pocket. While head coach Kris Mallette was pleased with his groups effort on our AM 1150 post game show, he wasn't getting overly excited about what the win meant for the psyche of his team. He quietly sounded like he expected the end result. If his bar is set that high for his team, the players must feel too that they have what it takes to compete against the Western Conference's elite. Don't be fooled. The Rockets didn't hold on for the one goal win in this one. Some anxious moments in the dying seconds for sure, but it was that bend but not break mentality that made the road victory that much more rewarding. 
• As mentioned, the Rockets didn't escape with the win. They deserved what they got. They surrendered the opening goal just 1:18 into the game. The Blazers are 15-1-0-0 when that happens, but no one told Kris Mallette's crew. Colton Dach, playing in his 100th career WHL game, found the back of the net from the lip of the crease just 3:41 later and it was proof the visitors were not going to wilt like a flower thrown into the freezer. Heck, they've been resilient all season long, why would we doubt them now? Well, you cast doubt because the opponent up until last night's game were 39-7-0-1 in the last three seasons playing at the Sandman Centre. I've seen the Blazers throw a knock out punch so many times in that building when it looks like the visitors are under control. The Rockets in their last 12 appearances were a dismal 1-7-3-1. 
• What may benefit this group, specifically, is many have not been around to witness the lack of success in Kamloops over the last few years. Ignorance is bliss. Colton Dach has no idea about futility in the building. Talyn Boyko too. The crushing setback during the 11 consecutive losses appeared to be the tie breaker game when the two teams were tied at the end of the 2018-2019 regular season. March 19, 2019 saw the Blazers beat the Rockets 5-1 on that night, with the home team exploding for four-third period goals which included two shorthanded in less than a two minute span. The Rockets have one - one player that remains on the roster from that fateful night. His name is Mark Liwiski.
• The Blazers and Rockets play such contrasting styles. That may explain why the Rockets are 3-0-0-0 in the seasonal series. The Blazers resemble a Supercar. They are flashy and fast. They catch your attention thanks to the top three scorers in the Western Conference. They have a world junior goalie with a team that's allowed the fewest goals against in the entire WHL. What's not to like? The Rockets, by contrast, play a physical style of game. Very physical, but the difference with being aggressive is playing within the parameters of the rules. Mallette and the leadership group have them playing that way. They have some flash and dash in their game, but they are like a reliable 4X4 pickup truck. A sturdy exterior, but it's what's under the hood, while concealed by the naked eye, that really counts. The rougher the terrain, the more they are likely to succeed.
• In a gutsy effort, it only seemed fitting that Turner McMillen had a significant role in the one goal win. McMillen, playing on the fourth line with Max Graham and 16 year-old Marcus Pacheco, had a glorious game. McMillen, a rookie in his own right, scored the go-ahead goal to give the Rockets a 3-2 lead and then muscled home the winner with 4:30 left on the clock. Pacheco had his first multiple point game of his young WHL career with two assists. The fourth line didn't sit idly by in the biggest road win of the season.
• Colton Dach has 5 goals against the Blazers in the seasonal series. Conversely, Blazers leading scorer Logan Stankoven hasn't figured in the scoring in any of the three games. 
• The Rockets scored 4 goals last night. Impressive, considering the Blazers allow the third fewest goals against - per game - at 2.00. Only Winnipeg and Everett allowed fewer goals per game entering Saturday's action.
• I thought the more the game became physical, the more a player like Noah Dorey stood out. While taking two penalties, playing in the trenches works right into his wheel house. The same holds true for Tyson Fiest and Jackson DeSouza. 
• Has the bar been raised with last night's win? In my eyes it has, but I'm guessing the coaching staff and players were thinking the bar was set that high before the season even started. 

Choo-choo, 1/4 through

• What have we learned 1/4 through the Kelowna Rockets regular season? This team is better than we envisioned. Sorry, I don't want to speak for you. Let me state, I did not see this team earning points in 12 of it's opening 17 games. This group has surprised be. Having watched this team for essentially 6 weeks, they've pretty much showed up for all but two games. A 2-0 loss in Langley wasn't good nor was a 7-2 setback to the Giants, again at the LEC, in late October. That's pretty consistent hockey for this group, who are playing what can only be described as a heavy game. Can they skate with the best teams in the WHL? Maybe. Can they trade scoring chances with the elite teams? Probably not. Can they physically wear the opponent down like a prized boxer, who provides the knock out punch in the late rounds? I think we've hit the nail on the head. This team isn't flash and dash. They will hustle and try to outwork you. Purposely try to punish you and finishing checks is likely the mantra of this group. While not the biggest physically, they have a certain team toughness that can take them far. That ability to physically dominate has to be tempered though by playing disciplined hockey for the fear of the more skilled teams pulling away with an electric power play. So far so good. The Rockets are the 7th least penalized team in the WHL. That can't change if more success is to come their way before the Christmas break.
• Sitting in second place in the BC Division at the 1/4 mark is an impressive feat. The fact that the first place Kamloops Blazers have a 12 point lead is no shocker. Frankly, while lots of hockey is yet to be played, they won't be caught. Sure, the Rockets have the bragging rights of handing the top team in the WHL/BC Division both of it's losses, but until they show me they can beat them on the road at Sandman Centre, it's best to concentrate on the teams below them, not on the closest geographical rival who have scored the second most goals in the league while surrendering the second fewest against. Again, show me you can beat the Blazers -on there turf - and then I will change my tune. The team hasn't won a game on the road in Kamloops in it's last 10 appearance. That includes two losses in the abbreviated season, four losses in 2019-2020, two pre-season losses, a play-in loss/tie breaker and 2-1 shootout loss dating back to the 2018-2019 campaign. The Blazers are 11-1-0-0 in the last 12 regular season games between the two teams on home ice.
•  GM Bruce Hamilton pulled off two significant trades in the opening 17 games. On September 28th the team swung a one for one deal with the Saskatoon Blades. In a trade that saw 1st round bantam pick players exchanging hands, the Rockets picked up 18 year-old Colton Dach for 18 year-old Trevor Wong. Dach made his debut in the second game of the season in Victoria and did a nice job of working his way into the group with an outgoing personality and an 'A' on his jersey. Dach has been a point a game player since arriving in the Okanagan while Wong has 12 points in 20 games with his team team. Fast forward 40 days after the Dach deal, the team acquired 19 year-old Talyn Boyko from the Tri City Americans for a third round bantam pick and goalie Cole Tisdale. Tisdale has appeared in just one game since the trade while Boyko has assumed the number one duties here with a 4 and 1 record. 
• The team was a quick starter in the opening 7 to 8 games and then slow starts were common place. The Rockets have scored the opening goal just 6 times this season. Only Medicine Hat has scored fewer (5). Winnipeg leads the league by opening up the scoring a whopping 21 times.
• The most impressive statistic for me is how the team has preformed in the third period. Several times they have rallied from two goals down to tie. A shootout loss in Portland may be one of the most impressive comebacks in recent memory. The team battled back from being down 5-1 to earn a point. The number that stands out is 7. The Rockets have surrendered just 7 - third period goals so far this season. No WHL team comes close, not even Winnipeg with 13 allowed goals in the final frame. 
• Jake Lee has really impressed. He's dangerous player with his ability to generate offense with his quick edge work and skating ability. The 20 year-old is easily going to surpass his career high point total of 30 set two seasons ago. Lee has already set a new in goals with 6. He leads the team in +/- with a +14. Tyson Feist, another overager, has generated much needed offense from the blue-line, but through his shot and his ability to blast it past the goalie rather than threading it threw traffic. Pavel Novak has been the most consistent player, which is no shock. Novak has a point in 14 of the 17 games this season and leads the team in goals, assists and points.   
• Did you know the Rockets have scored, on average, the 5th most goals per game in the WHL? You do now. The team averages 3.53 goals per game. Kamloops leads the BC Division at 4.79, which is second best. Winnipeg is #1 with over 5 goals per game. The Rockets also allow the 6th fewest shots against.
• Hard to believe the Rockets have already played more games this season (17) then they did during the abbreviated campaign. (16).
• We will learn much more about the Rockets over the next week. The team faces 3 of the top teams in the Western Conference in three of their next four games. Saturday is a date with BC Division leading Kamloops followed by back-to-back games in the US Division against Seattle next Tuesday and Everett next Wednesday. Throw into the mix the home game against the Vancouver Giants on Wednesday, and this is arguably the teams biggest test of the new season. 
• 100% capacity? Yep, it happens tonight. With 8 home games left before Christmas, hockey fans can now pack the place after starting the season at half capacity, or 34 hundred fans. Don't forget to wear that mask....and keep it on. I've heard some fans complaining that some are not following the rules. While you don't need your mask on if eating or drinking, you can't be nursing that beer from puck drop until the final buzzer - maskless. Come on! Be courtesy to those around you.