Character personified

Credit: Brian Liesse photo

"So proud of this group".

Those words from head coach Kris Mallette after his teams 4-3 road win Sunday against the Seattle Thunderbirds. He sure should be. Traveling through the night to meet the T-Birds in a 5 pm start is never easy. No, these junior teams don't fly. They bus. The 6+ hour drive from Kamloops, after losing 6-2 to the Blazers the night prior, meant the team put their sleepy head on a hotel pillow at 4:30 am. You can't sleep all day in an effort to prepare for the early start against the T-Birds. You need to dig deep and try to brush back that foggy feeling to prepare for a showdown against a team that leads you in the standings. Sleep deprived in what can only be described as a gutsy effort, the Rockets woke up Monday morning a point up, not a point behind, in the fight for fourth place in the Western Conference standings. Does the change in positioning mean a lot? You bet it does. If these two teams remain where they are when the regular season comes to a close, the 4th place team will have home ice advantage in round one. Who would have thought that the Rockets fighting major leader would score the biggest goals of his young WHL career? Rilen Kovacevic fired home his third goal of the season with 8 minutes left in the game and the Rockets handed the T-Birds a third consecutive loss with a 4-3 road victory.   

• What's not to like about this win. Being down 2-0 and fighting back to equal the score was impressive. Andrew Cristall opens the scoring on a power play goal against the best penalty killing unit in the WHL. Colton Dach adds his 18th and a 2-0 hole turns into a 2-2 tie. Dach's goal also comes on a power play that couldn't even register a shot on goal in it's opening chance a night earlier in Kamloops. It was Cristall's first goal in seven games. Dach has 3 goals in his last four. Those two need to step up with an illness to power play specialist Pavel Novak. They did with the extra man and it was crucial in the come-back-bid. 
• While timely scoring was huge in this game, it's the high panic threshold that continues to impress me about this group. Down 2-0, you could easily fold your cards and move away from the table. It doesn't seem to be an option with this group, instead staying in the fight. It's a belief in themselves. It is a belief in one another. It's a competitiveness that exists, where in past years, if things weren't going well for the skilled players, it was time to shut down the mill. The fight existed when things were going right, but true character is revealed when things are going wrong. You can turn on each other, or choose to play hard for each other. On a team that is void of an actually superstar, they win or lose as the result of a group effort. It must make the wins so rewarding. 
• With Tayln Boyko starting back-to-back games against the Kamloops Blazers Friday and Saturday night, and playing very well thank you very much, it was time to sit on the bench and let rookie goalie Jari Kykkanen face his toughest competition in his young career. Kykkanen - pronounced Kick-a-nin - was solid in Sunday's T-Bird 40 shot barrage. With the goalie of the future on display, he handed the T-Birds next great hope (netminder Scott Ratzlaff) only his second loss in 14 games.    
• Tyson Feist had a wonderful weekend. The 21 year-old team captain had two goals Friday night in a win against Kamloops. He then picked up another goal - his 12th - in a loss against the Blazers Saturday night. For good measure, he capped off the weekend with two assists in Sunday's victory. The d-core on this years team has 36 goals - combined. The last time we played a normal season was 2019-2020, with that group of defenders manufacturing just 30 goals through 63 games. Want another comparison of how the Rockets d-core is contributing on the scoresheet this season? The BC Division leading Kamloops Blazers have a combined 30 goals from the blue-line.  
• When things go sideways, fans look directly at the head coach. He is easy to blame when the team underperforms. I saw it first hand this season when the team struggled in late November and a few followers suggested on Twitter than Kris Mallette was the reason why the team was starting slowly. Yep, it was a talking point. It blew me away at the very suggestion. Using the word 'struggle' is a joke in itself. The team had 2 wins (2-3-0-1) in six games and some within the fanbase were freaking out. I kid you not. Now with things going extremely well, let's give credit where credit is due. Kris Mallette has done an exceptional job. Reaching 30 wins in 46 games is mind blowing. It's extremely good for someone who is in his first full season as a head coach. I'd argue, Mallette should be considering a nominee for Western Conference coach of the year. He won't, nor does he likely care, but with the 'buy in' of his players, this team is one of the pleasant surprises in the Western Conference. It wasn't suppose to be this smooth. 
• Will Mallette get the credit he deserves? He will from me, but he is under the umbrella of an organization where the bar is set extremely high. When a rookie coach leads his team to a WHL championship - thank you very much Dan Lambert - it's hard to get many accolades. But let's be realistic here. Mallette can't send Leon Draisaitl out on the ice. He can't put the d-pairing of Josh Morrissey and Madison Bowey out on the blueline. Hey, Nick Merkley, hey Rourke Chartier, get me a goal will ya? It isn't happening. That's what makes Mallette's exploits so impressive. Again, when things go well, the head coach is ignored. If the team struggles, the blame game typically centers around one person. It isn't fair, but sadly it's often true. 
• The Rockets were 9 and 3 in 12 games in February. Just say'n. Not bad for a team that has played the entire month without 19 year-old forward Jake Poole who has missed 13 consecutive games. 
• With 20 games left in the regular season, the schedule looks like this. Those 20 games will be played in 47 days. Of those 20 games, 10 are on home ice with 10 on the road. 

What....a...weekend!

Pavel Novak - one of the best ever to wear Rockets colours

• Call it a Kelowna Rockets rally. Or was it a Tri City Americans collapse? Can we all agree the entertainment value was extremely high following a 5-4 come-from-behind overtime win last night at Prospera Place? After an emotional win the night prior to the WHL point leading Everett Silvertips, the Rockets didn't come out flat, but they were clearly not at their best either. I'd argue the Americans deserved a better fate, but real good teams always find a way to win. The Rockets did just that. Conversely, teams that struggle often find ways to lose. The Americans crumbled in the third period when they looked in total control when leading 4-2. A power play goal from Pavel Novak makes it a one goal game. Head Coach Kris Mallette pulls the goaltender with 90 seconds remaining and rookie Andrew Cristall scores and it's 4-4. We go into overtime and you could sense the home team was going to rise from the ashes and win it. Yep, they did, with Cristall setting up Novak for his third goal of the game and the Rockets skated away with another overtime victory. That is now 4 overtime games on home ice. Each one has ended the same way - with the Rockets celebrating.
• This is a game where the Rockets had to earn everything they got. They were down 3-1 after giving up a shorthanded goal six minutes into the third period. They made it a one goal game only to see Samuel Huo score his second goal and his 100th career point to make it 4-2. What we've seen from this group this season is resilience. I can look back to a game in Portland in late November when the Rockets trailed the Winterhawks 5-1. Game over right? Nope. Four consecutive goals tied the score before eventually losing it in a shootout. The belief to battle back clearly exists in that dressing room.
• Jake Lee celebrating his 250th career WHL game last night had a two assist effort. Logging massive minutes and showing his offensive flair, the 20 year-old matched his career high with another 9 shot game. For my money, Lee has been the gem in the blockbuster trade the team made with the Seattle Thunderbirds in May, 2019 when they picked up Dillon Hamaliuk, Cole Schwebius and Lee. Hamaliuk was the prized possession at the time, but I'd suggest Lee has made a greater impact in his time in Kelowna. Lee has 74 points in 114 games with his new team. Hamaliuk had 44 points, in far fewer games played mind you, but you get the idea that the soft spoken d-man has had a far greater impact in a deal that saw a first round WHL bantam pick and Conner Bruggen-Cate go the other way. Lee is the teams best defenceman. He should pick up the honour at the teams awards banquet at the conclusion of the season. While that trade was precipitated to build for a strong appearance at the 2020 Memorial Cup that never materialized, that deal is still giving back three years after the fact. 
• Andrew Cristall is a very impressive player. The skill set is above average. What kills you as a coach is often his ill advised cross ice passes or clearing attempts that are not executed with authority. Instead of getting ticked off at the parts of his game that need improvement and stapling his butt on the bench like coaches did in the 'good old days', Kris Mallette plays him, not punishes him in an effort to correct the mistakes. What happens? Cristall rewards the coach. He is in on all three crucial goals when the team needs offensive production to battle back in the game. How many 16 year-old's are put into that position late in a game? I hope Cristall realizes the long rope he has been given and the faith the Mallette shows by putting him on the ice when the chips are down. I think he does. He rewards the coach by setting up Novak's power play goal, scoring the tying marker and then feathering a pass to Novak for the game winner. If you think it's normal for a 16 year-old to be that instrumental in a come-from--behind win, let me be the first to tell you, it's not!!
• The Rockets had to dig deep in this one after losing second leading point producer Colton Dach to a five minute major for a check to the head of Americans forward Sasha Mutala. Losing Dach was impactful. The 19 year-old is always a threat to score. He shoots the puck a ton and is good at the face-off circle. Others needed to step up and they did.
• The ugly stat? The Americans have 1 regulation win in their last 20 visits to Prospera Place. That's a record of 1-16-1-2 over that stretch.  
• In case you haven't noticed, Pavel Novak is closing in on 100 games played in the WHL. With 93 games under his belt, the 19 year-old has 110 career points. That puts him second all-time in points by a European forward in the Kelowna Rockets record books. Novak is only bettered by Vaclav Varada, who had 173 points in two seasons from 1994-96. Tomas Oravec had 87 career points over two seasons and sits third - all-time. Novak, even today, has to be considered as one of the best players from overseas to skate at Prospera Place.
• Coming into this season, goaltending was considered a weakness with the 2021-2022 edition of the Kelowna Rockets. It had to be addressed with two overage goalies in Cole Schwebius and Roman Basran. It took some experimentation with Colby Knight and maybe a risky trade with 19 year-old Tayln Boyko, but it appears things have worked out wonderfully. Why was the Boyko deal risky? While drafted by the New York Rangers, Boyko was unproven as a starter. At the time of the trade, the Drumheller product saw sporadic duty behind the likes of Beck Warm. Being consistent with an increased workload isn't easy. Fortunately for the Rockets, Boyko has been brilliant and it now looks like a tremendous deal made by GM Bruce Hamilton. I'd trade a third rounder back to Tri City in a heartbeat considering how steady Boyko has been since his arrival. With Jari Kykkanen as his sidekick, that position hasn't looked this solid in a long, long time. Even when the backup is required to play, you don't have that feel in the pit of your stomach that disaster is close at hand. Kykkanen is no shrinking violet either.
• Summing up the weekend in one word? Spectacular. The win against Everett was the biggest of the season without question. It just solidified the belief that the team can indeed play with the elite. While still not considered a top tier team by some, the Rockets have put together a 26 win season while sitting tied for 4th with the fewest goals allowed in the entire WHL. The last 18 games likely explains it all - 13-2-1-0. This team is for real.