GAME DAY: Rockets head south of the border to challenge Tri-City
Rockets @ Americans
November 30th, 2016
Game Time – 7:05 pm
Tonight’s Preview: The Kelowna Rockets open a two game, U.S Division, road trip tonight in Tri City against the Americans. This is the second meeting of the season between these two teams. The Rockets were a 4-2 winner back on October 21st. Jake Kryski had a goal and an assist in the win. In 10 days, the Rockets make a return visit to Kennewick before closing out the four game seasonal series March 4th at Prospera Place. Last season the Rockets were a 3-1 winner before failing 6-4 at Toyota Centre. The Rockets are coming off an impressive 3-2 overtime win Saturday against the visiting Regina Pats. Kole Lind scored the game winning goal while Tomas Soustal and Devante Stephens added singles. Soustal had two assists to go along with his goal. Michael Herringer made 30 saves and was named the first star. Tonight’s game is the start of 9 of their 11 games before Christmas being played on opposition ice. The only home games over that stretch are against Brandon (Saturday) and Seattle (One week from tonight). Following tonight’s game, the Rockets are in Spokane Friday night before hosting the Wheat Kings on Saturday.
Digg’n Deeper: The Rockets are 11-2-0-0 in their last 13 regular season games against the Americans. The Rockets are a perfect 7-0-0-0 on home ice over that stretch. These two teams are a combined 22-0-0-0 when leading after 40 minutes.
Broadcasters Bits: The Rockets are one of only two teams in the WHL that have not lost in overtime this season. The Vancouver Giants have also not fallen in overtime….The Rockets have played a BC Division low 25 games…The Rockets have lost 6 times on home ice, the exact same number of losses as a season ago when the team was 27-6-3-0 at Prospera Place…The next time the Rockets face a BC Divisional cousin is December 27th when they host the Kamloops Blazers….The Rockets are the only team in the WHL that has failed to surrender a shorthanded goal against this season…The Rockets are 5-7-0-0 against BC based teams this season…The Rockets are 14-11-0-0 after 25 games. Last season the team was 19-5-1-0 after 25 games….Michael Herringer has started in 8 of the last 9 games and 14 of the last 16…The Rockets are 5-0-0-0 against U.S Division teams this season…The Rockets have carried the lead into the third period in 9 of the last 15 games …Veteran 20 year-old Michael Herringer was named the WHL Goaltender of the Week from October 17th to October 23rd. Herringer went 3-0-0-0, posting a goals against average of 1.99…The Rockets are the most penalized team in the WHL…It is a good bet that Tomas Soustal (Czech Republic) and Calvin Thurkauf (Switzerland) will play for their respective countries at the upcoming World Junior Hockey Championships in Montreal/Toronto. If that indeed is the case, those two players would likely play up until December 7th against the visiting Seattle Thunderbirds…Nick Merkley and Cal Foote also attended Hockey Canada’s summer selection camp and played for the WHL in the Canada-Russia Challenge and could receive an invite to Team Canada’s main camp December 11-14th in Blainville, Quebec. Merkley was a late cut last year.
NHL Central Scouting: NHL Central Scouting has released its November ‘Players to Watch’ list. Defenceman Cal Foote is an ‘A’ prospect for next June’s draft. Kole Lind is a ‘B’ prospect while defenceman Jonathan Smart is a ‘C’ prospect. The NHL draft this year is in Chicago.
Who’s Hot?: Tomas Soustal has goals in 8 of his last 11 games and has 9+11=20 over that period…Calvin Thurkauf has points in 8 of his last 12 games (5+10=15)…Kole Lind has points in 13 of his last 15 games (9+12=21)…Nick Merkley has goals in 5 of his last 11 games…16 year-old Nolan Foote has points in five of his last 9 games. Foote has 3+2=5 over that period…Merkley has points in 12 of his last 15 games (6+10=16).
Roster Stats:
Player total: 24
Year by Year Breakdown:
20’s – 3 Stadel, Herringer, Southam
19’s – 6 Johansen, Merkley, Soustal, Stephens, Ballhorn, Thurkauf
18’s – 6 Dube, Kryski, Lind, Borstmayer, Chizen, Salmond
17’s – 6 C. Foote, Topping, Bruggen-Cate, Cowell, Smart, Mattson
16’s – 2 N. Foote, Belcourt
Game Notes Compiled by Regan Bartel of AM 1150
