Preview: Rockets head south for the weekend
The Kelowna Rockets will head south of the border to take on the Seattle Thunderbirds and Tri-City Americans this weekend.
The Rockets will face the Thunderbirds Friday night, puck drop is set for 7:35 pm at the accesso ShoWare Center. They’ll then battle the Americans at the Toyota Center Saturday night, puck drop is set for 7:05 pm.
Kelowna is coming off of a 4-1 victory over the Victoria Royals on Wednesday night at Prospera Place. Michael Farren was the second star of the game with a goal and an assist, he said that it’s a big weekend for the team.
“Those are big points are coming up for us,” said Farren. “We’re trying to catch Kamloops in the standings. As for Seattle, I think they go pretty hard; they forecheck hard and hit. They usually start off the first period coming to play, I think if we can put them to bed early then, that would be the ideal situation.”
The Kamloops Blazers turned up the heat last night to take down the T-Birds 10-1 last night in Kamloops.
The Tri-City Americans will host the Winnipeg ICE on Friday night before the Rockets roll into town.
B.C. Division Standings
| # | Team | GP | W | L | OTL | SOL | PTS |
| 1 | Kamloops Blazers | 22 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 30 |
| T2 | Vancouver Giants | 23 | 11 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 24 |
| T2 | Kelowna Rockets | 21 | 11 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 24 |
| 4 | Victoria Royals | 19 | 10 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 21 |
| 5 | Prince George Cougars | 22 | 4 | 16 | 0 | 2 | 10 |
U.S. Division Standings
| # | Team | GP | W | L | OTL | SOL | PTS |
| T1 | Everett Silvertips | 19 | 14 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 29 |
| T1 | Portland Winterhawks | 21 | 13 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 29 |
| 2 | Spokane Chiefs | 21 | 11 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 24 |
| 3 | Tri-City Americans | 19 | 11 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 23 |
| 4 | Seattle Thunderbirds | 20 | 6 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 15 |
2019-2020 record vs. Seattle Thunderbirds: 1-0-0-0
Oct. 11, 2019: Kelowna 8 at Seattle 3
Upcoming games
Nov. 22, 2019: Kelowna at Seattle
Jan. 24, 2020: Seattle at Kelowna
Mar. 6, 2020: Seattle at Kelowna
2019-2020 record vs. Tri-City Americans: 1-0-0-0
Oct. 2, 2019: Tri-City 1 at Kelowna 6
Upcoming games
Nov. 23, 2019: Kelowna at Tri-City
Jan. 5, 2020: Kelowna at Tri-City
Feb. 12, 2020: Tri-City at Kelowna
Players to watch
Kelowna:
- Defenceman Jake Lee snuck up into the play last night to score a wrap-around goal, it held up as the game-winning goal. The 6’2, 209-pound defender will be looking to get onto the score sheet against his former team.
- Forward Alex Swetlikoff stayed hot against the Royals last night with a goal. He has six points (5G, 1A) in seven of his previous games played.
Seattle:
- Florida Panthers prospect Henrik Rybinski is tied for third in team scoring with 11 points (2G, 9A) in 20 games. He had an assist against the Rockets on October 2.
- Slovakia product Andrej Kukuca had two assists against the Rockets in the series opener. The 20-year-old is tied for second in T-Birds scoring with 12 points (6G, 6A) in 20 games.
Tri-City:
- The Ams were without Anaheim Ducks prospect and captain Kyle Olsen. He has 14 points (5G, 9A) in 14 games this season.
- Tri-City leading scorer Sasha Mutala wasn’t in the lineup either the last time they faced the Rockets. He has 22 points (8G, 14A) in 18 games.
You can listen to the game on AM 1150, watch on WHL Live or follow the Rockets Twitter for live updates.
Six and twelve game mini-packs are now on sale! Order yours today by filling out this form or by contacting Gavin Hamilton at 250-979-0851 ([email protected]) or Andrew Deans at 250-979-0863 ([email protected]).
