Courier: Wheat Kings Up Next For Kelowna

By Doyle Potenteau – Kelowna Daily Courier

When it comes to looking ahead, Shane McColgan, Zach Franko and Colton Sissons are key components to Kelowna‘s future.

Asking first- and second-year forwards to be today‘s leaders, go-to guys, though, is a load that should be carried by the Rockets‘ veterans. But given how Kelowna‘s veterans have performed so far, the Rockets are having their playing hands forced.

For example, over-age left-winger Geordie Wudrick was scratched in Friday‘s 4-3 shoot-out win over Everett. Why the 6-foot-3 forward was scratched wasn‘t surprising, with just one goal and one assist in 10 games.

“Geordie was a healthy scratch,” Rockets head coach Ryan Huska said of the decision to sit the 20-year-old, who‘s in his final season of junior eligibility. “Sometimes when a guy, when they think they‘re playing hard, sometimes it takes sitting out and actually watching a game and realizing how much fun it is to play the game if you work hard. That‘s what we‘re trying to get across to Geordie.

“We need him to be a big contributer to our team. Hopefully, this is something that brings him back on course.”

Last season, Wudrick nearly averaged a point a game after the Rockets acquired him in a trade with the Swift Current Broncos. Prior to joining Kelowna, he had eight goals and 14 points in 24 games with Swift Current. Those numbers rose to 19 goals and 34 points in 38 games with the Rockets, giving him a season total of 48 points in 62 games. His best season in the league was 2008-09, where he had 35 goals and 57 points in 69 games with the Broncos.

Also scratched was over-age defenceman Brendon Wall, though he is coming off a concussion suffered in a 5-1 home-ice loss to the Portland Winterhawks on Saturday, Oct. 16.

Kelowna‘s third over-age player, Evan Bloodoff, is having an OK season stats-wise, with two goals and five points in 11 games. In Bloodoff‘s case, though, the normally offensive-minded left-winger seems committed to playing defensively this season.

Regardless, if Kelowna (4-7-0-0) is to improve its surprisingly slow start to 2010-11, the team will need big efforts from its trio of over-agers. And a good place to start will be Tuesday, when the Brandon Wheat Kings (4-9-0-0) visit Prospera Place.

Wheat Kings general manager and head coach Kelly McCrimmon isn‘t one to suffer loses lightly, and his squad is winless in its six-game road trip against B.C. teams, with losses to Prince George (5-3) last Wednesday, Vancouver (5-2) on Friday then Chilliwack (6-3) on Saturday. After playing Kelowna, Brandon visits Kamloops on Wednesday, then Cranbrook on Friday for a tilt with the Kootenay Ice.

Seeing a poor effort on Tuesday night would quickly wipe out any momentum the Rockets had built up with their victory over Everett on Friday night. In that contest, goaltender Adam Brown, 19, had a stellar night, making 36 saves and earning first-star honours. The win came on the heels of a disappointing 7-5 loss to Vancouver on Wednesday, a game which saw Kelowna squander a 5-2 lead.

“Without a doubt, it was a big win,” said Huska. “With teams coming back on us, we need our goaltender to be the difference when teams are a little easy or unsure of themselves, and Adam was certainly the difference.”