Game Day: Rockets and Winterhawks Ready for Game 1

The Kelowna Rockets are in their final preparations for what should be a good playoff series with the Portland Winterhawks, beginning with game one in Portland tonight.

Here’s a series preview from Daily Courier reporter Doyle Potenteau, who is on the road with the team.

When it comes to offence, the Portland Winterhawks‘ barn is full of thoroughbreds. So, it seems Kelowna would like to avoid playing run-and-gun playoff hockey.
But with the Rockets also featuring a stable full of fast forwards, is it such a bad idea? Especially when Kelowna has an ace in goaltender Adam Brown?

“Adam is going to be critical for us,” said Rockets president and general manager Bruce Hamilton. “He‘ll have to be even better than he was in the last series (against Prince George), because we‘re not going to win games 7-6 against that team. And another big thing for us will be discipline.

“And it‘ll also depend on how (Portland goalie Mac Carruth) plays. If he‘s hot, then we‘re really going to have to push. But our structure, and the way we‘re going to play against them, it‘s going to have to stay true to form. So what the coaches plan, the team can‘t stray from that.”

So, scratch Kelowna playing run-and-gun hockey. Too bad, because the Rockets can really light it up at times. But if the Rockets aren‘t willing to swap goals, what, then, is Kelowna‘s game plan?

“We‘re going to have to run into them,” said Hamilton. “They‘re a big, physical team, but we‘re going to have to get in their way and disrupt things because they love to play wide-open. We‘ll never be able to score with them if we get into a shootout.”

Specifically, it‘s Portland‘s depth that Kelowna wants to limit scoring.

The Rockets won‘t be able to stop either Ryan Johansen or Nino Niederreiter from scoring – with both being first-round NHL draft picks, they‘re simply too good to stop.

What Kelowna will need to do is limit Portland‘s second- and third-line offence. However, with Craig Cunningham – who has won no less than five division pennants in his five WHL seasons – and Ty Rattie playing behind Johansen and Niederreiter, that‘ll be hard to do. Cunningham came to Portland via trade this season from Vancouver.

Now, technically, this is the second time the Rockets and Winterhawks have met in the playoffs, though it‘s Kelowna‘s first. In 1994, the Rockets, then based out of Tacoma, were swept by Portland 4-0 in the second round.

“That was a long time ago,” recalled Hamilton, “and I remember they beat us four straight. We had a pretty good season (33-34-5), but we weren‘t battle ready at all.
“But now, a key for us was getting past Prince George without anybody getting scuffed up, and with Evan Bloodoff coming back, that adds another dimension to our team. He‘s a problem for everybody who plays us because they have to catch him. He‘ll certainly help our club out. At the end of the day, though, it‘s going to come down to Adam

Brown and Tyson Barrie, Shane McColgan and our over-age players (Zak Stebner, Geordie Wudrick and Bloodoff) being our best players; those guys are going to have to have real good series. We need lots of miles out of Stebner and Wudrick and, of course, Evan.”

Specifically, Hamilton said Wudrick will be facing a good challenge when he tries to establish a spot in Portland‘s crease.

“Geordie is going to be key,” he said. “He‘s scored some goals for us, but we‘re going up against a big, physical team. He‘s a big guy who‘s going to have to battle.”
Add Stebner, Bloodoff and Kelowna‘s older players to that battle list. And not just because they‘re playing Portland.

“They‘re fighting for a chance to get an opportunity for a contract or a spot at a pro camp,” said Hamilton. “Evan needs to impress Phoenix down this stretch to get a contract, and Wudrick and Stebner and (defenceman Kevin Smith) are all trying to get tryouts. And we have other guys who are looking at getting drafted.

“I think this is going to be a critical series, and lots of people are going to be following us around. In particular, I‘ve had calls on Wudrick and teams are coming in just to watch him just to see what he does. He had 43 goals (in the regular season), so they want to know what he can do. This will be the biggest test for him so far.”
While scouts will be watching for Wudrick‘s offence, the Rockets will be concentrating on defence. Portland‘s defence.

“We really have to pressure their defence,” said Hamilton. “We‘re going to go after them hard. We‘re going to hit them. Their defence is going to know that they‘re playing against us because that‘s what‘s going to happen.”

Here‘s hoping what happens: A series for the ages.