Game Day: Rockets Close Out Trip in Calgary
Rockets @ Hitmen
Friday December 17, 2010
Game Time 7:00 pm
Tonight’s Preview: The Rockets and Hitmen are meeting for the first of just two times this season. The Rockets make a return visit February 26th. These two teams met twice last season with the Rockets winning 4-1 at home and losing 2-1 (Feb 27/10) at the Saddledome. The Rockets last win in Calgary came February 28/09 in a 2-1 victory. Cody Almond scored his 32nd goal of the season while Collin Bowman scored the game winner on the power play at the 5:09 mark of the third period. Overall, the Rockets enter tonight’s game having won eight of their last twelve games and fourteen of their last nineteen (14-5-0-0). The Rockets are 2 and 2 on a five game Alberta road trip. The Rockets have beaten Red Deer (5-1) and Lethbridge (3-2 in a shootout) before losses to Edmonton (2-1) and Medicine Hat (2-0). Following tonight’s game the Rockets will enjoy the Christmas break before returning to action December 28th against the Everett Silvertips. The Rockets sit one point back of Vancouver for first place in the BC Division.
Rockets recent game: The Rockets used shootout goals from Shane McColgan and Geordie Wudrick in a 3-2 win Wednesday in Lethbridge. Brett Bulmer and Kevin Smith scored regulation time goals. Jordon Cooke earned the win in goal, his first in almost a month. Cooke was a 4-2 winner November 19th in Prince George. The Rockets fired 43 shots on the Hurricanes net. The Rockets were 0 for 4 on the power play.
Who’s Hot: Shane McColgan has 1+7=8 in his last ten games…Mitchell Callahan has 4+4=8 in his last ten games…Brett Bulmer has 3+3=6 in his last eight games. Tyson Barrie has gone ten games without a goal yet has points in five of his last eight games (0+9=9)…Geordie Wudrick has 8 goals in his last ten games.
Who’s Not: Shane McColgan has one goal in his last thirteen games and hasn’t scored in five straight. Cody Chikie has just two goals in his last 19 games. Max Adolph has no goals in his last 16 games. Zach Franko has no goals in his last seven. Spencer Main has one goal in his last 15.
New Recruit: The Rockets were pleased to announce on Tuesday that 15 year-old Madison Bowey has committed to playing with the Rockets this season. Bowey, from Winnipeg, was the Rockets 2nd round pick in the 2010 WHL Bantam Draft. The Rockets exchanged draft picks with the Prince George Cougars to grab Bowey with the first selection in round two. Bowey made his Rockets debut Wednesday night against the Hurricanes.
This and That: Tyson Barrie became the 11th player in Rockets’ history to be named to the Canadian World Junior Team. Barrie is joined on that list by Rockets’ defenceman like Shea Weber, Josh Gorges, Tyler Myers and Luke Schenn…Forward Mitchell Callahan won’t play tonight. Callahan is attending the USA training camp for the upcoming World Junior Hockey Championships…The Rockets have allowed one power play goal against in their last six. The Rockets are 27 for 28 over that period…The Rockets are 1 for 19 on the power play in their first four games of the Alberta road trip….The Rockets are 15 for 16 on penalty kill in those four games…The Rockets are playing game six of seven straight against teams outside of the Western Conference….Adam Brown was the WHL goaltender of the month for November. Brown went 9-1-0-0 with a goals against average of 1.96 and a save percentage of .934….European’s Gal Koren and Andreas Stene will be playing for their countries at the World Junior Hockey Championships at Christmas….Two members of the Rockets will participate in the Under 17 Hockey Challenge later this month in Manitoba. Rookies Damon Severson and Colton Heffley have been named to Team West…. The Rockets have been involved in fifteen-one goal games this season. The Rockets are 10-5-0-0 in those fifteen-one goal games…Adam Brown has started twenty of the last 23 games…The Rockets franchise played in its 1400th regular season game Tuesday night in Medicine Hat. The team has 716 regular season wins….Zak Stebner (300) is one of three Rockets with over 300 penalty minutes in their career. Mitchell Callahan (415) and Geordie Wudrick (337) are the others….The Rockets are trying to win back-to-back road games for the first time since wins in Prince George November 19th and 20th….Fifteen year-old defenceman Jesse Lees will make his Kelowna Rockets debut tonight against the Hitmen. Lees was the Rockets first round pick in the 2010 WHL Bantam Draft… Sixteen year-old Tyrell Goulbourne has joined the team on the Alberta road trip. Goulbourne is playing midget hockey in Edmonton this season. He was taken in the 5th round of the 2009 draft.
Rockets next five games:
December 28th vs. Everett
December 30th vs. Kamloops
January 1st vs. Spokane
January 2nd in Kamloops
January 6th vs. Moose Jaw
Milestone Makers:
Shane McColgan played in his 100th career game last Wednesday against Saskatoon. McColgan has 103 career points.
Mitchell Callahan is one goal shy of 50 for his career. Callahan has 107 career points.
Tyson Barrie has 195 career points. Barrie has played 225 career games.
Geordie Wudrick has 192 career points. Wudrick played in his 300th WHL game in Prince George November 20th.
Brett Bulmer played in his 100th career game Wednesday in Lethbridge.
