Game Day: Rockets Go for 22 Straight at Home vs. Giants
Kelowna plays Vancouver tonight at Prospera Place, having won the past 22 straight home games. They are first in the WHL BC Division and second overall in the entire league.
There are tickets available for the game tonight
Buy Kelowna Rockets Tickets here or charge by phone at 250-762-5050.
In the meantime get ready for the game with Regan Bartel’s game notes.
Tonight’s Preview: The Kelowna Rockets face the Vancouver Giants tonight at Prospera Place. This is the sixth meeting of the season between the two teams. The Rockets are 4-0-1-0 against the Giants this season having out-scored their BC Division rivals 25-11. These two teams met last night in Vancouver with the Rockets earning a 5-1 win. Colton Sissons scored twice while Tyson Baillie, Tyrell Goulbourne and J.T Barnett added singles in the Rockets 39th win of the season. Jackson Whistle made 32 saves and was named the first star. The seasonal series ends with a home and home series to end the regular season on March 15th and 16th. This is game 54 of the regular season for the Rockets, who enter tonight’s contest with 82 points in the standings, ten more than all of last season. The Rockets have five regulation losses in their last 42 games (35-5-2-1) with setbacks to Tri City (twice), Edmonton, Seattle and Calgary. The Rockets have won 32 of their last 37 (30-4-3-0) games overall. The Rockets enter tonight’s game riding a 22 game home ice winning streak. The only two teams to beat the Rockets on home ice this season are Kamloops and Spokane. The Rockets have points in eighteen straight games (16-0-2-0), having out-scored the opposition 95-43. Following tonight’s game the Rockets are in Spokane Wednesday.
20 Goal Club: The Kelowna Rockets have five players with 20 or more goals this season. Myles Bell (29), Ryan Olsen (26), Zach Franko (21) are joined by Tyson Baillie (20) and Colton Sissons (20). Dylen McKinlay has 18 goals.
January Blues? No way! The Kelowna Rockets were 12-0-2-0 in 14 games in the month. That is the equivalent of 26 points in the standings. The 2002-2003 edition of the Rockets went 13-1-0-0 with one tie in 15 games in the month of January. That is the equivalent of 27 points in the standings. The only loss came to the Kamloops Blazers. Colton Sissons led the way for the Rockets in January with 18 points (7+11=18). Tyson Baillie also played strong with 17 points in 14 games (7+10=17). Dylen McKinlay, playing in his 300th career WHL game Thursday night, ended the month with 16 points (5+11=16). Zach Franko, Myles Bell and Ryan Olsen all chipped in with 15 points in January.
Home Cook’n: The Rockets are 23-2-0-0 at Prospera Place this season. The team has scored 130 goals (5.2 per game) and has allowed 47 goals against (1.9 per game). The Rockets have scored at least 3 or more goals in every home game this season except one, when they lost 3-2 to the visiting Kamloops Blazers. The Rockets have scored four or more goals in 19 of their 25 home games. Jordon Cooke and Jackson Whistle have combined for five home ice shutouts this season. The team has allowed two or fewer goals at home this season in 18 of 25 games.
This and That: The Rockets play 12 games in the month of February, with 6 games at home and 6 games on the road. Six of those 12 games are against teams in the U.S Division including a match up against first place Portland on February 8th and 9th….The Rockets have 8 road games left in the regular season with 6 of them against BC Division teams…Five of the Rockets 10 regulation losses this season have been decided by a single goal… Jordon Cooke was named the WHL Goaltender of the Month for December. Cooke was 6-0-0-0 and posted a goals against average of 2.00. Cooke had his 20 consecutive winning streak snapped in Monday’s overtime loss in Kamloops. Kelly Guard won 10 straight games – four different times between 2002 and 2004….Since a 3-0 win over the Kamloops Blazers November 1st the Rockets are 30-4-2-0….The Rockets 22 game home ice winning streak is a team record and is the third longest winning streak on home ice in WHL history…. The franchise record is held by the Tacoma Rockets, who won 24 straight home games in 1992-93….Dylen McKinlay is the only Rocket to play in every game this season…The Rockets have led going into the third period in 36 of their last 44 games with two games being tied heading into the final frame.…The Rockets have 37 power play goal in their last 44 games (37 for 151 over that span – 24.2 %)…..The Rockets have scored 209 goals in their last 44 games (average 4.74)….Madison Bowey (22), Mitch Wheaton (63) and Myles Bell (87) are rated among the top players by NHL Central Scouting for June’s draft. The mid-season rankings were released by NHLCS on Tuesday. Jackson Whistle is rated (26) among North American goalies…The Rockets have out-scored the opposition 130-47 on home ice this season…The Rockets have scored the most goals in the WHL (239)….Zach Franko has nineteen more points (58) than the 39 he put up all of last season. That is a new career high for the 19 year-old…..J.T Barnett has 9+11=20 in 29 games with the Rockets…Dylen McKinlay has four shorthanded goals…Since relocating from Tacoma to Kelowna for the start of the 1995-96 season, the Rockets have picked up 666 wins over the last 18 seasons…Since entering the WHL in 1991, the Tacoma/Kelowna Rockets have scored 4 thousand 569 goals (4,569)…Jordon Cooke’s 28 wins is the most in the WHL….The Rockets have participated in one shootout game this season. That is a league low. Last season the Rockets were involved in a league high 15…The Rockets lead the WHL in home ice wins with (22)…Dylen McKinlay leads the team in plus/minus with a +44. It is the highest +/- total for a Kelowna Rockets player. Jesse Schultz was +40 in 2002-2003…Since November 1st the Rockets have lost four times in regulation…Six of the teams ten regulation losses came in the first five weeks of the season…Zach Franko has 150 career points….JT Barnett is 3 games shy of 250 for his WHL career…Tyrell Goulbourne has 16 fighting majors this season…Damon Severson is five points shy of 100 for his career.
Who’s Hot: Tyson Baillie has 6+4=10 in his last six games…..Jesse Lees has five goals in his last eight games…Colton Sissons is riding an ten game point streak. Sissons has 6+9=15 over that period… Ryan Olsen has goals in eight of his last twelve games… MacKenzie Johnston has 12 points (3+9=12) in his last 13 games…Carter Rigby has 7+3=10 in last six games… Cody Fowlie has 2+4=6 in his last four games…Tyrell Goulbourne has 2+4=6 in his last four games…Damon Severson has a five game point streak with 2+6=8 over that stretch.
