GAME DAY: Rockets in Lethbridge to Take on Hurricanes
Rockets @ Hurricanes
Sunday October 4, 2015
Game Time ‑ 5:00 pm
Tonight’s Preview: The Kelowna Rockets play game three of an Alberta road trip tonight with a stop in Lethbridge to face the Hurricanes. The team plays Medicine Hat on Tuesday to close out the trip. This is the fifth of six straight games on the road for the Rockets. Last night in Red Deer, the Rebels scored four times in the second period in a 7-4 win. Tyson Baillie, Calvin Thurkauf, Kole Lind and Justin Kirkland scored in the loss. The Rockets trailed 2-1 and 6-2 by periods. Michael Herringer made 31 saves in the loss. The Rockets were 1 for 6 on the power play. The setback came on the heels of a 5-3 win Friday night in Edmonton. Cole Linaker scored the game winning goal with under two minutes left in the third period in a come from behind victory. The Rockets trailed 3-2 heading into the third period before scoring three unanswered goals in the final 20 minutes. Linaker also scored into an empty net while Rourke Chartier, Calvin Thurkauf and Kole Lind found the back of the net. Michael Herringer made 35 saves for his first win of the season. The Rockets play eight of their first 11 games on the road.
Rockets vs. Hurricanes: This is the first of only three meetings between the Rockets and Hurricanes this season. Lethbridge pays two visits to the Okanagan on October 31st before making a return visit in February. The Rockets are riding a four game winning streak in Lethbridge after winning 4-3 in overtime and 6-3 at the Enmax Centre last season. The last loss for the Rockets in Lethbridge was February 24/12 in a 6-2 setback.
This and That: Veteran goaltender Jackson Whistle is back in the lineup tonight after missing three games with an upper body injury. Whistle was hurt last Saturday in a 7-3 win in Kamloops after getting a stick in the throat…Dillon Dube returns to the line-up tonight after serving a two game suspension for a kneeing incident a week ago in Vancouver…Rookies Kole Lind and Calvin Thurkauf each have goals in back-to-back games…Of the 21 goals the Rockets have surrendered this season, 14 (67%) have come in the second period…The Rockets have scored the opening goal in back-to- back games…Tyson Baillie has 9 points in five games. The19 year-old (doesn’t turn 20 until November 16) has 5+4=9 over that period.…Baillie opened last season with goals in six straight games….Baillie ‘s goal last night was the 100th of his career….If Baillie stays healthy and plays in every game this season, the 20 year-old will end his career with 331 games under his belt… The Rockets were kicked out of the CHL Top 10 rankings this week after being rated fourth heading into the season. The Rockets are an ‘honourable mention’ in this week’s rankings…The Rockets had two players taken in the NHL draft. Nick Merkley was taken in the first round by Arizona. Devante Stephens was chosen in the 5th round by Buffalo…Cole Linaker (Oilers), Tomas Soustal (Flames) and Tyson Baillie (Flames) all received free agent tryouts…Dillon Dube (3+3=6) and Kole Lind (1+5=6) led the team in pre-season scoring…The Rockets were 3-2-0-0 in five games during the pre-season…The team plays three games in three nights four times this season but twice in the first two weekends.
New Kids on the Block: The Kelowna Rockets named 34 year-old Brad Ralph as the head coach on August fourth. Ralph took over from Dan Lambert, who resigned at seasons end to take an assistant coaching position with the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres. Ralph is the ninth head coach in Rockets franchise history after leaving the Idaho Steelheads after three seasons in the ECHL. On defense, the team welcomes 16 year-old Cal Foote, the son of former NHL’er Adam Foote. Foote was the team’s second round bantam pick in 2013 and his younger brother Nolan was the Rockets second round pick in this past May’s draft. The Rockets selected 18 year-old Swiss forward Calvin Thurkauf in this summer’s CHL Import draft. Other new faces include rookies Danny Gatenby (Joe’s younger brother) and 18 year-old Gordie Ballhorn, who played last season with the AJHL’s Whitecourt Wolverines.
