GAME DAY! Rockets vs. Americans
r Rockets rookie Shane McColgan rips a slap shot during Kelowna's home opener on Thursday night, The Rockets are in Tri City tonight.
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r By Kevin Parnell – kelownarockets.com
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r The Kelowna Rockets will get a boost from a familiar face as they take on the Tri City Americans tonight, looking to rebound from an overtime loss on Thursday night in Kelowna that kicked off the Western Hockey League season.
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r Veteran Brandon McMillan has met the team in Tri City after an excellent training camp with the NHL's Anaheim Ducks and will play in the game. The Rockets left Friday to Tri City to prepare for the game and will take to the ice at the Toyota Centre.
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r McMillan's arrival will provide a boost to the club after the forward/defenceman scored 49 points in 70 games with the team last year when he played most of the season on defence.
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r Coach Ryan Huska says his team will have to be ready for the Americans as Tri City holds its home and season opening game.
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r “We’re going to have to make sure we’re ready to play when the puck drops,” said Huska. “Tri City has great team speed. We have to make sure we’re ready to push back.”
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r Colin Long and Tyler Myers remain at NHL training camps so the Rockets continue to wait for their possible return.
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r Stepan Novotny is coming off of a four goal performance in the wild home opener on Thursday night and he will look to continue to provide offense. Huska said it’s all about working towards improving every night.
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r “I think everything is a work in progress right now,” he said. “There were a few individual performances we were happy with on Thursday like Novotny and Shane McColgan. I think our 5-on-4 power play looked good. I think we got better as the game went on.”
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r Tonight’s game is the first of four games between Kelowna and Tri City and the first meeting since the Rockets dispatched of the Americans in a six game playoff series in the second round of last year’s WHL playoffs. The Americans finished first in the WHL U.S. division last year and look to be a contender again this year.
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r For the Rockets the chance to hit the road for a single game this weekend was a nice escape after the opening ceremony Thursday that saw two banners raised to the rafters of Prospera Place. It gives the new group a chance to bond together for the first time.
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r “That’s important,” said Huska. “They spend a good day and a half together before they play. They have a bus ride and a chance to get to know each other better. That’s something you don’t get at home. It was a nice ceremony to watch the banners go up but for us it’s time to get focussed on being better each and every night.”
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r The Rockets and Americans drop the puck at 7:05 p.m. from Tri City tonight. Listen to the game on 1150 a.m. in Kelowna or link to it through kelownarockets.com.
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