Rockets and Blazers Back at it in Kamloops
Rockets @ Blazers
Saturday September 26, 2015
Game Time ‑ 7:05 pm
Tonight’s Preview: The Rockets organization opened its 25th season last night with a 4-3 home ice win over the Kamloops Blazers. Tyson Baillie scored twice while Tomas Soustal and Justin Kirkland added singles in the one goal win. Dillon Dube had two assists while Jackson Whistle made 30 saves before a crowd of just over 54 hundred. These two teams meet again tonight in Kamloops. Last season the Rockets were 1-4-0-0 at what was then known as the Interior Savings Centre. The name has changed to Sandman Centre. All of the games in Kamloops were close, despite the Rockets out-scoring their BC Division rivals 20-16. Following tonight’s game, these two teams won’t see each other until November 18th when the Rockets make a return visit. Last season the Rockets were 9-1-0-0 against their BC Division rivals, who along with the Vancouver Giants, failed to make the playoffs in 2014-2015. The Rockets have a busy weekend ahead of them with three games in three nights. The Rockets are in Vancouver Sunday night. The defending WHL champions play eight of their first 11 games on the road.
Banner Raiser: The Kelowna Rockets raised three new banners last night after winning the BC Division with 112 points, the Western Conference playoff banner and the WHL title with a series sweep over the regular season champion Brandon Wheat Kings. It is the Rockets fourth WHL championship banner after winning the league crown in 2003 (vs. Red Deer), 2005 (vs. Brandon), 2009 (vs. Calgary) and 2015 (vs. Brandon). The BC Division title is the teams sixth, after earning 30 more points than the Victoria Royals, the BC Divisions second place team last season. The Rockets also won the BC Division in 2013-2014, 2012-2013, 2010-2011, 2003-2004 and 2002-2003.
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.
Significant off-season losses: Winning a WHL title with an older team means the hockey club lost seven players and a coach following an appearance in the Memorial Cup final in Quebec City. Moving on to pro hockey are Leon Draisaitl, Josh Morrissey, Cole Martin, Chance Braid, Tyrell Goulbourne and Captain Madison Bowey. Defenceman Mitch Wheaton was traded to the Saskatoon Blades in the off season and head coach Dan Lambert resigned July 6th to take a job in the NHL.
My memory is good, just short: For a third straight season the Rockets won 50+ games. With a record of 53-13-5-1, the team accumulated 112 points, two fewer than the regular season champion Brandon Wheat Kings. The Rockets won 26 times on home ice and a league high 27 times on the road. The Rockets were one of only two teams to score 300 or more goals (305) with Brandon leading the way with 340. Lost in the team’s successes last season was allowing a league low 183 goals against. Everett was next at 199. The team eliminated Tri City in round one, Victoria in round two and Portland in the Western Conference final. They quickly dispatched Brandon in the WHL final in four games.
Is a repeat in the cards? The Rockets return their top three point producers from last season. Nick Merkley (90 pts), Rourke Chartier (82 pts), and Tyson Baillie (76 pts) are all back with the team. Merkley was taken in the first round of this summer’s NHL draft by the Arizona Coyotes while he and fellow teammate Chartier both attended Team Canada’s summer camp for the upcoming World Junior Hockey Championships. Baillie received a free agent tryout with the NHL’s Calgary Flames. Jackson Whistle, who played in 50 regular season games and posted a goals against average of 2.55, is back for his 20 year-old season. Whistle suited up for the Vancouver Canucks for a second consecutive season in the Young Stars Classic in Penticton. The hockey club returns 15 players from last season’s championship squad.
This and That: Tomas Soustal scored on opening night. Last season it took him 11 games to score his first career goal….Tyson Baillie scored twice last night giving him 97 career goals in a Rockets uniform. 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 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 CHL Top 10 rankings have the Rockets as the fourth best team in the nation heading into the season. Last year before the puck was dropped the Rockets were ranked fifth…. The team plays three games in three nights four times this season but twice in the first two weekends…In the last three seasons, the Rockets have a combined regular season record of 162-40-8-6 in 216 games. Portland is next with a mark of 154-48-5-9 over that same period.
Rockets Season Highs and Lows:
Most Goals Scored: 4 vs. Blazers September 25/2015
Most Goals Allowed: 3 vs. Blazers September 25/2015
Most Power Play Chances: 3 vs. Blazers September 25/2015
Most Power Play Goals Scored: 0 vs. Blazers September 25/2015
Most Power Play Goals Allowed: 0 vs. Blazers September 25/2015
Most Shots Taken: 30 vs. Blazers September 25/2015
Fewest Shots: 30 vs. Blazers September 25/2015
Most Shot Allowed: 33 vs. Blazers September 25/2015
Fewest Shots Allowed: 33 vs. Blazers September 25/2015
Last Shutout: 0 vs. Blazers September 25/2015
Last Time Shut Out: 0 vs. Blazers September 25/2015
Penalty Shots: 0 vs. Blazers September 25/2015
Shootout Game Winning Goals: 0 vs. Blazers September 25/2015
OT Game Winning Goal: 0
Most Points by one player: Baillie 1+2=3 vs. Blazers September 25/15
Hat tricks: none
vs. BC: 1-0-0-0 vs. US: 0-0-0-0 vs. Central: 0-0-0-0 vs. East: 0-0-0-0
Roster Stats:
Player total: 26
Year by Year Breakdown:
20’s – 4 Quinney, Linaker, Baillie, Whistle
19’s – 5 Chartier, Stadel, Southam, Kirkland, Herringer
18’s – 9 Johansen, Merkley, Gatenby, Soustal, Stephens, Wishnowski, Coughlin, Thurkauf, Ballmore
17’s – 7 Dube, Danny Gatenby, Lind, Borstmayer, Chizen, Foote, Uryga
16’s – 1 Smart
Month Games Record Home Road
September: 3 1-0-0-0 1-0-0-0 0-0-0-0
October: 12 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0
November: 11 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0
December: 12 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0
January: 12 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0
February: 13 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0
March: 9 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0 0-0-0-0
How the Rockets were built:
1st Rd: Merkley, Chartier, Dube
2nd Rd: Foote, Gatenby
3rd Rd: Baillie, Stadel, Borstmayer
4th Rd: Lind,
5th Rd: Kirkland
6th Rd: Linaker, Johansen, Bruggen-Cate
9th Rd: Chizen
Listed: Ballhorn, Coughlin, Stephens, Wishnowski, Danny Gatenby,
Trade: Whistle, Herringer, Southam, Quinney
CHL Import Draft: Thurkauf, Soustal
Game notes compiled by Regan Bartel of AM 1150