Rockets head north to visit the Cougars
The Kelowna Rockets are on the road this weekend for a pair of games against the Prince George Cougars at the CN Centre on Friday and Saturday at the CN Centre.
The Rockets downed the Tri-City Americans 6-1 on Wednesday night at Prospera Place. Nolan Foote had a season-high four points while Pavel Novak netted his first WHL goal and two assists. Head Coach Adam Foote says that the full lineup is starting to mesh.
“It’s starting to come together,” said Foote. “Guys are starting to gel, guys are starting to find their roles. But they’re also starting to believe in the system and they’re also starting to believe in each other.”
The Cougars will be well-rested and waiting for the Rockets, they’ve been off since Saturday when they picked up their first point of the season in a shootout loss to the Victoria Royals on the road.
“Prince George is a very tough place to play, they have good goaltending. They’re a little bit in a transition, but we can’t get too high on that because they’re going to work hard. If you’re not disciplined they’ve got enough to put you away with good goaltending. We’re going to have to make sure that we stay level headed,” said Foote.
Kelowna sits first place in the B.C. Division with a 3-1-1-0 record and seven points. They’re a point ahead of the second-place Vancouver Giants and Kamloops Blazers while the Victoria Royals are in third with four points. Prince George is fourth in the division with a record of 0-3-0-1 and a single point.
2018-2019 Season Series vs. Prince George Cougars: 3-5-0-1
Sept. 26, 2018: Prince George 4 at Kelowna 2
Sept. 28, 2018: Kelowna 2 at Prince George 2
Sept. 29, 2018: Kelowna 5 at Prince George 2
Oct. 27, 2018: Prince Geroge 3 at Kelowna 4 OT
Nov. 14, 2018: Kelowna 3 at Prince George 4
Jan. 4, 2019: Prince George 2 at Kelowna 1 SO
Jan. 11, 2019: Kelowna 2 at Prince George 7
Jan. 12, 2019: Kelowna 0 at Prince George 4
Feb. 8, 2019: Prince George 3 at Kelowna 4
The two won’t have to wait long to see each other again, the Rockets will return to Prince George for their third meeting of the season on Wednesday, October 23.
Players to watch
Kelowna
- Leif Mattson is tied for second in team scoring with seven assists. The overage winger had his third multi-point night of the season on Wednesday with two assists.
- Defenceman Kaedan Korczak has stepped up his offence play this season, he leads the team in shots on goal with 19.
Prince George
- Goaltender Taylor Gauthier was in net for all six wins against the Rockets last season.
- Overage defenceman Ryan Schoettler leads the Cougars in points with five (one goal, four assists) in four games played.
Puck drop is set for 7:00 pm both nights. You can listen to the game on AM 1150, watch on WHL Live or follow the Rockets Twitter for live updates.
It’s not too late to become a season seat holder and secure your 2020 Memorial Cup presented by Kia Package. Prorated pricing and a payment plan is available, fill out this form by clicking here or contact Andrew Deans / Gavin Hamilton at the Kelowna Rockets Office at 250-860-7825. Don’t be stuck outside of Prospera Place in May, become a season ticket holder today and guarantee your seats.
