Rockets Novotny try to keep streaking
r By Doyle Potenteau – Kelowna Daily Courier
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r Few players can streak down the wing like Stepan Novotny can. Question is, can the fast forward put last season‘s streaky ways behind him?
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r So far, it seems the answer is a high-scoring yes.
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r Novotny had a streaky campaign for the Kelowna Rockets in 2008-09, one where he‘d score a wonderful goal, then not register a point for one, two or three games. This season, the 19-year-old is off to a fast start, having tallied six goals and nine points in four games. Currently, he‘s tied for second in league scoring, one behind leader Brandon Kozun of the Calgary Hitmen (2-8-10).
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r Compare that to 2008-09, where he logged 19 goals and 41 points in his WHL rookie campaign – and second overall junior season, having spent 2007-08 in the USHL.
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r More importantly, though, Novotny‘s confidence seems to be rising faster than his point totals.
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r Last season, he wanted the puck, but wouldn‘t demand it. This season, it seems he‘s asking for the puck at all times. And so far, his teammates are more than willing to oblige, given how well he‘s shooting. Of his six goals, three have come while flying down the right side, then picking the top-left corner. Two came in an opening-night 6-5 loss to Vancouver on Sept. 17, while the third came in last Saturday‘s 5-0 win over Kamloops.
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r “That‘s a good shot for a righty, going across to the blocker-side,” said Novotny, who didn‘t score his sixth goal last season until Nov. 2. “It‘s a good shot because it‘s tough for the goalie to stop if you hit it, so, obviously, it‘s what I look for.”
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r Tonight, the Chilliwack Bruins (1-3-0-0) roll into Prospera Place for a 7 p.m. tilt with the Rockets (1-2-1-0), the first of a home-and-home series that continues Saturday night at Prospera Centre in Chilliwack.
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r For Kelowna, tonight‘s game will be interesting to see if the home team can repeat its solid effort from last Saturday‘s 5-0 win. That decision, of course, followed an 0-3 start to the season, where the Rockets were outscored 16-7.
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r “We were looking for a big game,” Novotny said of beating the Blazers. “We had lost (three) in a row, and we wanted to make sure we came out hard. We can see that if we play hard and go to the tough areas, we‘ll get the goals.
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r “Now we‘ve set the standard and we know how we have to come out every night.”
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r Tonight‘s game will also be Marc Habscheid‘s inaug-ural return to Prospera Place, though technically it‘ll be his second time around this season. The former Rockets head coach was in Kelowna on Aug. 29, as his Bruins closed out a pre-season home-and-home sweep over his former team. Habscheid guided Kelowna for 4 1/2 seasons, then left after the 2003-04 campaign, which saw the Rockets win the Memorial Cup.
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r “Will it be nice to get the first one out of the way? I don‘t think it will ever get out of the way,” Habscheid told Steve Ewen of The Province. “It was a special time and there are some memories there that can‘t be duplicated.
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r “There are people there who I have lifelong friendships with.”
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r ICE CHIPS: The Rockets will be without D Tyson Barrie (knee, shoulder, 2-3 weeks) plus rookies D Mitchell Chapman (shoulder, 2 weeks) and C Max Adolph (ankle, 4 weeks). Also hurt: LW Evan Bloodoff (knee, 6 months) and G Mark Guggenberger (pelvis, indefinite). . . . Barrie, Chapman and Adolph were all hurt in the Rockets‘ 4-1 loss at Kamloops last Friday night. . . . In those pre-season meetings, the Bruins beat the Rockets 4-2 on Aug. 28, then 2-1 in Kelowna the next night.
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