The Kelowna Rockets had its full lineup in place and as the group begins to develop chemistry, they have also put a three-games-in-three-nights weekend behind them.
The Rockets sandwiched a pair of road trips into unfriendly B.C. Division rinks around a home date at Prospera Place.
Rockets 2, Blazers 3 (OT)
A 3-2 loss in overtime to the Kamloops Blazers confirmed the Okanagan Valley rivalry is alive and well. A total of 4,461 fans crammed into Sandman Centre for the first of five contests slated for Kamloops. The teams will also meet five times in Kelowna.
The Blazers welcomed 20-year-old Ryan Hughes to the lineup against Kelowna and he delivered a productive three-point performance. Hughes came over in a deal with the Saskatoon Blades, who previously acquired him from the Portland Winterhawks.
Nolan Foote chipped in with two assists on the night for the Rockets, which mustered only 20 shots on goal.
Hold this thought.
Rockets 5, Silvertips 1
On Saturday, Kelowna hung a licking on the Everett Silvertips by a 5-1 count. A balanced scoring attack contributed to the one-sided victory with 11 players landing on the scoresheet.
Forward Michael Farren, who certainly has something to prove this season, collected two assists, as did import forward Pavel Novak, 20-year-old Leif Mattson and defenceman Kaedan Korczak. Trevor Wong, 16, collected his first WHL goal.
Another triumph of sorts for the Rockets came in form of chasing ‘Tips goaltender Dustin Wolf after 40 minutes. The Calgary Flames prospect stopped 23 of 27 shots before rookie Keegan Karki mopped up.
Roman Basran, who blocked 29 of 32 shots in Kamloops the night before, made 26 saves against Everett. Attendance was 5,011.
Rockets 0, Giants 4
Kelowna hopped on the bus Sunday morning and traveled the snow-covered Coquihalla Highway to the Langley Events Centre for an early tilt against the Vancouver Giants. Both teams were playing the final match of a three-game weekend.
Vancouver dominated the territorial play, outshooting the Rockets 29-14 for a 4-0 win in front of 3,767 fans. A three-goal second period was plenty of the Giants, who played Kelowna tough in a feisty, physical affair. A donnybrook at the end of the first period (old time hockey?) led to Nolan Foote spending 17 minutes in the penalty box during the middle frame.
Milos Roman was a force for Vancouver, a 20-year-old import who might be the top two-spotter in the WHL this season after being returned to the Giants by the Calgary Flames. Overage goaltender David Tendeck earned the shutout.
For Kelowna, Cole Schwebius got the start as the Rockets continue to tinker with their goaltending. Basran, Schwebius and James Porter are all competing to make up the tandem in Kelowna.
The glaring statistic from the weekend might be the total of 34 shots on goal in the two road games. It simply is not enough, and the coaching staff is going to have to find a way for the troops to generate more pucks on net in the attacking zone.
In fairness, the opposition plays a role in shutting things down, but it says here the Rockets simply have to be better.
In the defending zone, the Rockets are still looking for answers among the blueline brigade that consists of two proven defenders in Korzcak and Jake Lee. The remaining defenceman are competent, but each will have to develop quickly to reduce defending zone pressure and also contribute to the offence.
Stay tuned.
Next up…Kelowna plays a weekend doubleheader in Prince George against the Cougars with games on Friday and Saturday. The Rockets are 2-1-1-0, while Prince George is winless in four starts.
