DUBNetwork Feature Game of the Night: December 14, 2019 Kelowna Rockets 17-10-1-2 @ Moose Jaw Warriors 10-17-1-0 7:00PM (CST)
It is round two this season of the battle of the Korczak brothers, as Kaedan Korczak and the
Kelowna Rockets pay a visit to younger brother Ryder Korczak and the Moose Jaw Warriors.
Both teams have struggled as of late losing two of their last three games. The Warriors were
blown out 11-1 at the hands of the Brandon Wheat Kings last night in Brandon. This was the
ninth loss in the last ten games for the Warriors.
As for the Rockets, they also lost Friday night in a 4-3 setback to the Regina Pats. The loss to the Pats was only the third loss for the Rockets in the last ten games. These two teams have met only twice in the last five years with Moose Jaw coming away the winners in both of those games. The most recent game was last season, in Kelowna, with the Warriors earning a 5-1 win.
For the Kelowna Rockets they come into this game as part six of a six game Eastern Division
road trip. The Rockets are playing without four of their top forwards. Nolan Foote, Dillon
Hamaliuk, Liam Kindree and Kyle Topping all will not play tonight against the Warriors.
Foote was named Rockets captain earlier in the season and is attempting to crack Canada’s team at
the upcoming World Junior Hockey Championships, in the Czech Republic. Foote currently
leads the team in scoring this season with 33 points in 25 games including 15 goals. Kaedan
Korczak is right behind Foote in team scoring this season. Korczak, in his third full season with
the Rockets, has 25 points in 30 games. He comes into the game only eight points shy of
tying his career high of 33 which he set last season.
Pavel Novak, Kelowna’s first round pick in the 2019 Import draft, rounds out the Rockets’ top three scorers. Novak, a Tabor, Czech Republic native, has 24 points in just 22 games this season. Last week
the Rockets made a pair of trades with the biggest coming when they acquired 20-year-old forward Matthew Wedman from the Seattle Thunderbirds in exchange for the Rockets first-round pick in the 2023 WHL Bantam Draft, second-round pick in 2022, and Kelowna’s fifth-round pick in 2020. Wedman, the former captain of the Thunderbirds, adds another scoring threat to an already dangerous Rockets squad.
Wedman comes into tonight’s game with 21 points in 24 games played between the Rockets and
Thunderbirds. Wedman led the Thunderbirds in scoring last season with 77 points and played
275 games in a Seattle uniform.
The second deal Kelowna made was they dealt 20-year-old forward Leif Mattson to the Spokane Chiefs in exchange for a third-round pick in the 2020 WHL Bantam Draft. The Memorial Cup hosts have one more game after tonight prior to the holiday break, a home game on Wednesday, December 18 against the Vancouver Giants.
This season’s Moose Jaw Warriors team is led by perhaps a surprising face, Ryder Korczak is the team’s
leader in scoring. He was acquired as part of the Jett Woo blockbuster deal with the Calgary Hitmen at the WHL Bantam Draft this past offseason. Perhaps not seen as the main piece of the trade, Korczak has exploded offensively in Moose Jaw with 34 points in 28 games. He recorded just 15 points in 50 games with the Calgary Hitmen last season.
Anaheim Ducks first round pick from the 2019 NHL entry draft Brayden Tracey missed the team’s first six games of the year while attending training camp and is right behind Korczak in team scoring. Tracey, who is in his second full season with the Warriors, put up 81 points in 66 games a year ago. Of those 81
points, 36 were goals, which was good enough to finish second on the team, behind only Tristin
Langan, who had 53. This season, Tracey has posted 12 goals and 19 assists in 20 games.
Helping Korczak and Tracey up front has been another new face to the Warriors this season in
overage forward, Owen Hardy. Hardy came over in an early season trade with the Vancouver
Giants and has fit in nicely with his new team, picking up 16 goals and 18 points with the
Warriors in 24 games. Libor Zabransky leads the team on the back end with 11 points in 29
games. Zabransky was acquired earlier this season from the Saskatoon Blades in exchange for a seventh-round pick in the 2020 WHL Bantam Draft. Zabransky however will miss tonight’s game, as
he is vying for a spot on the Czech Republic National Junior Team that will represent their country
on home ice at the 2020 World Junior Hockey Championships.
Expected in goal:
Cole Schwebius (Kelowna) – In his first year with the Kelowna Rockets, Schwebius has
appeared in nine games thus far. Collecting four wins and posting a 2.94 goals-against-average and a
0.910 save percentage. Last season the Kelowna native played for the Seattle Thunderbirds
where he appeared in 17 games, winning five and posting a 3.89 GAA and .886 SAV%.
Adam Evanoff (Moose Jaw) – Evanoff, now in his third season with the Warriors, had
missed the first six weeks of the regular season recovering from an injury. He has appeared
in 15 games this season and has picked up four wins and has a 3.72 GAA and a .902 SAV%.
Last season, Evanoff played in 36 games for the Warriors, winning 19, while posting
a 2.62 GAA and a .916 SAV%.
Also in action:
Vancouver Giants @ Everett Silvertips 7:05 PST
The Silvertips are hosting their annual Teddy Bear Toss. Bryce Kindopp and Cole Fonstad are both on four-game point streaks.
Calgary Hitmen @ Lethbridge Hurricanes 7:00 MST
Riley Stotts and Mark Kastelic both have 30 points to lead the Hitmen in scoring. Lethbridge is third in the Central Division, trailing Medicine Hat by two points for second place.
Edmonton Oil Kings @ Medicine Hat Tigers 7:30 MST
With a win on Saturday, the Oil Kings would be the first team in the WHL to register over 50 points. Current WHL leading scorer James Hamblin is looking to extend his point streak to four games. The Edmonton, Alberta native has points in eight of his last ten games.
Kamloops Blazers @ Prince Albert Raiders 7:00 CST
The only matchup of the regular season between the B.C. and East Division leaders. The Blazers boast two of the league’s top five scorers in Zane Franklin and Connor Zary. Prince Albert will be looking to score early so their fans can participate in the Teddy Bear Toss. Keep an eye on the Raiders 1999-born players as they have scored the last four Teddy Bear Toss goals.
Victoria Royals @ Prince George Cougars 7:00 PST
Prince George joins in on the Teddy Bear & Toque Toss parade. Josh Maser leads the Cougars with 13 goals. The Royals won the first of two against one another in a shootout. Tarun Fizer scored the lone goal in the three-round shootout.
Swift Current Broncos @ Red Deer Rebels 7:00 MST
Red Deer is coming off a 6-4 victory last night against Medicine Hat. Cameron Hausinger and Josh Tarzwell each registered a goal and assist. The Broncos won the last meeting between the two teams back on November 26. 18-year-old Eric Houk scored the game winning goal for his first of the season.
Spokane Chiefs @ Seattle Thunderbirds 6:05 PST
The Chiefs are expected to be without Ty Smith, Lukáš Pařík, Filip Král, and Bobby Russell. Spokane is led offensively by 18-year-old Adam Beckman who has 16 goals and 27 assists. Seattle is looking to build off a 5-1 win over Tri-City where ten different Thunderbirds registered at least one point.
Portland Winterhawks @ Tri-City Americans 7:05 PST
The Americans have their Teddy Bear Toss on Saturday night at the Toyota Center when they welcome Portland to Kennewick. Colorado Avalanche draft selection Sasha Mutala is over a point-per-game in 2019-2020 with 30 points in 27 games. The Winterhawks will be without Joel Hofer, Simon Knak, and Jonas Brøndberg who are all representing their country at the upcoming World Junior Championships. Portland has won nine of their last ten games.
