Rockets Wrap up Three Game Alberta Road Trip with Stops in Medicine
January 26, 2018 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Kelowna Rockets News Release
Rockets Wrap up Three Game Alberta Road Trip with Stops in Medicine Hat and Red Deer
(Kelowna Rockets)
The Kelowna Rockets are wrapping up their three game road trip through Alberta this weekend. They get set to take on the Medicine Hat Tigers on Friday night, and finish the weekend off on Saturday in Red Deer against the Rebels.
Friday's game is the second of three meetings this season for the two clubs. In the first meeting on November 25th, the Rockets shut out the Tigers 4-0 on home ice. Assistant Coach Travis Crickard says when taking on a team like Medicine Hat the Rockets need to limit their chances with the puck.
"The most important thing for our team is puck management at Medicine Hat's blue line," Crickard said. "The Tigers transition the puck quickly. If we can limit the amount of times we look for the 'sexy' play and instead make intelligent decisions that aren't as appealing that should limit their opportunities."
The Rockets are coming off of a 4-3 overtime win against the Lethbridge Hurricanes on Wednesday night. Crickard says in order to keep rolling they need to continue to work hard.
"We need to be resilient and find ways to compete regardless of the score or level of our competition," said Crickard. "Our players have done an admirable job of growing through the adversity we've faced. When we're missing three top forwards in Dube, Gardiner, and Kindree every player has increased their level of play."
Kelowna goes into Friday nights game with a record of 30-14-2-1 giving them 63 points, placing them first in the B.C Division. The Rockets sit five points ahead of the second place Victoria Royals and six points ahead of third place Vancouver Giants with one game in hand on each.
Medicine Hat enters Friday with a record of 25-19-5-0 sitting at 55 points, placing them first in the Central Division. They sit six points ahead of second place Lethbridge Hurricanes, and ten points ahead of third place Kootenay Ice. The Tigers are twenty-two points ahead of Kelowna's Saturday opponent, the Red Deer Rebels, who have a record of 11-25-8-3 and are tied with the Edmonton Oil Kings for fifth in the Central with 33 points.
Puck drop on Friday night is at 6:30pm.
The Rockets are back in action on Saturday taking on the Red Deer Rebels. The Rockets and Rebels have only met once previously this season on Saturday, November 11th, with Kelowna skating to a 5-3 win on home ice. Saturday's puck drop is at 6:00pm.
Kelowna will be back at Prospera Place on Tuesday, January 30th, to take on the Medicine Hat Tigers in a re-match of the game on Friday night.
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 Rockets Wrap up Three Game Alberta Road Trip with Stops in Medicine Hat and Red Deer |
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