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WHL Kelowna Rockets

Preview: Rockets At Giants

October 22, 2021 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Kelowna Rockets News Release


The Kelowna Rockets will be back in action this Saturday when they hit the ice to take on the Vancouver Giants at the Langley Events Centre.

After opening their season with a loss, the Rockets have now strung together a pair of wins. Most recently Kelowna downed the BC Division-leading Kamloops Blazers 4-2 last Friday in front of a sold-out crowd of 3,400 at Prospera Place. Goaltender Colby Knight made 29 saves in his debut, picking up his first win of the season. Chicago Blackhawks prospect Colton Dach picked up first start honours after posting a three-point (2G, 1A) night, including the game-winning goal.

Kelowna has made a handful of roster moves since the end of the preseason. The team acquired Colton Dach from the Saskatoon Blades in exchange for centre Trevor Wong on September 28. The team then made another trade to pick up goaltender Colby Knight from the Edmonton Oil Kings on October 12. The Rockets reassigned defenceman Will Irvine and goaltender Nicholas Cristiano and released overage netminder Cole Schwebius. On Friday, Ethan Ernst was dealt to the Tri-City Americans.

Vancouver enters Friday with the same 2-1-0-0 record as Kelowna. The Giants were last in action last Saturday against the Kamloops Blazers at home where they were shut out 5-0. Before they face the Rockets tomorrow,

Vancouver will take on the Blazers again tonight at the Sandman Centre in Kamloops. Following Saturday's matchup, both teams will be off until next Friday night, where they'll take each other on again at the Langley Events Centre.

Players to watch:

Kelowna:

* Minnesota Wild prospect Pavel Novak is on a three-game, multipoint streak. The Czech product leads the Rockets in scoring with six points (2G, 4A) through three games.

* Forwards Max Graham and Gabriel Szturc, both first time NHL Draft eligible candidates, earned C ratings on NHL Central Scouting's preliminary players to watch list released Tuesday. Those with C ratings are projected to be fourth-, fifth- or sixth-round selections for the upcoming 2022 NHL Draft. Through three regular-season games this season, Graham has posted two goals and an assist, while Szturc has posted a pair of assists. Vancouver:

* Forward Justin Lies was given a C rating by NHL Central Scouting on their preliminary players to watch list released Tuesday. The Flin Flon, MB, product has posted three points (1G, 2A) and four penalty minutes over three games this season.

* Florida Panthers prospect Justin Sourdif leads the Giants in points with five (2G, 3A) through three games. He was named the 18th captain in Giants history on October 1st.

2021-2022 B.C. Division Standings as of Thursday afternoon

# Team GP W L OTL SOL PTS

1 Kamloops Blazers 6 5 1 0 0 10

T2 Kelowna Rockets 3 2 1 0 0 4

T2 Vancouver Giants 3 2 1 o 0 4

T2 Prince George Cougars 5 2 3 0 0 4

3 Victoria Royals 7 1 6 0 0 2

2020-21 Season Series vs VAN: 2-2-0-0

Mar. 28 - KEL 0 at VAN 6 - L

Apr. 24 - VAN 3 at KEL 4 - W

Apr. 29 - VAN 3 at KEL 4 - W

May 7 - KEL 2 at VAN 6 - L

Watch and listen

Fans can watch all Rockets games on WHL Live on CHL TV. More are details available by visiting watch.CHL.ca. You can also listen to the game on AM1550.

Check out the Kelowna Rockets Statistics



Western Hockey League Stories from October 22, 2021


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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