Preview: Rockets At Prince George
February 7, 2023 - Western Hockey League (WHL) - Kelowna Rockets News Release
Kelowna Rockets right wing Marcus Pacheco
(Kelowna Rockets, Credit: Steve Dunsmoor)
The Kelowna Rockets are headed north for one final road trip of the regular season to Prince George, where they'll face the Cougars at 7:00 pm on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The Rockets will put their season-high three-game win streak on the line. Kelowna was last in action on Saturday, where goaltender Talyn Boyko put on a clinic turning aside all 51 shots he faced to pick up his fifth career WHL shutout. Elias Carmichael recorded a pair of goals, while Marcus Pacheco and Carson Golder also found the back of the net for the Rockets.
Prince George picked up a pair of wins over the weekend at home against the Victoria Royals, bouncing them 8-1 on Friday and again 4-2 the next night.
The two won't have to wait long to see each other after Wednesday, they'll tangle again on Friday night at Prospera Place in Kelowna, BC. Single-game tickets for Friday's game and all other Rockets games are available at Select Your Tickets. Tickets can be purchased online through www.selectyourtickets.com, at the Prospera Place box office, or by phone at 250-762-5050.
The last time these two met
Prince George blanked the Rockets 3-0 back on January 10th at Prospera Place. The Cougars took a 2-0 lead in the opening frame, adding a third goal in the second period. Vancouver Canucks prospect Ty Young made 30 saves to earn first-star honours and pick up the first shutout of his WHL career.
Roster Updates
Ty Hurley and Andrew Cristall both remain listed as out week to week with lower body injuries on this week's injury report. Defencemen John Babcock and Marek Rocak are both listed as day to day on the report. Max Graham remains out for two to three weeks with an upper-body injury.
Affiliate players Scott Cousins (Prince Geroge Spruce Kings/BCHL) and Kayden Longley (Northern Alberta Xtreme U18 Prep/ CSSHL) remain up with the Rockets due to injury.
Cousins started the season with the Rockets, appearing in three games before being assigned to the Prince George Spruce Kings of the BCHL in October. The 2004-born forward posted seven points (2G, 5A) in 24 games for Prince George this season.
Longley was a Rockets draft pick in the 2021 WHL Draft. He's appeared in 25 games for the Northern Alberta Xtreme U18 Prep of the CSSHL, posting 28 points (11G, 17A) and 16 penalty minutes.
Players to watch
Kelowna
After his 51-save shutout on Saturday, overage goaltender Talyn Boyko was named the WHL Goaltender of the Week for the second time this season. The New York Rangers prospect is 9-17-1-0 with a 3.52 goals-against average, .898 save percentage and two shutouts in 28 games (27 starts) for Kelowna this season.
Overage forward Carson Golder will enter Tuesday's game riding a three-game goal streak, he's posted five goals and three assists over that span.
Prince George
Trade deadline acquisition, 2003-born forward Zac Funk, will face the Rockets as a member of Prince George for the first time this week. The Vernon, BC product has recorded eight points (3G, 5A) and six penalty minutes as a member of the Cougars.
Riley Heidt, who was selected second overall in the 2020 WHL Prospects Draft, leads the Cougars in scoring with 66 points (20G, 46A) through 46 games. A late 2004 birthdate, the Cougars second leading scorer from last season, will be eligible for the NHL Draft for the first time this summer. NHL Central Scouting has ranked Heidt 26th among North American skaters on their midterm rankings.
Series at a glance
2022-23 Season Series vs PG (2-2-0-0)
Sept. 30 @ Prince George 6-3 L
Oct. 1 @ Prince George 5-1 W
Nov. 9 vs Prince George 8-6 W
Jan. 10 vs Prince George 3-0 L
Feb. 7 @ Prince George 7:00 pm
Feb. 8 @ Prince George 7:00 pm
Feb 10 vs Prince George 7:05 pm
Mar. 8 vs Prince George 7:05 pm
Mar. 15 @ Prince George 7:00 pm
BC Division standings
as of Tuesday morning
TEAM GP W L OTL SOL PTS
1 x - Kamloops Blazers 47 31 10 4 2 68
2 Prince George Cougars 46 21 21 4 0 46
3 Vancouver Giants 49 19 24 4 2 44
4 Kelowna Rockets 46 17 26 3 0 37
5 Victoria Royals 51 14 32 4 1 33
Watch and listen
Radio broadcast
Rockets games will be broadcast on 104.7 FM the Lizard this season with Regan Bartel calling all of the action.
Don't forget to download the RocketFAN app and visit rocketfan.ca for more exclusive Rockets content from Pattison. Fans can stream the radio broadcast of all Rockets games on the app.
Online video stream
All Rockets games will be available on WHL Live. WHL Live is available to fans anywhere in the world, providing high-quality streaming of WHL games on Apple TV, Roku, and Amazon Fire TV platforms, via mobile with iOS and Android, and on the web using Safari or Google Chrome web browsers. Visit watch.chl.ca for complete details and subscription options.
Mini Packs are now on sale for the 2022-23 season, pick from between a six or twelve-game pack. Click here to learn more about Mini Packs.
Images from this story
 Kelowna Rockets right wing Marcus Pacheco (Steve Dunsmoor) |
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