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Kelowna Rockets

Preview: Rockets Need To Win To Keep Playing

April 19, 2024 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Kelowna Rockets News Release


Prince George Cougars' Keaton Dowhaniuk battles Kelowna Rockets' Caden Price
Prince George Cougars' Keaton Dowhaniuk battles Kelowna Rockets' Caden Price
(Kelowna Rockets, Credit: Steve Dunsmoor/Kelowna Rockets)

The Kelowna Rockets need to win in Prince George on Friday night when they hit the ice for game five of their second round series with the Cougars.

The Rockets, who entered Wednesday trailing 3-0 in their seven series, were able to keep their season alive with a 2-1 victory at Prospera Place to force game five.

The Cougars, who were the number one ranked team in the country on the CHL Top-10 Rankings at the end of the regular season, shutdown the Rockets in front of sold out crowds in games one and two in Prince George last weekend, holding them scoreless in the first two games of the series.

In game three on Tuesday, Caden Price nearly scored the go-ahead goal in the final minutes of regulation but hit the post before bouncing off of the goaltender and away from the net. The Cougars ended things 1:22 into overtime.

"I don't think we competed nearly like we did at home," said Rockets head coach Kris Mallette about the first two games of the series in his postgame interview following Wednesday's game. "You know that's a big difference from us up there. Goaltending was the same, Jari was a stud in both games up there and was really good in these games as well. Our big boys are going to have to show up [in game five], they're going to have to lead the way."

After selling out the first two games in Prince George, limited standing room tickets for Friday were available as of Thursday night.

"We've seen that we can play with these guys the last two nights," said Rockets forward Max Graham in his postgame interview following Wednesday's game. "Now we're going back up to Prince George, where their crowd is loud and rowdy. We're going to have to try have to feed off of that energy a little bit and just keep playing the same way that we have been and hope for some more success."

If Kelowna forces a game six, it will take place on Sunday at 2:05 pm at Prospera Place. Tickets would go on sale immediately following a victory at selectyourtickets.com.

A look at the series with Prince George

Game One - April 12, 2024 - Kelowna 0 at Prince George 4

Game Two - April 13, 2024 - Kelowna 0 at Prince George 5

Game Three - April 16, 2024 - Prince George 4 at Kelowna 3 [overtime]

Game Four - April 17, 2024 - Prince George 1 at Kelowna 2

Game Five - Apr. 19, 2024 - Kelowna at Prince George

Game Six - Apr. 21, 2024 - Prince George at Kelowna *if necessary*

Game Seven - Apr. 23, 2024 - Kelowna at Prince George *if necessary*

This is the third meeting between the Rockets and Cougars in the playoffs, with it being the first time since 2011 where the Rockets swept the Cougars in the 2011 playoffs. Prince George defeated Kelowna 4-1 in their only other playoff meeting in 2000.

ROCKETS ROSTER UPDATES

Injury updates are not provided in the playoffs

2023-24 REGULAR SEASON SERIES

Prince George owned a 6-1-0-1 record against Kelowna in the regular season, though six of the games were decided by a single goal and three required overtime or a shootout.

October 3, 2023- Kelowna 2, Prince George 3

October 4, 2023- Kelowna 1, Prince George 8

October 13, 2023- Prince George 4, Kelowna 5

November 18, 2023- Prince George 5- Kelowna 4

January 12, 2024- Kelowna 2, Prince George 5

January 13, 2024- Kelowna 3- Prince George 2 (SO)

February 24, 2024- Prince George 6- Kelowna5 (SO)

March 13, 2024- Prince George 6, Kelowna 5 (OT)

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 on 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 web using Safari or Google Chrome web browsers. Visit watch.chl.ca for complete details and subscription options.

Check out the Kelowna Rockets Statistics




Images from this story

Prince George Cougars' Keaton Dowhaniuk battles Kelowna Rockets' Caden Price
Prince George Cougars' Keaton Dowhaniuk battles Kelowna Rockets' Caden Price
(Steve Dunsmoor/Kelowna Rockets)		   

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