Rockets Get Set for a Home Clash with the Royals Before Heading South to Face the T-Birds
October 4, 2018 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Kelowna Rockets News Release
Kelowna Rockets vs. the Victoria Royals
(Kelowna Rockets, Credit: Marissa Baecker)
The Kelowna Rockets get set for a double-header weekend beginning on Friday as they host the Victoria Royals before heading to Seattle on Saturday to face the Thunderbirds.
One day following a 5-0 defeat to the Vancouver Giants, Assistant Coach Travis Crickard says his team needs to focus on the fundamentals in order to get back to playing like they did on Saturday when they beat the Prince George Cougars 5-2.
"We need to make passes on the tape. We need to compete. In our win on Saturday, we played like the team that we need to be this year," said Crickard. "We need to be a blue collar team that finishes every check and skates as hard as they can. Unfortunately last night we didn't do that and a big reason for that was our passing. If we want to be able to exit our zone properly, we need to pass the puck on the tape. And the same goes for our power play, if we want to capitalize on the power play we need to be able to create momentum and we need to be able to complete passes. Against Vancouver we focused a little too much on what they were doing when we have a team that we need to focus right now on what we're doing because we're struggling to do what we actually want to do, so we just need to worry about ourselves first."
Friday night is the first of eight meetings between these two divisional rivals this season. They met a total of eight times last season with the Rockets going 4-3-1-0 in those eight games.
Kelowna then plays for the first time this season outside of the B.C. Division as they visit the Seattle Thunderbirds at the accesso ShoWare Center in Kent, WA.
Saturday will be the first meeting of four this season between the Thunderbirds and Rockets. These two split the season series, each going 2-2-0-0 head-to-head in 2017-2018.
The Rockets currently sit in fifth in the B.C. Division with two points, two back of the Kamloops Blazers, three back of the Prince George Cougars, six back of the second place Vancouver Giants, and six points back of the first place Victoria Royals, who remain undefeated through their first four regular season games. The U.S. Division is all currently separated by one point. The Spokane Chiefs and Portland Winterhawks currently sit atop the group with five points each, followed by Seattle, the Tri-City Americans, and the Everett Silvertips, all of whom have four points.
The Rockets are back in action following this weekend on Wednesday, October 10th when they play a rematch of Saturday evening when they host the Thunderbirds at Prospera Place. It's Hat Trick Wednesday, get your ticket before 2pm on Wednesday and for $19.99 you'll get a hot dog, a pop, and your ticket to the game!
Tickets are on sale at selectyourtickets.com, at the Prospera Place box office or by phone at 250-762-5050.
Season tickets are on sale now. Season ticket holders will have first right of refusal on 2020 Memorial Cup presented by KIA ticket packages. The Kelowna Rockets will be hosting a Season Ticket Open House on Sunday, October 7th from 12--3pm at Prospera Place. All available seats will be clearly marked.
For season ticket info contact us by email - Gavin Hamilton - gavinh@kelownarockets.com or Andrew Deans - andrewd@kelownarockets.com, or by phone at 250-860-7825.
Images from this story
 Kelowna Rockets vs. the Victoria Royals (Marissa Baecker) |
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Western Hockey League Stories from October 4, 2018
- Six Players with Silvertips Experience Named to NHL Opening Night Rosters - Everett Silvertips
- Rockets Get Set for a Home Clash with the Royals Before Heading South to Face the T-Birds - Kelowna Rockets
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- Hurricanes Acquire Kolle from Portland - Lethbridge Hurricanes
- 16 Rockets Included in 131 WHL Alumni Listed on NHL Opening Day Rosters - Kelowna Rockets
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- Eighteen Alumni Begin Season in NHL - Portland Winterhawks
- Canadian Hockey League Welcomes Kia Canada as New Partner to Drive Canada's National Pastime - WHL
- Eighteen Alumni Open Season in NHL - Portland Winterhawks
- Vancouver Giants Kick off Road Trip with a 5-0 Win in Kelowna - Vancouver Giants
- Local Boys Lead Blades to Victory in Edmonton - Saskatoon Blades
- Tigers Drop 5-1 Decision to Raiders - Medicine Hat Tigers
- Rockets blanked by Vancouver 5-0 - Kelowna Rockets
- Winterhawks Rout Kamloops in British Columbia - Portland Winterhawks
- Raiders Open Road Trip With Win Over Tigers - Prince Albert Raiders
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