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WHL Kelowna Rockets

Rockets Hit the Road for Three Games in the USA

February 4, 2022 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Kelowna Rockets News Release


Kelowna Rockets defenseman Elias Carmichael (right) vs. the Spokane Chiefs
Kelowna Rockets defenseman Elias Carmichael (right) vs. the Spokane Chiefs
(Kelowna Rockets, Credit: Steve Dunsmoor)

The Kelowna Rockets will put their six-game win streak on the line this weekend when they head down to Washington for a three-game road trip.

Kelowna will open the weekend in Spokane on Friday (7:05 pm), they'll then move onto Kennewick on Saturday to face Tri-City (6:05 pm), and then close out the weekend in Everett (4:05 pm).

The Rockets were last in action last weekend when they closed out January with back-to-back wins over the Vancouver Giants. Kelowna picked up their second shutout of the season, blanking the Giants 6-0 on the Friday in Langley. They then closed out the home-and-home series with a come from behind 3-1 victory. Down a goal heading into the final frame, John Babcock, Jake Poole and Pavel Novak all scored in the third. Talyn Boyko made 24 saves.

After going 7-1-1-0 in January, the Rockets earned a shoutout for honourable mention on the Kia CHL Top-10 for week 14.

'Lastly, earning honourable mention from the WHL, the Kelowna Rockets are beginning to draw national attention having won six straight, a stretch in which 2002-born right-wing Jake Poole has been leading the club offensively with five goals and six assists.'

Spokane last played on Wednesday night, taking down the Prince George Cougars 3-2 in overtime on home ice. Bear Hughes, Chase Bertholet and Raegan Wiles were the goal scorers for the Chiefs. Mason Beaupit stopped 27 of the 29 shots fired on him.

Tri-City was shut out by the Cougars 2-0 on Tuesday at the Toyota Centre in Kennewick, WA. They'll host the high flying Portland Winterhawks on Friday night before the Rockets roll into town.

The Silvertips are also playing three games in three nights this weekend; hosting the Victoria Royals on Friday, the Cougars on Saturday and then the Rockets on Sunday afternoon.

Everett remains ranked on the Kia CHL Top-10, sitting in third for week 14.

'Clocking in at No. 3 for the second week running, the Everett Silvertips have clawed to top spot out west, earning a 30-7-2-2 record and 64 points through 41 games. Winners of five straight, the Silvertips found the win column three times in a busy weekend that was underscored by a 4-2 home win over rival Seattle in which co-captain and veteran right-wing Jackson Berezkowski lit the lamp for the fifth time in his past four outings. On the season, Berezkowski now stands at 29 goals, second to only Red Deer's Ben King.'

There will be a pair of familiar faces on the other side of the puck this weekend. It's the first time that the Rockets will see Ethan Ernst since trading him to the Americans earlier this season, Alex Swetlikoff was dealt to the Silvertips in exchange for Max Graham this past summer.

It's the first time that Talyn Boyko will see his former team, he was acquired from the Americans on November 7. Cole Tisalde, who was sent the other way in the trade, is no longer with Tri-City, he was later traded to the Prince Albert Raiders and then assigned to junior a.

ROSTER UPDATES

The Rockets will be without forward Jake Poole (appendicitis). Captain Tyson Feist, who missed last weekend's games with a lower-body injury, is expected to return to the lineup. Forward Colton Dach, who missed last weekend's games with an upper-body injury, could potentially return to the lineup. Nolan Flamand, who has been out since early January with a lower-body injury, resumed skating with the team this past week.

THE LAST TIME THESE TWO MET

Spokane

The Rockets snapped a three-game losing streak with a thrilling 2-1 shootout win over the Spokane Chiefs on November 27 at Prospera Place. Bear Hughes scored the opening goal of the game while on the power play. Early in the second, Rockets defenceman Jake Lee worked his way from down low around a Chiefs defenceman to slip the puck past Spokane netminder Mason Beaupit. An eight-round shootout was needed to determine a winner, with the game on his stick Turner McMillen sealed the Rockets win - moving Kelowna's record to 9-5-0-2. Talyn Boyko made 38 saves through 65 minutes of action.

Tri-City

This will be the first matchup between the two this season.

Everett

Kelowna finished up a three-game road trip with a 5-3 loss to the Western Conference leading Everett Silvertips at the Angel of the Winds Arena in Everett, WA. on December 8. Falling behind in the first, Kelowna responded with a pair of goals to leapfrog the 'tips. Shortly after the Rockets go-ahead goal, Everett took off with three straight to re-establish their lead. The two traded goals in the third. Seventeen-year-old Max Graham posted his first multi-goal game, coming against his former team. Talyn Boyko made his seventh consecutive start for the Rockets, stopping 43 of the 48 shots he faced on the night.

WHO TO WATCH

KELOWNA

Centreman Nolan Flamand has not played since January 2nd when he suffered a lower body injury, at the time Flamand was third in team scoring with 24 points (5G, 19A) through 29 games. He's ranked 187th among North American skaters on NHL Central Scouting's Midterm Rankings for the upcoming 2022 NHL Draft.

Defenceman John Babcock has four points (2G, 2A) over his last three games, he's also registered ten shots on net in that time frame. The 17-year-old has 13 points (2G, 11A) through 28 games this season, a drastic improvement from the single assist he had over nine games with the Rockets last season.

B.C. DIVISION STANDINGS

# Team GP W L OTL SOL PTS

1 Kamloops Blazers 40 28 11 1 0 57

2 Kelowna Rockets 36 22 10 1 3 48

3 Prince George Cougars 42 18 21 2 1 39

4 Vancouver Giants 39 16 21 2 0 34

5 Victoria Royals 40 12 23 4 1 29

U.S. DIVISION STANDINGS

# Team GP W L OTL SOL PTS

1 Everett Silvertips 41 30 7 2 2 64

2 Portland Winterhawks 41 25 11 3 2 55

3 Seattle Thunderbirds 39 23 11 4 1 51

4 Tri-City Americans 39 12 23 4 0 28

5 Spokane Chiefs 39 12 23 3 1 28

as of Thursday afternoon

SEASON SERIES

vs SPOKANE (1-1-0-0)

Nov. 24 @ Spokane 2-1 L

Nov. 26 vs Spokane 2-1 SOW

Feb. 4 @ Spokane 7:05 PM

vs TRI-CITY (0-0-0-0)

Feb. 5 @ Tri-City 6:05 PM

Feb. 12 vs Tri-City 7:05 PM

Feb. 21 @ Tri-City 7:05 PM

vs EVERETT

Dec. 8 @ Everett 5-3 L

Feb. 6 @ Everett 4:05 PM

Feb. 11 vs Everett 7:05 PM

WATCH AND LISTEN

You 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 AM1150.

The next Rockets home game is February 9th when the Rockets will once again host the Vancouver Giants at Prospera Place. Tickets for all Rockets games are available at selectyourtickets.com, at the Prospera Place box office or by phone at 250-762-5050. Select Your Tickets is open 11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and opens at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday home game days.

The home game that the Rockets play on February 9th is home game number 21. The postponed game against the Giants that was set for January 7th has yet to be rescheduled, a new date for that game is expected to be announced soon. The Rockets thank you for your patience.

Check out the Kelowna Rockets Statistics




Images from this story

Kelowna Rockets defenseman Elias Carmichael (right) vs. the Spokane Chiefs
Kelowna Rockets defenseman Elias Carmichael (right) vs. the Spokane Chiefs
(Steve Dunsmoor)		   



Western Hockey League Stories from February 4, 2022


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