Rockets Prepare for Rematch with T-Birds on Hat Trick Wednesday
October 9, 2018 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Kelowna Rockets News Release
Kelowna Rockets vs. the Seattle Thunderbirds
(Kelowna Rockets, Credit: Marissa Baecker)
The Kelowna Rockets get set to face off against the Seattle Thunderbirds on Wednesday night at Prospera Place for another Hat Trick Wednesday.
After surrendering a goal on Friday to the Victoria Royals in the first two minutes, and then again on Saturday in the opening minute against the T-Birds, Head Coach Jason Smith says his club needs to make sure they are ready to play as soon as the puck drops.
"As we get ready for a team we just played, there should be no surprises. We know they are physical and they compete. On Saturday they took advantage of our mistakes," said Smith. "We have to make sure we are ready at the start of the game, play a complete game with no shifts off, and we need to pay attention to the little details. Our guys need to be better on the penalty kill clearing the puck and staying within the systems, not be freelancers. We have played better for the most part, but we must continue to pass the puck better and compete for complete shifts and dictate the game, not wait for things to happen."
The Rockets and T-Birds faced each other for the first time this season on Saturday, October 6th with the Thunderbirds topping the Rockets 4-1 in Kent, WA. These two will face each other twice more following Wednesday night for a total of four matchups, with their next meeting coming on Friday, November 9th when the Rockets head back to the ShoWare Center in Kent. Their final regular season meeting will be on January 30th, 2019 when the Thunderbirds make one more stop at Prospera Place.
The Rockets currently sit in fifth place in the B.C. Division with a record of 1-7-0-0 for two points. They trail the fourth place Kamloops Blazers by two points, and the third place Prince George Cougars by three. The Vancouver Giants sit in second in the division with 12 points in seven games, and the Royals lead the division with 12 points in six games.
The Thunderbirds are currently holding the third spot in the U.S. Division with a record of 3-1-1 for seven points. The Portland Winterhawks sit first in the U.S. with nine points, ahead of the second place Spokane Chiefs who currently have eight. The T-Birds lead the Everett Silvertips by one point, and the Tri-City Americans hold the final spot in the division sitting three points behind the T-Birds with a total of four points.
Puck drop on Wednesday is at 7:05pm at Prospera Place.
The Rockets are back in action following Wednesday night on Friday when they head to Kennewick, WA. to take on the Tri-City Americans at 7:05pm. Those two clubs then head straight back to Kelowna for a Saturday night rematch at Prospera Place. Puck drop on Saturday is at 7:05pm.
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.
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 Seattle Thunderbirds (Marissa Baecker) |
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