WHL Kelowna Rockets

Rockets set out for Victoria

Published on February 20, 2020 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Kelowna Rockets News Release


Kelowna Rockets center Matthew Wedman vs. the Victoria Royals
Kelowna Rockets center Matthew Wedman vs. the Victoria Royals
(Kelowna Rockets, Credit: Marissa Baecker/Kelowna Rockets Images)

Kris Mallette will make his debut as the interim head coach behind the Kelowna Rockets bench this weekend when the Victoria Royals host Kelowna for back-to-back games at the Save-On-Foods Memorial Arena on Friday and Saturday.

Rockets president and general manager Bruce Hamilton named Mallette the Rockets interim head coach following the release of Adam Foote on Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2020.

Kelowna is heading into their final 14 games of the season with a record of 24-26-2-2 and currently sit in a wild card position.

The Rockets gave up a four-goal lead in the third period to fall 6-5 in overtime to the Calgary Hitmen on Monday at Prospera Place.

Kelowna will be without Nolan Foote this weekend, Hamilton provided an update on the Rockets captain on Wednesday.

"Nolan left today (Wednesday) for New Jersey to see their medical staff," said Hamilton. "I spoke a number of times with the general manager there, and they're fully prepared to do whatever they can do to get him ready play as soon as he can play.

"So he'll go down there and go through a battery of tests, I'm sure with their medical team. Which doesn't surprise me at all when you make a trade for the quality of player he is that I would want to bring him in and have our doctors see him too."

Sean Comrie and Michael Farren are listed on the Rockets Injury Report as week-to-week with upper-body injuries, while Liam Kindree is listed as being out for another six weeks. Defenceman Tyson Feist is questionable for the weekend, he's day-to-day with an upper-body injury.

A number of Royals are listed on the WHL's Weekly Report. Their longer-term injuries include Ty Yoder, who is out 4-to-5 weeks with a lower-body injury, goaltender Shane Farkas and defenceman Jacob Herauf, who are listed as week-to-week with upper-body injuries.

Brayden Tracey, Sean Gulka and Tarun Fizer are all listed as day-to-day.

The Royals were in action last night, the Hitmen zipped past them 3-2 in a shootout.

B.C. Division Standings # Team GP W L OTL SOL PTS

1 X- Kamloops Blazers 55 35 16 3 1 74

2 Victoria Royals 56 29 20 5 2 65

3 Vancouver Giants 54 29 20 3 2 63

4 Kelowna Rockets 54 24 26 2 2 52

5 Prince George Cougars 53 16 30 3 4 39

2019-2020 record vs Victoria Royals: 2-3-0-1

Oct. 29, 2019: KEL 3 at VIC 4 SO

Oct. 30, 2019: KEL 1 at VIC 0

Nov. 6, 2019: VIC 6 at KEL 3

Nov. 20, 2019: VIC 1 at KEL 4

Jan. 3, 2020: VIC 2 at KEL 1

Jan. 8, 2020: VIC 1 at KEL 0

Feb. 21, 2020: KEL at VIC

Feb. 22, 2020: KEL at VIC

Mar. 11, 2020: VIC at KEL

You can listen to both games on AM 1150 or watch online with WHL Live.

Check out the Kelowna Rockets Statistics

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Images from this story

Kelowna Rockets center Matthew Wedman vs. the Victoria Royals
Kelowna Rockets center Matthew Wedman vs. the Victoria Royals
(Marissa Baecker/Kelowna Rockets Images)		   



Western Hockey League Stories from February 20, 2020


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