All eyes on rookie in goal as Rockets host Tri-City Americans
Rookie netminder to face Tri-City tonight as Kelowna continues 4-game homestand
Shades of Carl Stankowski. That’s what some people are seeing — and hoping to see — in Kelowna Rockets’ rookie goaltender James Porter.
A week ago, goaltending appeared to be a problem for the Rockets, with incumbent Brodan Salmond struggling and then leaving the team to have an injury examined back home in Calgary.
The 19-year-old, in his third season (second full) with Kelowna and his first as a starter, had allowed at least three goals in five straight starts and got pulled twice over that span.
Suddenly, Porter was thrust into the spotlight — and into a high-pressure situation, with the Rockets hosting the CHL’s top-ranked Portland Winterhawks for a two-game set last weekend.
The 17-year-old from Bonners Ferry, Idaho, rose to the occasion and alleviated those goaltending concerns — at least temporarily — by stopping 45 shots for first-star honours in Friday’s 3-1 loss (that included an empty-net goal), then blocking 34 more pucks in earning the second star during Saturday’s 7-2 win.
“It feels good, to get that under my belt,” Porter said of his first home win, admitting it wasn’t easy against Portland’s top line that featured two first-round NHL draft picks in Cody Glass and Kieffer Bellows, plus the Winterhawks’ leading goal-getter in Skyler McKenzie. “I just have to be on my game every minute of the game, and look out for their top players — wherever they are on the ice, just know where they are.”
Even one of the goals in the latter contest was as much a save, with Porter miraculously robbing Glass of a gaping net only to be ruled his glove was behind the line when he caught the shot.
Regardless, Porter has strung together three straight quality starts, going back to a 2-1 defeat in Kennewick, Wash., on Oct. 17 against tonight’s opponent, the Tri-City Americans (9-4-0-0).
The Rockets (5-5-1-1) also host the Prince George Cougars (4-5-2-2) on Saturday. Both games start at 7 p.m. at Prospera Place.
Porter picked up his first WHL win in Prince George, stopping 42 of 45 shots in a 4-3 overtime victory that was also his first career start.
In the five games that he’s started this season, Porter has stopped 177 of 191 shots for a .927 save percentage and 2.77 goals-against average, with a 2-2-1-0 record. In his last three — the road loss to Tri-City and the home split with Portland — those numbers are even better at .944 and 2.03, stopping 101 of 107.
Still a very small sample size — with 60 games remaining in the regular season, and Kelowna ultimately judged by its playoff performance — but those are promising results for Porter thus far.
Encouraging, but he’s exceeding expectations in the present.
“He competes and he made saves at times in the game where it really kept us moving in the right direction,” Rockets head coach Jason Smith said following Saturday’s win over Portland. “When you get a big save, when maybe there’s a mistake or a turnover . . . it gives you a chance to build momentum.
“We’ve talked about our goaltending and our goalies giving us an opportunity to win games. If we get saves and our guys compete, we can play with any team in the league.”
When the puck drops tonight, all eyes will again be on Porter in facing a potent Tri-City team that is coming off an 8-4 home win over Moose Jaw on Wednesday. Prior to that, the Americans doubled Kamloops 6-3 and are averaging 3.85 goals per game this season. Another stiff test, but one that Porter will have to pass if the Rockets plan to keep rolling with him between the pipes.
“That’s the goal, is to be a starting goalie in this league,” Porter said. “All I have to do is keep on working hard and doing what I’m doing.”
As for Stankowski — the 17-year-old who stepped in for Seattle in an injury bind last season and backstopped the Thunderbirds to a WHL championship, shining in their third-round playoff victory over the Rockets — Porter was flattered by the comparison and feels he can draw inspiration from Stankowski’s heroic run.
“Definitely . . . we play similar (styles), he’s a good goalie, and I just try to be like him or better than him,” Porter said.
It was also clear against Portland that the Rockets are starting to play with more confidence in front of Porter, though he didn’t want to take too much credit for Saturday’s turnaround.
“It’s about the comfort level with the whole team, and just the chemistry we’re trying to build,” Porter said. “It showed. We worked hard together and got the ‘W’ we wanted.”
ICE CHIPS: During this Saturday’s game, the Rockets will host a Halloween Candy Scramble at Prospera Place. There will be over 6,000 pieces of candy to be had by kids 12-and-under during the second intermission. Fans are encouraged to dress up and show off their Halloween costumes . . . . Following this weekend, the Rockets head out on a three-game road trip, starting Wednesday with another stop in Kennewick for a rematch with the Americans. Kelowna then pays its first visit to Victoria for a doubleheader against the B.C. Divisionleading Royals (10-4-1-0) next weekend, Nov. 3-4. Victoria thumped the Rockets 8-3 in Kelowna on Oct. 4, their lone meeting to date . . . . Salmond had an .864 save percentage and a 3.98 GAA over seven appearances.