Rockets try to tame Tigers tonight in Medicine Hat

The Kelowna Rockets are wrapping up their three-game road trip through Alberta this weekend. They take on the Medicine Hat Tigers tonight and finish in Red Deer against the Rebels on Saturday.

Tonight’s game is the second of three meetings this season for the two clubs.

In the first on Nov. 25, the Rockets shut out the Tigers 4-0 at Prospera Place.

Assistant coach Travis Crickard says when taking on a team like Medicine Hat the Rockets need to limit their chances with the puck.

“The most important thing is puck management at Medicine Hat’s blue line,” Crickard said. “The Tigers transition the puck quickly. If we can limit the amount of times we look for the ‘sexy’ play and instead make intelligent decisions that aren’t as appealing, that should limit their opportunities.”

The Rockets are coming off a 4-3 overtime win against the Lethbridge Hurricanes on Wednesday night.

Crickard says in order to keep rolling they need to continue to work hard.

“We need to be resilient and find ways to compete regardless of the score or level of our competition,” said Crickard. “Our players have done an admirable job of growing through the adversity we’ve faced. When we’re missing three top forwards in (Dillon) Dube, (Erik) Gardiner and (Liam) Kindree, every player has increased their level of play.”

Kelowna goes into tonight with a record of 30-14-2-1 for 63 points and first place in the B.C Division. The Rockets sit five points ahead of the second-place Victoria Royals and six points ahead of the third-place Vancouver Giants with one game in hand on each.

Medicine Hat enters with a record of 25-195-0 for 55 points and first place in the Central Division. The Tigers sit six points ahead of second-place Lethbridge and 10 points up on the third-place Kootenay Ice.

The Tigers are 22 points ahead of Kelowna’s Saturday opponent, the Red Deer Rebels, who have a record of 11-25-8-3 and are tied with the Edmonton Oil Kings for fifth in the Central with 33 points.

The Rockets and Rebels have only met once previously this season on Nov. 11, with Kelowna skating to a 5-3 win on home ice.

Kelowna will be back at Prospera Place on Tuesday, Jan. 30 for a rematch against the Tigers.