Rockets in Everett tonight, then play host to Spokane
The Kelowna Rockets will wrap up a three-game road trip tonight when they visit the Western Conference-leading Everett Silvertips.
The Rockets dropped the first two games of the trip to the Prince George Cougars. Rockets assistant coach Travis Crickard says it comes down to the team’s willingness to compete.
“It’s an interesting thing, really,” Crickard said.
“Don’t compete whatsoever on Tuesday and don’t get a favourable result. Compete on Wednesday and still don’t get a favourable result. Overall, our compete level needs to be unconditional no matter the score or the opponent.
“We need to really give more attention to defending,” Crickard added. “We can’t expect to give up four- or five-plus goals per night and believe that is a successful night of hockey. Great teams find a way to defend no matter how non-sexy that might be.”
This will be the fourth and final meeting of the regular season between Kelowna and Everett, with the Silvertips leading the series 3-0.
The Rockets hosted the Silvertips in the series opener back on Sept. 29. Cal Foote and Libor Zabransky each had a goal and an assist, but it wasn’t enough, as Patrick Bajkov and Matt Fonteyne scored in a shootout to give Everett a 4-3 victory.
The teams didn’t see each other again until Feb. 2 and Feb. 3 in a home-and-home doubleheader. The first game was here at Prospera Place and saw Everett take a 3-0 lead in the third period before Kyle Topping and Carsen Twarynski got the Rockets to within one. However, the Silvertips held on for a 3-2 win.
The next night in Everett, Bajkov racked up five points (3G, 2A) to the lead the Silvertips to an 8-2 rout of the Rockets. Captain Cal Foote recorded both goals for Kelowna.
The Rockets come into tonight with a 38-20-4-2 record for 82 points and first place in the B.C. Division. The Victoria Royals trail by seven points and the Vancouver Giants are third with 73 points.
Everett has a 41-18-2-3 record for 87 points, and first place in the U.S. Division.
The Portland Winterhawks sit seven points back in second place and the Spokane Chiefs are third, with 77 points.
The Silvertips are also topping the Western Conference standings, ahead of the Rockets by five points.
The Rockets are back home on Saturday to take on Dam Lambert and the Spokane Chiefs, 7:05 p.m. at Prospera Place.
Then, on March 10, the Rockets will be looking spiffy by wearing limited edition Don Cherry-inspired jerseys when they host the Kamloops Blazers at Prospera Place. The night is part of the WHL Suits up with Don Cherry to Promote Organ Donation. The initiative will see all 17 Canadian market WHL teams host their own awareness game. For that game, doors will open at 6 p.m. and all fans will receive a coloured wristband when entering the arena. During the game, they will draw one colour of wristband and anyone with that colour will be going home with a Don Cherry Bobblehead. All other fans will receive an Upper Deck Don Cherry trading card.
The jerseys will be worn for the game and then auctioned off online. All proceeds from the auctions will go to the Kidney Foundation of Canada.
Fans will be able to bid on the limited edition game-worn jerserys through an online auction that goes live on Tuesday, March 7 at 9 a.m. and ends on Sunday, March 11 at 6 p.m.
Cherry will not be in attendance, but fans who take a selfie with the Cherry cut-out on the concourse will be entered to win an autographed bobblehead.
Meanwhile, former Rockets netminder Jordon Cooke has won his third straight Canada West Goaltender of the Year award. Cooke played in 23 games this season for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies, where he finished the regular season with a 16-7-0-0 record. Cooke’s .920 save percentage was tops in the league among goalies who played at least 1,000 minutes.
Cooke is the first goalie to win the award three consecutive times, and he’ll have a chance to defend his U SPORTS Goalie of the Year award when it is handed out in two weeks.
Cooke played for Kelowna from 2010-14.