Rockets in Victoria for weekend doubleheader

Kelowna embarks on 3-in-3 stretch, which ends Sunday in Langley

The Kelowna Rockets are on the road this weekend, facing the top two teams in the B.C. Division in a difficult stretch of three games in as many days.

The trip starts with a doubleheader in Victoria against the second-place Royals (8-1-0-0) tonight and Saturday before finishing in Langley against the first-place Vancouver Giants (9-11-0) on Sunday afternoon.

The Rockets (2-9-0-0), off to their worst start in franchise history, had a full week of practice after splitting a home-and-home set with the Tri-City Americans last weekend, winning 3-2 on the road in Kennewick, Wash., before falling 5-4 at Prospera Place in the return game.

Kelowna has suffered home losses to both Vancouver, 5-0 on Oct. 3, and Victoria, 4-3 on Oct. 5, in their lone meetings with those division rivals to date.

The Rockets have since bolstered their roster through a series of trades, with the acquisitions of over-age forward Lane Zablocki, over-age defenceman Dalton Gally and 18-year-old forward Michael Farren.

Kelowna got Zablocki from Victoria on Sept. 28, but he’s yet to make his Rockets debut, though he should be close to returning from a lower-body injury.

Gally came over from Medicine Hat on Oct. 10 and has been competing with Braydyn Chizen and Ryan Bowen to stick among Kelowna’s three over-agers, along with Zablocki, who is drafted but not yet signed by the Detroit Red Wings.

Farren requested a trade out of Saskatoon and landed in Kelowna on Oct. 11, closer to home in Richmond and a prime spot to further his career with the Rockets hosting the Memorial Cup in 2020 to cap next season.

Those upgrades should help Kelowna climb the standings in the weeks to come.