Rockets meet Royals at Prospera tonight
Dube, Phillips put friendship aside with Victoria visiting Kelowna
It was the hit heard ’round the Western Hockey League — well, at least around the B.C. Division. Dillon Dube took a run at Matthew Phillips, delivering a high hit — a borderline headshot.
Phillips bounced back up and shook it off. Dube was assessed his second charging penalty of the game.
The night was March 11. The time was five minutes 10 seconds into the third period. Dube’s Kelowna Rockets were leading Phillips’ Victoria Royals 3-2 at Prospera Place and went on to win 4-3 in overtime.
Offensive catalysts for their respective teams and not necessarily known for their physicality, Dube wound up being the first star thanks to a four-point performance — two goals and two assists, including the OT winner just 19 seconds into the extra frame — while Phillips was held off the scoresheet, a rarity last season when he was one of only five WHL players to net 50 goals and finished tied for ninth in league scoring with 90 points.
Dube got the better of Phillips in that encounter, punctuated by their openice collision just inside Victoria’s zone and near Kelowna’s bench.
So why was this hit such a big deal? What was the significance?
Dube and Phillips are both Calgary Flames prospects, both drafted by their hometown team in 2016 — Dube in the second round and Phillips in the sixth. They have since been teammates and linemates in suiting up for the Flames at last month’s Young Stars tournament in Penticton.
However, they will face-off against each other tonight — 7 p.m. at Prospera Place — for the first time since “the hit,” which occurred in their final meeting of the regular season. They didn’t clash in the playoffs last spring after Kelowna eliminated Victoria in the second round the previous year — prevailing in overtime of Game 7.
With the Rockets (2-0-0-1) set to host the unbeaten Royals (4-0-0-0), this is a date that Dube and Phillips presumably circled on the calendar when the WHL schedule was released.
They certainly haven’t forgotten about what happened back in March.
“I felt bad, but I had to do it,” Dube recalled during the Young Stars. “When you’re playing and you put on different jerseys, you can’t really be friends, so I had to prove that a little bit.
“We were going at it because he’s their top player and you have to get him off his game,” Dube added. “It sucks to have to do that, but that’s hockey. But we’re men now, so when you get off the ice, you respect each other and we’re still really good buddies.”
Phillips echoed that sentiment and insisted there were no hard feelings in the fallout or lingering animosity. They spent much of the summer together, training and skating in Calgary — almost every day, according to Phillips.
It’s apparent that they have put “the hit” behind them, but would Phillips pass up an opportunity to get back at Dube tonight?