Rockets host Regina tonight
Kelowna returning from 6-game road trip that produced 2-3-1-0 record
The Kelowna Rockets will play their first home game since Nov. 3 tonight, hosting the Regina Pats at Prospera Place for a Hat Trick Wednesday. Puck-drop is 7:05 p.m. Kelowna is hoping to start another winning streak after wrapping up its six-game road trip with a 3-1 victory over the Edmonton Oil Kings on Saturday.
The Rockets won three in a row at home — their first three home wins of the season — prior to departing on that trip, which produced a 2-3-1-0 record. It started with a win over the Seattle Thunderbirds in Kent, Wash., before four straight losses — two in Portland, an overtime defeat in Prince George and a 7-0 blowout in Red Deer — but it finished on a high note in Edmonton, giving Kelowna momentum to build on for tonight’s matchup with Regina.
The Rockets (9-13-1-0) will now play six of their next eight at home between tonight and Dec. 7.
“We’re really excited, it was a long road trip for us,” said Rockets forward Erik Gardiner. “I’m excited to be back at home, I think we all are. It will be fun for us to play at home in front of the fans.
“The trip was good for team bonding, we had some tough games and got through those together,” added Gardiner. “We also had a few days off in Prince George and Edmonton, so we got to do some fun things and got closer as a team. I think that the road trip has really helped us, and will pay off in the long run.”
The Rockets acquired Gardiner’s rights from the Regina Pats in a trade back on Nov. 30, 2016. He had been playing for his hometown Humboldt Broncos (SJHL) at the time after being a late training-camp cut by Regina that season.
“This is my first time playing them, I was hurt last season,” Gardiner said of facing his former team. He made his WHL debut with Regina and played four regular-season games and two playoff contests with the Pats over two seasons — picking up his first WHL point, an assist — after being picked by them in the second round (35th overall) of the 2014 bantam draft.
“I have a lot of close friends on the team, but I’ll put that away once the puck drops. I’m excited to play against them — hopefully I can play well.”
Tonight’s game will be the only meeting of the season between the two teams. In their lone game last season, the Rockets won 7-5 in Regina on Dec. 8, 2017.
Kelowna has 19 points to date, sitting fourth in the B.C. Division — one point ahead of the fifth-place Kamloops Blazers, two behind the third-place Prince George Cougars and five back of the second-place Victoria Royals.
The division-leading Vancouver Giants are 11 points clear of the Rockets.
The Pats had a 7-15-0-0 record prior to playing in Kamloops last night. That had Regina in fifth place in the East Division with 14 points — six ahead of the sixth-place Swift Current Broncos but 10 back of the fourth-place Moose Jaw Warriors.
For the Hat-Trick Wednesday promotion, fans that purchase their tickets before 2 p.m. today will receive a hot dog, a pop and entry to the game for $19.99.