Kelowna Broncos arrive in Swift Current

• After an all day bus ride the Kelowna Broncos, I mean Kelowna Rockets, have arrived in the city where "life makes sense". The Rockets have no less than seven links to the Broncos organization or to the city of Swift Current itself. Mark Guggenberger, Chad Ketting and Geordie Wudrick were all traded to Kelowna by the Broncos while Rockets rookie defenseman MacKenzie Johnston and assistant coach Ryan Cuthbert were both born in the 'Frontier City'. Rockets assistant coach Dan Lambert is a former Bronco alumni while I had the privilege of calling radio games for the Broncos for five seasons from 1995 to 1999. Had Lorne Frey made the trip that number would have increased to eight. Frey was a Broncos assistant coach in the late 80's including being behind the bench of a Memorial Cup win in 1989.
• In the last three seasons these two teams (Broncos and Rockets) have completed four trades. Wudrick, Guggenberger and Ketting were involved in individual deals as was Brady Leavold, who the Rockets acquired in the early stage of the 2007-2008 season. And you thought the Bonner brothers had something special!
• The Rockets left early Sunday morning while I plan to fly into Regina Monday night. I hope to hitch hike my way into Swift Current in time for Tuesday's game.
• How do you like this one. The last time the Rockets made a stop in Swift Current was January 25/08. In that game the Rockets lost 4-0. Who recorded the shutout that night? Mark Guggenberger. Gugg's made 30 saves.
• Geordie Wudrick scored a shorthanded goal in that game for the Broncos and was a +3.
• The Rockets and Broncos met just once last season - in Kelowna - with the Broncos winning 3-1. Geordie Wudrick scored a goal in that game for the Broncos while Mark Guggenberger was the backup to starter Travis Yonkman. Yonkman was good in the 3rd period, when the Rockets out-shot Swift Current 14-2.
• Special thanks to the Tri City Americans organization for delivering to me their 2009-2010 team guide. This 182 page booklet would sure look good under a Tri City American fans Christmas tree. Executive Editor Dan Mulhausen deserves a pat on the back for the work he put into the project. It's the best of it's kind in the league, no question. The Kelowna Rockets should look at doing something similiar, not necessarily every season, but when the team celebrates it's 20th anniversary.

Leonard has one up on Lazo

While Johnny Lazo's hat-tricks in back-to-back games is impressive, former Kelowna Rockets forward Seth Leonard did one better during the 2003-2004 season. Leonard, as a 20 year-old, scored three goals in three straight games with the Prince Albert Raiders. Leonard had three goal nights against Brandon and Regina on November 23rd and 28th before recording a hat-trick November 29/03 in Moose Jaw against the Warriors. If Lazo can score three times against Prince George on Wednesday I'll really be impressed.
Mike Comrie also had back-to-back three goal games with the Kootenay Ice in 2000-2001.

Average effort produces winning result

• It is something a highly skilled Kelowna Rockets team could get away with last season, but this years team is flirting with danger if they put forth the type of effort we saw Friday night and expect to find themselves on the winning end of the ledger. Geordie Wudrick scored twice in a 4-2 win over the Edmonton Oil Kings, the Rockets 15th win of the season.
• Wudrick now has 5 goals in 7 games since he was acquired from Swift Current. Wudrick's snap shot that hit the cross bar and went in over the shoulder of Oil Kings goaltender Cam Lanigan was the most impressive goal of the night. Surprisingly it was Wudrick's first game winning goal of the season.
• Brett Bulmer returned to the lineup after missing seven games with a shoulder injury and chipped in with a goal and an assist.
• Bulmer's goal was an empty netter. While the rookie forward could have passed the puck over to Wudrick for the hat trick goal, he made the right decision by sending the puck down the ice into the wide open net. Had Bulmer's pass been picked off in an attempt to give Wudrick his 3rd goal of the game the turnover could have given the Oil Kings one last chance to tie the game and send it into overtime.
• The Kelowna Rockets can thank goaltender Adam Brown for a third period save that proved to be the difference maker in this one. Oil Kings forward Tomas Vincour receives a pass at the left face-off circle and attempts to beat Brown to the glove hand side. Brown reaches out and makes the best save of the game with his team up by just a single goal.
• Tyson Barrie now has the bragging rights of having the longest point streak in the WHL this season. Barrie has gone 17 games with a point.
• Mitchell Callahan celebrated his 100th career game last night with an assist.
• Speaking of 100, head coach Ryan Huska earned his 100th regular season victory as the Rockets head coach.
• My biggest disappointment? Torrie Jung watched this one from the sidelines. Jung was given the night off after getting yanked Wednesday in Kamloops. Unfortunately I was unable to chat with the former Rockets goaltender before the game but will have two more chances later on this season.
• It was good to catch up with Oil Kings play-by-play man A.J Jakubec after the game at one of the local watering holes. The bonus of having the Oil Kings stay overnight in Kelowna before busing into Vancouver today to face the Giants is catching up with a colleague.

Kootenay Ice radio voice Jeff Hollick

If Kootenay Ice play-by-play man Jeff Hollick wants a fist fight with current Kamloops Blazers radio man Kirk Fraser you will know why when you listen to this edition of 'Behind The Mic'.

Rockets game notes vs. Oil Kings

Tonight’s Preview: The Rockets enter tonight’s contest with wins in two of their last three games. The only setback over that period was a 4-2 loss to the Kootenay Ice Saturday night. The Rockets and Oil Kings are meeting for the first of just two times this season. These two teams meet in Edmonton February 26th. Last season the Rockets were 2-0-0-0 against the Oil Kings, out-scoring them 8-2. The Rockets were a 5-2 winner on November 2/08 before earning a 3-0 shutout win at Rexall Place December 17/08. Following tonight’s game the Rockets host Tri City tomorrow night before heading east for a six game road trip which features games against Swift Current (Tues), Regina (Wed), Brandon (Fri), Moose Jaw (Sat) before closing out the trip with dates in Prince Albert on December 15th and Saskatoon on the 16th. The road trip features six games in 9 nights before the Christmas break.

Last Game Recap: Mitchell Callahan scored twice and added two assists leading the Rockets to a 6-2 win Wednesday night in Everett. The Rockets had a 3-1 lead after 20 minutes and a 5-2 lead after 40 minutes. Tyler Halliday, Geordie Wudrick, Max Adolph and Shane McColgan also scored for the Rockets, who out-shot the Tips 34-27. The Rockets were 2 for 5 on the power play while the Tips were 1 for 4 with the extra man. Adam Brown made 25 saves in the win.

Scoring three and feeling glee: When the Rockets score 3 or more goals in a game they have a record of 10-4-0-1. When the Rockets score two or fewer goals they are the direct opposite, 4-10-0-0.

Bloodoff’s bad luck: The hockey club announced Tuesday that captain Lucas Bloodoff will be out of the lineup six weeks with a sprained knee. Bloodoff injured the knee Saturday in a 4-2 loss to the Kootenay Ice. Bloodoff joins younger brother Evan on the injury list. Evan Bloodoff underwent knee surgery this fall and is expected to be back in the lineup in late February.

Who’s Hot – Who’s Not: Brandon McMillan has no goals in his last 9 games but has points in 8 of his last 13…Shane McColgan has goals in three straight games (4+0=4).…Kyle St. Denis is three goals shy of his career high of 16 set two seasons ago…Geordie Wudrick has goals in three of the six games he has played with the Rockets this season and has a point in four of those six games (3+1=4). Mitchell Callahan’s two goals Wednesday night snapped a 10 game goal scoring drought…Callahan has 7 fighting majors this season. Callahan had 6 fighting majors at the same time last year.

Game Day Tidbits: Curt Gogol leads the WHL with 99 penalty minutes this season. Gogol was suspended for five games by the WHL on Monday after a charging major against the Kootenay Ice Saturday night. Gogol is serving game two tonight….Adam Brown leads the WHL in games played by a goaltender (27)….Brown has played the most minutes of any goaltender in the WHL (1628)….Brown is two games shy of the 29 he played all of last season…Mark Guggenberger is close to returning to the lineup. The 20 year-old goaltender is practicing with the team and could return as early as next week…The Rockets have been involved in thirteen (13) one goal games this season. The Rockets are 6-6-1-0 in those thirteen games…Kyle St. Denis leads the team with 8 power play goals….Mitchell Callahan is a team high +7, just one better than Cody Chikie’s +6….Curt Gogol now has 243 career WHL penalty minutes….Brandon McMillan and Tyson Barrie have a team high 21 assist…McColgan is two points back of Medicine Hat’s Emerson Item and Portland’s Nino Neiderreitter for the WHL scoring lead by rookies…Tyson Barrie is riding a career high 16 game point streak after missing 8 straight games after being injured against Kamloops on September 25th. Barrie has 5+20=25 over those sixteen games. Barrie and Calgary’s Brandon Kozun have the longest point streak in the WHL this season (16)…The Rockets are 14-14-1-0 after twenty-nine games this season. Last year the Rockets were 17-12-0-0 after twenty-nine games…The Rockets have scored 95 goals in twenty-nine games this season after scoring 108 times in the teams first twenty-nine games one season ago…The Rockets have allowed 85 goals against this season after surrendering 83 goals after twenty-nine games last year…Ryan Huska has 99 regular season victories as the Rockets head coach…Shane McColgan scored his 1st WHL goal against the Oil Kings December 17th.

Rockets next four games:
Dec 5 vs. Tri City Dec 8 @ Swift Current
Dec 9 @ Regina Dec 11 @ Brandon

Callahan uses soft hands to pummel opponent

• The Kelowna Rockets had no chance of beating the Everett Silvertips Wednesday night. One problem though. No one told the Rockets that before the game. Despite a depleted lineup the Rockets used five different goal scorers in an impressive 6-2 win over the Tips before a smallish crowd of 38 hundred at the Comcast Arena. Mitchell Callahan led the charge with two goals and two assists, his first four point game of his career.
• Callahan had a three point game (1+2=3) opening night against Vancouver.
• Callahan now has 4 multiple goal games in his two year career.
• Callahan is now 6 points shy of his point total from all of last season.
• With Lucas Bloodoff and Kyle St. Denis - among others - sidelined with an injury, the Rockets went out and earned their first win against a U.S based team this season. Up until last night's win the Rockets were 0 and 9 against U.S Division teams.
• Max Adolph scored his first career WHL goal in the third period to make the score 6-2. Adolph's goal came after an original shot from the blue line. With the puck in mid air, Adolph swung at it with his stick beating Tips goaltender Kent Simpson.
• Tyson Barrie extended his point streak to 16 games with a second period assists. Barrie now shares the longest point streak of the season with Hitmen forward Brandon Kozun.
• The win was the Rockets 5th road victory of the season and third in as many games.
• The 6 goal outburst marked the first time since November 4th that the Rockets generated five or more goals. The Rockets beat the Prince George Cougars 5-4 in a shootout on that night.
• The win moves the Rockets within 4 points of the Tips for 5th place in the Western Conference.
• Rookie defenseman Colton Jobke was a +3.
• It's not often that a player is selected the second star in a game and fails to reach the score sheet when his team generates six goals. That was the case Wednesday night as Brandon McMillan was named the games 2nd star. McMillan had a solid game but was held pointless.
• Mark Guggenberger could return to the lineup as early as next week. The 20 year-old goaltender is working out this week with goaltending coach Kim Dillabaugh. If everything goes according to plan could we see Guggenberger play against his old team - Swift Current - this Tuesday? Stay tuned.

Make it 3 straight wins on the road

Rockets 6 Tips 2 Final.

Lucas Bloodoff out 4 to 6 weeks

Kelowna Rockets captain Lucas Bloodoff is out four to six weeks with a sprained knee. It's a different knee that forced him to undergo surgery during last years playoffs. Bloodoff joins his younger brother Evan, who is recovering from knee surgery.

McMillan gets invite

Kelowna Rockets forward Brandon McMillan has received an invite to Team Canada's main camp December 12th in Regina.
Team Canada's training camp roster was announced this morning.
Rockets defenseman Tyson Barrie, who was in the running for a roster spot, did not receive an invite.
The 2010 World Junior Hockey Championships will take place in the province of Saskatchewan.

Rockets game notes vs. Tips

Tonight’s Preview: The Rockets enter tonight’s contest riding a two game road winning streak. The Rockets have recorded back-to-back wins over Prince George (2-0) and Chilliwack (2-1). The Rockets last loss on the road was in Prince George last Friday night in a 3-2 setback. Despite those two road wins the Rockets are just 2 and 6 in their last 8 games overall. One of those losses came back on November 13th when the Tips beat the Rockets 4-2. Overall the Rockets are 0-2-0-0 against the Tips this season, having been out-scored 9-6 in those two games. Following tonight’s game these two teams close out the seasonal series with games January 6th and February 10th. Tonight’s game is the start of a stretch where the Rockets play 7 of their next 9 games on the road. After home games Friday (Edmonton) and Saturday (Tri City) the Rockets are on the road for 6 games in 9 nights on an Eastern Conference road trip.

Seasonal Series Breakdown: The Rockets have out-shot the Tips in both games, by a combined total of 75-53. The Rockets are 4/16 (25%) on the power play in the seasonal series while the Tips are 4/11 (36.3%).
Period: 1 2 3 OT Total
Rockets: 2 2 2 0 6
Tips: 2 4 3 0 9

Last Game Recap: Shane McColgan and Tyler Halliday scored power play goals in a 4-2 home ice loss Saturday night to the Kootenay Ice. The Rockets were 2 for 8 on the power play while giving up two goals on 8 penalty killing opportunities. Adam Brown took the loss in goal making 24 saves.

Who’s Hot – Who’s Not: Brandon McMillan has no goals in his last 8 games but has points in 8 of his last 12…Shane McColgan has goals in back-to-back games (3+0=3)…Kyle St. Denis is three goals shy of his career high of 16 set two seasons ago…Geordie Wudrick has goals in two of the five games he has played with the Rockets this season and has a point in three of those five games (2+1=3). Lucas Bloodoff has not scored a goal in seven games and has just one goal in his last 15 games. Bloodoff had five goals in his first 9 games to start the season.

Game Day Tidbits: Curt Gogol leads the WHL with 99 penalty minutes this season. Gogol was suspended for five games by the WHL on Monday after a charging major against the Kootenay Ice Saturday night…Adam Brown is tied with Tri City’s Drew Owsley for the league lead in games played by a goaltender (26)….Brown has played the most minutes of any goaltender in the WHL….Brown is three games shy of the 29 he played all of last season…Mark Guggenberger is close to returning to the lineup. The 20 year-old goaltender is practicing with the team and could return as early as next week…The Rockets have been involved in thirteen (13) one goal games this season. The Rockets are 6-6-1-0 in those thirteen games…Kyle St. Denis leads the team with 8 power play goals….Mitchell Callahan and Brandon McMillan are a team high +4….Curt Gogol now has 243 career WHL penalty minutes….Brandon McMillan has a team high 21 assist, one better than Tyson Barrie’s 20…McColgan is three points back of Medicine Hat’s Emerson Item and Portland’s Nino Neiderreitter for the WHL scoring lead by rookies…Tyson Barrie is riding a career high 15 game point streak after missing 8 straight games after being injured against Kamloops on September 25th. Barrie has 5+19=24 over those fifteen games. Calgary’s Brandon Kozun has the longest point streak in the WHL this season (16)…The Rockets are 13-14-1-0 after twenty-eight games this season. Last year the Rockets were 16-12-0-0 after twenty-seven games…The Rockets have scored 89 goals in twenty-eight games this season after scoring 105 times in the teams first twenty-eight games one season ago…The Rockets have allowed 83 goals against this season after surrendering 81 goals after twenty-eight games last year…Ryan Huska has 98 regular season victories as the Rockets head coach.

Best point producers in November:
Barrie: 2+13=15
McMillan: 3+10=13
McColgan: 3+3=6
St. Denis: 5+1=6
Callahan: 2+2=4
Bloodoff: 1+3=4
Bowman: 1+3-4