Monday, October 5, 2015

Whistle wonderful in road win

Shoot the Breeze Photography

  • Eight days off. No game action. No pre-game skate. No problem for veteran goaltender Jackson Whistle. The 20 year-old didn't miss a beat Sunday night in a 6-3 win in Lethbridge. Whistle, who was hurt last Saturday in Kamloops and missed three games with an injury, was named the first star in the three goal win. Whistle's best save came against forward Tyler Wong in the second period when he went old school, stacking his pads, robbing the Hurricanes most dangerous player of a goal. Whistle is now 3-0-0-0 to start the season.
  • Tyson Baillie continues to score. The overage forward found the back of the net with a first period power play goal to give the visitors a 1-0 lead. Baillie now leads the WHL in scoring with 6+6=12. 
  • The second period has been a concern for the Rockets in the early stages of the 2015-2016 campaign. The team has surrendered 24 goals in the first six games, with 14 of them coming in the second period. Despite a 3-0 second period lead against the Hurricanes Sunday night, the Rockets would surrender back-to-back power play goals and enjoyed only a one goal advantage heading into the final 20 minutes.
  • Gage Quinney is making some noise in the conversation on who and who shouldn't be the three 20 year-old's on the team this season. Quinney scored twice Sunday night while Cole Linaker was a scratch. Quinney now has 7 points in five games. Linaker has three points in four games.
  • Tomas Soustal continues to impress. The second year forward had another three point night and now has ten points in five games. The Czech forward had just 18 points in 65 games last season.
  • Despite the win, it is hard to believe that both Rourke Chartier and Nick Merkley were again both held off the score-sheet for a second straight night. Last season those two had the luxury of playing with Tyrell Goulbourne. While some would suggest Goulbourne had little impact on that line, it now appears it was the 20 year-old's hard nosed play that gave Chartier and Merkley the room they needed to make plays.
  • Playing three games in three night's on back-to-back weekends is never easy. When it was all said and done, winning four times over that stretch is pretty impressive. 
  • The Rockets are 4-2-0-0 after six games. Last season they were 6-0-0-0 after six games. 

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