Rockets can earn banner with win

Erik Gardiner - Shoot the Breeze Photography 

Game Day Preview: It is the final week of the regular season. You can smell playoff hockey next week can’t you? The Kelowna Rockets face the Prince George Cougars in the 8^th and final meeting this season. The Rockets are 5-2-0-0 with both losses coming the last time these two teams met back on February 27^th and 28^th at CN Centre. Dillon Dube leads the way in the seasonal series with 5+12=17 in 7 games. Dube is 2 points shy of tying Jamie Benn (2007-2008) for the most points in a season against the Cougars. Benn had 19 points. Carsen Twarynski has 7 goals against the Cougars while Kole Lind has 6 goals in 5 games. Erik Gardiner has scored 5 of his 7 goals this season against Prince George. The Rockets are coming off a 4-0 shutout win over the Kamloops Blazers Saturday. Leif Mattson scored twice in the teams’ 40^th victory of the season. Overall, the Rockets have points in 25 of their last 37 games (21-12-3-1). The Rockets close out the regular season Friday and Saturday night against the Vancouver Giants in a home and home series. 

Divine when born in 1999:

Connor Bruggen-Cate: The second year forward has 31 more points than a season ago. With a career high 18 goals and 44 points, the Langley, BC resident had just 1 goal in his first 15 games. Simply, Bruggen-Cate found his grove in the second half of the season with 11 goals since January 3^rd.

Leif Mattson: With 39 more points than a season ago, the second year forward has 23 goals this season. Mattson started the year hot, scoring 6 goals in his first 9 games. Mattson has three-three game goal scoring streaks this season and had an 8 game point streak from February 3rd to the 17th.

Kyle Topping: After scoring 14 goals last season, Topping has 19 in his sophomore season. The Salt Spring Island, BC resident has four-three point games this season.  Kyle’s older brother Jordan plays in Tri City.

Heavy Hitters:

Kole Lind: Lind has 91 points this season, four more than a season ago. The 19 year-old has been held off the score-sheet just 6 times and leads the team with 23 road goals.

Carsen Twarynski: Twarynski has 10 multiple goal games with 27 of his 43 goals scored on home ice. Only once this season has the 20 year-old not had a shot on goal. Riding a 6 game point streak (5+2=7)

Cal Foote: With points in 9 of his last 11 games, Foote has scored 10 of his 17 goals this season on home ice. Foote has 21 multiple point games this season. Foote played in his 200^th game Saturday vs. Blazers.

Dillon Dube: The only original member of the 2015 WHL championship team, Dube has points in 9 of his last 10 games (7+10=17). Dube has 39 points in 54 playoff games. Dube is a career +53.

Broadcasters Notebook: Nolan Foote returns to the line-up tonight after missing 17 games with an upper body injury…The team has 24 wins at home, one more than last season at Prospera Place…The Rockets have five hat-tricks this season from Carsen Twarynski (vs. Portland/Prince George), and Kole Lind (PA/Kamloops/Prince George)……The Rockets had their 13 game home ice winning streak snapped January 5^th vs. Seattle…The Rockets are 7 and 5 in overtime with game winners coming from Kole Lind (twice), Dillon Dube Carsen Twarynski (twice) and Cal Foote (twice). The only losses in OT came against the Tri City Americans, Portland Winterhawks, Red Deer Rebels and Victoria Royals….The Rockets are 20-7-2-0 against teams in the BC Division…Carsen Twarynski is the first Rockets forward to score 40+ goals since Tyson Baillie (43) in the 2015-2016 season. If Kole Lind can score two more goals to join Twarynski, it will mark the first time since 1996-1997 that the team has had two-40 goal scorers. Jason Deleurme and Brett McLean hold that distinction.

Roster Stats:

Player total: 25

Year by Year Breakdown:

20’s (1997) – 3   Ballhorn, Twarynski, Hilsendager           

19’s (1998) - 5   Salmond, Lind, Dube, Cal Foote, Chizen

18’s (1999) - 6   Topping, Mattson, Gardiner, Bruggen-Cate, Cowell, Skvrne

17’s (2000) - 9   Porter, Foote, Zabransky, Kindree, Brennan, McGauley, Kushniryk, Pow, Hair

16’s (2001) - 2   Korczak, Basran

NHL Drafted Players: Cal Foote (Tampa Bay 2017), Kole Lind (Vancouver 2017), Dillon Dube (Calgary 2016), Carsen Twarynski (Philadelphia 2016), Brayden Chizen (Minnesota 2016).   

Game Notes Compiled by Regan Bartel of AM 1150