Kelowna Rockets back in action this week with games against Kamloops, Calgary – Okanagan | Globalnews.ca
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With Christmas now in the rearview mirror, action in the Western Hockey League action resumes this week.
Wednesday will see nine games, including the Kelowna Rockets battling the Kamloops Blazers as the two B.C. Division rivals start a brief, home-and-home set.
Kelowna (15-15-2-0) will visit Kamloops (8-20-3-2) on Dec. 27, with the two clubs then meeting two days later in Kelowna on Friday, Dec. 29. The Rockets will also host the Calgary Hitmen (13-15-3-1) on Saturday, Dec. 30, to close out 2023.
For Kelowna, Wednesday’s game will be their first 11 days, a 5-4 overtime victory against the Saskatoon Blades, one of the league’s top teams.
That win on Dec. 16 not only capped Kelowna’s first half of the season before the league’s annual Christmas break, but it also ended a successful five-game road swing through the East Division, with the team going 4-1.
Friday’s home game will also be the Rockets’ first contest at Prospera Place in a month.
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Thanks to a rare scheduling quirk, Kelowna’s last home game was Nov. 29, a 5-4 overtime win against Wenatchee.
After that, they played road games in Vancouver and Seattle on Dec. 1-2, then trekked east to the prairies, Dec. 9-16, followed by the league’s annual holiday break.
Wednesday’s game in Kamloops will also be the Blazers’ first home game since Dec. 3, a 6-3 loss to Victoria.
While Kelowna was swinging through the East Division, the Blazers were, too. However, Kamloops, which is struggling this season after winning four consecutive B.C. Division pennants, went 1-4.
Wednesday’s between Kelowna and Kamloops will also be the first time the two clubs will play this season. Last season, the Blazers dominated the Rockets, winning eight of 10 games.
The Blazers’ dominance, expectedly, includes the past five seasons, with Kamloops posting a record of 24-11-1-0 against Kelowna.
This season, however, that run should come to an end.
Not only are the Blazers fifth and last in B.C. Division standings, with just 21 points through 33 games, but Kamloops is also currently the worst team in the WHL.
Meanwhile, Kelowna is a mid-pack team, third in B.C. Division standings with 32 points through 32 games.
In other news, Rockets forward Tij Iginla is on pace to eclipse the 50-goal mark this season, a feat that hasn’t been done since 2005-06, when Justin Keller notched 51 goals and 88 points in 72 games.
Iginla currently has 25 goals and 42 points through 32 games. If the 17-year-old from Lake Country keeps it going, he could finish with 53 goals and 89 points.
Notably, the WHL season is only 68 games now, cut down from 72 in 2018.
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