The Golden Rockets appear to be coming together after the Christmas break; the team has gone 3-1, as of January 17th, since the holiday. As the team strives for a top two finish in the Eddie Mountain Division, it will be the current rooster who will be leading them into the promised land; January 11th was the trade deadline, and the team made only one minor move.
“We are very happy with the team we have this year, and we are going to stick with what we’ve got. But, we did make one move prior to the trade deadline. We sent defenseman Sandro Moser to the Kimberly Dynamiters for future consideration,” Head Coach of the Golden Rockets, Ty Davidson said.
Besides the great start to the New Year, the Rockets are also celebrating five players that were chosen to play in Fernie in this year’s All-Star game and Prospect game. The selection process for both games is not only about skill-levels, but also about age; the All-Star game features players aged18-years-old and up, while the Prospect game features players aged 16 and 17.
Golden players who received the honours to attend the All-Star game were two centers, Tyler Fairall and Joshua MacDonald. The three players selected for the Prospect game were wingers Lucas Nickles and Tanner Cochrane and defenseman Brett DeFrais.
“Having five guys selected to play in Fernie is fantastic. All this representation looks good for our organization; it is basically a quarter of our team. Some teams only had one player selected,” Coach Davidson said.
As for the two selected for the All-Star game, their numbers throughout the season have certainly justified their presence in Fernie. Tyler Fairall is not only leading his team with 31 goals, but the total also has him sitting in third overall in the KIJHL regarding goals scored (as of January 17th). Fairall has also pocketed 25 helpers, giving him 56 points in 40 games played. But, Tyler refuses to take all the credit for his success so far this season.
“The season has been going really good so far. The whole team has been getting along great this year and it is starting to show on the ice. We are truly a “team” this year. We all hang out all the time; we all seem to have the same interests, on and off the ice,” Tyler Fairall said about his team.
Joshua MacDonald is also having quite the season playing for the Rockets. As of January 17th, MacDonald is leading his team with 61 points in just 39 games. The point total includes 34 assists, which has him sitting fifth overall in the KIJHL for not only those assists, but also for overall points scored.
“I’d have to say that my point totals are attributed to my line mates; we’ve been solid all year. Also, the entire team has been unbelievable; it is the tightest team I have ever played on,” Joshua MacDonald said about the season.
The Rockets next home game is on Friday, January 21st versus the Kimberley Dynamiters at 7:30pm.
