The Golden Rockets did battle against the rival Kimberley Dynamiters on Tuesday, January 18th at the Golden Arena. The game was played in memory of Aman Virk. The Golden Rockets organization donated their share of the 50/50 raffle towards the Aman Virk Memorial Foundation; $233 was the share donated to the cause.
The Rockets were in high spirits after having five members attend the All-Star weekend in Fernie the weekend before the match up in Golden. And Golden did not disappoint those in the crowd who braved the cold weather and witnessed the Rockets overpower the fourth place Dynamiters by a score of 6-3.
It was the night of a lethal power play for the Spacemen as their afterburners were certainly on full force. When all was said and done, the Rockets went 4-4 with the man advantage; Joshua MacDonald notched three of those four goals on his way to a stellar four-point evening.
Lucas Nickles, fresh off his trip to Fernie’s Prospect Game, also had a tidy game and netted a pair. Golden’s big d-man, Brett McKernon, boosted his point total to 28 with a four-assist night; McKernon’s big night puts him one point behind the Rockets point leading defenseman, Brett DeFrias (as of January 19th).
The victory gives the Rockets a bit of breathing room on the Eddie Mountain Division standings board. What was once a relatively tight race for third place between Golden and Kimberley is now not so tight any more. With the win, Golden pushed their point total to 40 as the Dynamiters remain at 32. Golden still chases the Creston Valley Thunder Cats who as of January 19th sit with 47 points. The Phantoms, a.k.a. the Fernie Ghostriders, continue to sit pretty in first place with a dominating point total of 68 (as of January 19th).
With the fast approaching playoffs waiting around the corner like a cruel bully, the Rockets will look to continually hone their style of play in order to prolong their run in the postseason.
The Rockets will wrap up the season with five tough road games before returning home for two final games versus the Kimberley Dynamiters on February 8th and the Grand Forks Border Bruins on February 11th. Get out there and support your Golden Rockets.
