The Kelowna Rockets took to the road this morning en route to Prince George for back-to-back meetings with the Cougars on Friday and Saturday evening.
The Rockets are looking to build momentum off of a commanding 8-2 victory over the Calgary Hitmen on Wednesday night in Kelowna.
Head Coach Jason Smith says in order to continue off of Wednesday, it’s all about attention to detail.
“We need to be focused on things that allow our team to have success which is competing at a high level, working as a unit of five and not as individuals, and playing the game the right way. We do those things and we’ll get the results we want,” said Smith.
The Rockets are up against a tough opponent in the Prince George Cougars. So far this season they boast a record of 36-14-3-0 giving them a metaphorical stranglehold on the B.C. division heading into the final 19 games of the year. The 75 points they’ve accumulated gives them a nine point lead over the next closest opponent in the Kamloops Blazers.
Kelowna holds a record of 28-19-4-0 thus far putting them 15 points back of the Cougars, but just two points back of the third place Victoria Royals.
In their previous four meetings so far this season, the Cougars have held the edge in each contest. The Rockets lost 2-1 to the Cougars on September 28th, 4-1 on September 30th, 3-0 on October 1st, and 4-2 on November 15th.
The Rockets and Cougars have four more contests this season including the two this weekend.
Kelowna has 21 games remaining in the regular season. Of those 21 games, 13 are against divisional opponents (including the next five in a row). The Rockets will play Kamloops twice more, Prince George four more times, Victoria twice more, and the club will face Vancouver five more times this season.
Kelowna will then take on the Blazers in Kamloops on Wednesday the 8th before returning home to host Vancouver for a home-and-home with the Giants on Friday February 10th and Saturday February 11th.
