Murray, Dumba in Kelowna for Top Prospects Game

The ice and boards at Prospera Place underwent minor surgery this week, with the 6,007-seat rink playing host to the CHL's Top Prospects Game this week. The Skills Competition goes Tuesday, with the game itself on Wednesday.

When Ryan Murray steps onto the ice at Prospera Place this evening, it’ll likely be accompanied with cheers, not the normal jeers he regularly hears.

The CHL’s Top Prospects Game starts tonight with its Skills Competition, followed by the game itself on Wednesday. Both events start at 7 p.m., and Murray, who plays defence for the Everett Silvertips, is amongst the marquee names in the two-day affair for CHL players who are eligible for the NHL’s 2012 draft.

“I’m extremely excited and it’s going to be a lot of fun getting to meet all the guys,” said Murray, who is the WHL’s top-rated defenceman for the draft. “I can tell you that there’s already a lot of excitement in the dressing room and everybody’s looking forward to it.”

Of course, Murray wasn’t around in 2004 when Everett pulled off arguably the biggest playoff upset in WHL history, as the expansion Silvertips stunned the defending league champion Kelowna Rockets in seven games for the Western Conference championship. Though that took place almost eight years ago, fans have long memories, and although the Tips aren’t considered a rival in the Okanagan, they’re certainly not well liked.

“Yeah, that’d be nice . . . and a little unusual,” Murray laughed on possibly being cheered. “Kelowna has a some great fans here, though I’ve never really been booed here. But I’ve certainly been booed in other rinks, that’s for sure.”

Cheers and jeers aside, Murray was wearing a constant and genuine smile during Monday’s media session, a sure sign he’s enjoying being part of this event. Mind you, with its fun, almost high-school reunion-like atmosphere, it’s easy to see why smiles were abundant last night.

“Guys you play against, some of your rivals — guys you don’t get along with on the ice — you can come and shake hands here and you’re friends with them for a few days,” said Murray. “I think that’s one of the coolest things about this whole experience.”

Members of Team Orr autograph jerseys on Monday. 

Red Deer Rebels defenceman Mat Dumba concurred that this event does have a friendly feel to it, even though the game itself can produce hard, unforgiving moments as players try to climb over each other for higher draft rankings.

“I guess it is like a reunion,” said Dumba. “You play with or against a lot of these guys at one point or another. For me, some guys I played with at U-17 and U-18, I’m seeing them again. It’s nice to talk and reminisce about that stuff and see how they’re doing this season.”

For the Skills Competition, Murray will be in the hardest-shot event, while Dumba will be in the fastest-skater event.

“I’ll be working hard, but it’ll be wait-and-see what happens,” said Dumba. “There’s so many great guys here with so much talent that all you can do is work hard and showcase what you have.”

Murray, meanwhile, said he was “looking forward to the shootout and seeing what those guys come up with. I’m really looking forward to that.” 

Approximately 600 tickets are available for today’s Skills Competition, while 1,500 tickets are available for Wednesday’s Top Prospects Game, which will attract around 250 NHL personnel.

No Yakupov for Top Prospects Game

By Daily Courier Staff

Nail Yakupov won’t be hopping the next flight to Kelowna.

The Russian forward, who plays for the OHL’s Sarnia Sting and is ranked the top North American skater by NHL Central Scouting, won’t be attending the CHL Top Prospects Game at Prospera Place.

This is not news, as Yakupov withdrew from the 17th annual two-day showcase in mid-January, having been sidelined by a knee injury sustained in Russia’s gold-medal-winning game at the World Junior Championship earlier this month. What is news, however, is that Yakupov made a somewhat surprising return to OHL action on the weekend, scoring one goal and two points in three games for Sarnia. So that led some to speculate he could be a last-minute addition to the Top Prospects Game.

Wishful thinking, though, with various sources confirming on Monday that Yakupov won’t make the trip to Kelowna.

“Dr. R. Giffin of the Fowler Kennedy Clinic in London has advised the hockey club that it is in the best interest of the player not to partake in the Top Prospects Game on Wednesday in Kelowna,” Sting general manager Jacques Beaulieu said in a statement.

Yakupov is one of eight players missing the event due to injury. The 18-year-old winger has 22 goals and 55 points in just 29 games this season, his second campaign in Canada. As a 17-year-old rookie with Sarnia, Yakupov scored 49 goals and 101 points in 65 games. 

The game still features seven of the top 11 skaters on Central Scouting’s mid-term rankings — Quebec Remparts forward Mikhail Grigorenko (No. 2), Everett Silvertips defenceman Ryan Murray (No. 3), Kitchener Rangers forward Radek Faksa (No. 4), Red Deer Rebels defenceman Mathew Dumba (No. 7), Edmonton Oil Kings defenceman Griffin Reinhart (No. 8), Portland Winter Hawks defenceman Derrick Pouliot (No. 10), and Belleville Bulls forward Brendan Gaunce (No. 11).

Also participating are Kelowna Rockets captain Colton Sissons, the top-rated WHL forward at No. 14, who will captain Team Orr, and defenceman Damon Severson (No. 46).

The rosters for the Top Prospects Game are chosen in a poll of the 30 NHL clubs and co-ordinated by Central Scouting.

The prospects will take part in a skills competition and 3-on-3 challenge tonight, followed by the Top Prospects Game on Wednesday. The action starts at 7 p.m. both nights.

Long-time NHL coach Pat Quinn will man the bench for Team Orr with assistance from Vancouver Giants coach Don Hay, while three-time Stanley Cup champion Mark Recchi will coach Team Cherry along with Rockets coach Ryan Huska.

Sissons excited for Top Prospects Game

By Larry Fisher

The Daily Courier

Colton Sissons was confused at first.

He received a text from his dad this past Thursday that read ‘congrats captain.’ Sissons’ first reaction was “well, this is three months late,” but upon firing up his computer, the Kelowna Rockets’ captain discovered he’d be wearing another ‘C’ this week.

The 18-year-old forward from North Vancouver will captain Team Orr during the CHL Top Prospects Game at Kelowna’s Prospera Place. The two-day event starts with a skills competition and 3-on-3 challenge on Tuesday night,

followed by the 17th annual showcase on Wednesday.

“That’s how I found out, and then I saw it posted on our website,” Sissons said. “I was obviously surprised. I never really thought of it to be honest. It’s coming up pretty quick and it’s definitely on my mind. I was incredibly excited to get the ‘C’, not many people get that opportunity. It’s pretty cool to say the least and it’s going to be a really fun couple of days.”

Sissons’ counterpart is also used to wearing the ‘C’ in WHL action, with Everett Silvertips defenceman Ryan Murray named captain of Team Cherry.

“When I get the chance, I hope I can lead my team to a big win against Murray,” said Sissons, the top-rated WHL forward by NHL Central Scouting, 14th overall among North American skaters.

If successful, Sissons would also get the upper hand on Rockets head coach Ryan Huska, who will be assisting Mark Recchi behind the bench of Team Cherry. Huska would likely accept that defeat, especially if Sissons plays a starring role.

“They chose him (as captain) amongst his peers, the guys who are considered the top eligible draft picks,” Huska said. “It’s a tremendous honour and he should be very proud of himself for that.”

Team Orr, to be coached by Pat Quinn and Don Hay (Vancouver Giants), will feature Mikhail Grigorenko (QMJHL, Quebec Remparts) and Tanner Pearson (OHL, Barrie Colts) as alternate captains. Grigorenko is ranked second

among North American skaters, behind only fellow Russian forward Nail Yakupov (OHL, Sarnia Sting), who returned over the weekend from a knee injury but is still slated to miss the Top Prospects Game. Pearson, who won bronze with Murray on Team Canada at the world juniors, is among the CHL’s top scorers with 73 points through 40 games.

Murray, the top-rated defenceman for this year’s NHL draft, will have Brendan Gaunce (OHL, Belleville Bulls) and Martin Frk (QMJHL, Halifax Mooseheads) serving as alternate captains.

Sissons leads the Rockets with 26 goals, including 13 power-play markers, and is third in team scoring with 38 points in 51 games following Sunday’s 4-3 win over Seattle in Kent, Wash.

On the down side, the injury bug continues to plague the event, claiming four more victims this week and bringing the total to eight of the top-40 players not participating.

On Thursday, goaltender Chris Driedger (WHL, Calgary Hitmen) was added to the Team Orr roster, replacing Malcolm Subban (OHL, Belleville Bulls), the younger brother of Montreal Canadiens defenceman P.K. Subban.

Then, on Sunday, defencemen Cody Ceci (OHL, Ottawa 67s) and Olli Maatta (OHL, London Knights), along with forward Charles Hudon (QMJHL, Chicoutimi Sagueneens), were forced to withdraw.

Their replacements are defencemen Dalton Thrower (WHL, Saskatoon Blades) and Dillon Fournier (QMJHL, Rouyn-Noranda Huskies), plus forward Dane Fox (OHL, Erie Otters).

Tickets are still available — $10 for the skills competition, $40 for the game.

Rockets pluck T-Birds for 2 points

By Daily Courier Staff

No shootout necessary this time.

After three straight results requiring the tiebreaker, the Kelowna Rockets did enough over 60 minutes, particularly over 20 minutes in the second period, to score a 4-3 victory over the host Seattle Thunderbirds in WHL action on Sunday evening.

“I thought we worked hard,” said Rockets head coach Ryan Huska, whose club was coming off a 2-1 shootout loss against Seattle at Prospera Place on Friday night, after previously beating Kamloops and Vancouver thanks to the extra session.

“We did a good job of trying to wear them down as the game went on and I liked the way we played tonight,” continued Huska, whose Rockets outshot Seattle  in every period and 44-28 overall.

Kelowna was paced by two players who will represent the Rockets in this week’s CHL Top Prospects Game, as captain Colton Sissons netted his team-leading 26th goal and added an assist, while defenceman Damon Severson also scored. 

Their efforts highlighted a four-goal second period for the Rockets (23-23-2-3), who also got tallies from Cody Chikie and Brett Lyon, who bagged the winner with four seconds left in the middle frame. Backup goalie Jordon Cooke made 25 saves as sixth-place Kelowna finished January at 9-4-0-1.

Chance Lund, Cason Machacek and Luke Lockhart replied for the Thunderbirds (17-28-1-1), who also got peppered 8-3 by Portland on Saturday. Standout goalie Calvin Pickard took both losses, despite making 40 saves against Kelowna.

Rockets venture south to Seattle

They were lucky to get to overtime. But, as fate would have it, they weren’t lucky at all in the shootout.

The Kelowna Rockets went to the shootout well for a third consecutive game on Friday night, but the victory bucket came up empty, as they fell 3-2 to the visiting Seattle Thunderbirds.

Tonight, Kelowna (21-23-2-4) and Seattle (18-27-1-1) close out an extended home-and-home series. Game time is 5 p.m. in Kent, Wash. It’s the first of three road games for Kelowna after a five-game homestand (2-2-0-1).

Following Friday’s loss, Rockets head coach Ryan Huska said his team “didn’t work hard enough, and that’s kinda what happens. If you have a hard-working night, then you usually get things to go your way. They came in, played a good road game and they outworked us.”

Prior to playing Seattle, Kelowna  beat Vancouver 4-3 in a shootout, then Kamloops 3-2, also in a shootout.

“You get tired of the ups and downs and the roller-coasters,” Huska said. “As soon as we have some success, it’s almost like we change our approach. That’s the tough part that we need to get over. It’s taken us a long time to do it, but we will get there.”

Asked afterwards if Kelowna had played down to the level of Seattle — the sixth-place Rockets are leading the seventh-place T-Birds by 10 points in Western Conference standings — Huska said no.

“We don’t have the team to play down to,” he stated. “Let’s be honest here.”

Winning in the shootout may be exciting, but it’s equally disappointing to lose.

Especially in the way Kelowna lost Friday, with Zach Franko and Myles Bell both failing to score on Calvin Pickard, as Kelowna went 0-2, while the T-Birds went 2-0. Against Kamloops, Franko and Bell both scored on Kelowna’s first two shots.

“It was kind of going perfect for a while there with a 1-2 punch with Franko and Bell,” said Rockets captain Colton Sissons. “Pick-ard is a really good goalie, and I’m pretty sure that he studies these things and he knew where Franko was going. He beat us fair and square in the shootout.”

Sissons added that “we didn’t play as a team like we did against Kamloops, battling for each other out there. That has to come around again and we have to keep that going.”

Goalies steal spotlight in T-Birds' win

It’s too bad there aren’t anymore ties in hockey. For on Friday night, it would have been a fitting end in what was a good battle between two very good goaltenders.

As it was, though, Colin Jacobs scored the game-winning goal for Seattle, with the only goal in the shootout, as the Thunderbirds beat the Kelowna Rockets 2-1 in WHL action. Taking the undeserved loss was Adam Brown, who made 30 saves for the Rockets. Not by coincidence, Calvin Pickard made 30 saves for the Thunderbirds.

How fitting would a tie have been? Consider this: The game finished in a 1-1 tie after regulation time, both goaltenders wear No. 1,  and the two could have split first-star honours, though it was Brown winning top-star billing and Pickard the second star.

“Adam made a lot of good saves; he was sharp,” said Pickard, who was perfect in the shootout, stopping all three Rocket shooters. “I thought our team was sharp and I think we deserved the two points, but it would have been nice to play that game in continuous overtime and let it settle that way. But that’s the way it goes — the shootout happens after five minutes (of overtime).”

Photo: Calvin Pickard

Colton Heffley, with his fourth goal of the season at 12:57 of the first period, scored in regulation time for Kelowna (21-23-2-4). Brown stopped one of two shots in the shootout for the Rockets, whose next game is Sunday in Kent, Wash., against the Thunderbirds.

Burke Gallimore, with his 18th of the season at 3:45 of the second period, replied for Seattle (18-26-1-1), which played its first game of the season with an intact roster. Friday’s tilt was the first of three games in three nights for the Thunderbirds, who host the Portland Winterhawks tonight, then Kelowna on Sunday.

Rockets head coach Ryan Huska said Brown was Kelowna’s best player, which he was. For if it wasn’t for him, Kelowna, which was outplayed for the first 30 minutes, wouldn’t have had a shot at winning.

“Adam continues to be consistent with his efforts,” said Huska. “I thought he gave us a chance to not only get an extra point, but he held us in the game at times, too. So, by far, Adam was our best player. And I thought Calvin made some saves when he needed to.”

Said Brown: “We didn’t have the effort we wanted for most of the first two periods. It’s tough to win games when you don’t have that, especially in the first period, when we really got outworked and got outcompeted. We weren’t good enough to start the game.”

ICE CHIPS: Kelowna’s scratches were D Cole Martin (upper-body injury, 1 week), RW Filip Vasko (lower-body injury, 1 month-plus), C Spencer Main (concussion, 2-3 weeks) and LW Jessey Astles (upper-body injury, 2 weeks). Seattle: D Evan Wardley, RW Jake Doty and LW Mitch Elliot.

Top Prospects Game nearing

Technically, Mark Recchi is the head coach for Team Cherry at next week’s Top Prospects Game. Ryan Huska, however, will likely be lending not one, but two big helping hands.

It’s going to be a busy Monday at Kelowna International Airport, as players, coaches and more than 250 NHL personnel land in the Central Okanagan for the 17th annual Top Prospects Game. The two-day affair for the CHL’s top draft-eligible players starts Tuesday with a skills competition and concludes with the game itself on Wednesday.

Amongst the arrivals will be the game’s two guest coaches, Pat Quinn, who, along with Vancouver Giants head coach Don Hay, will guide Team Orr, and Recchi, who will be coaching his first junior gig. His assistant will be Huska, head coach of the Kelowna Rockets.

“It’s an honour to be a part of this, and to meet the kids and get to know them is a huge thing for me,” Recchi said. “I want to see how they react to things and, to me, that’s fun. Are they deer in the headlights? Or are they calm and cool and really embracing it? Just the different emotions they’re going to have through this whole thing, as they’re going to have throughout their whole careers, the ups and down. How you handle things is a big part of it.

“On the technical side, I’m glad Huska is beside me, because this is different than (coaching) 10-year-olds. But I’m excited and I’ve been around the game a long time and I have a pretty good feel on the bench. It’ll be fun to get those kids out there and help them with certain things if I see something. These kids have all the tools; it’s just helping them recognize it and get them in the right direction.”

Quinn added being the head coach “is honourary in a lot of ways. I’m looking forward to meeting these kids and talking to them in general about life in hockey. From a technical standpoint, both teams have terrific guys who are going to be on the bench with us. We’ll run a couple of practices, but these coaches, Don in my case and Huska on the other case, they know the league, they know the players and they’ll help steer us in terms of the technical side and what might happen on the ice.

“But for the most part, this is all about the kids. The game of hockey is the same all the time, but what’s important are the people in it, so I’m really looking forward to meeting these kids. They’re such at an exciting stage in their lives and it’s becoming a way of life for them. They have disappointments in front of them, but they have good things, too, and this game represents an effort for them to try to continue to improve their development.

“Hockey is about developing intangible skills that you carry for the rest of your life. Maybe not all these boys are going to play at a high level, but the important thing is this game provides an opportunity to grow and learn about yourself.”

For his part, Kelowna’s head coach laughed when told about Recchi’s leaning-on-Huska comments.

“It’ll be a lot of fun,” said Huska. “I know Mark a little bit from my younger days when I was playing with the Kamloops Blazers. He’d go back to Kamloops and work out there in the summer, and he always treated the younger players with a ton of respect. He was always there to answer questions, and he went on to such a magnificent and wonderful NHL career. He’s going to be a lot of fun to be around for three days. Listening to some of his stories and experiences about the game are going to be terrific.”

Huska said he hopes to also spend time with Quinn, one of hockey’s legendary coaches.

“I hope so. I’d like to spend time with all of them,” said Huska. “I never had an opportunity to spend much time with Pat, and everything I hear is that he’s a fantastic guy to be around. People that have had the opportunity to be around him say they’ve learned a lot about the game, so I hope I get to spend time with all three of them. I’m looking forward to it; I think it’s going to be a lot of fun and a great experience.”

Meanwhile, Rockets president and general manager Bruce Hamilton said he was hoping the game had some physical jump to it.

“I tell everybody that it’s not an all-star game, but these guys truly are the all-stars of the CHL,” said Hamilton. “In past games, we’ve seen a little bit of nastiness in it, and our hope is that these two fine coaches will find a way to get these young guys motivated to compete hard against each other and put on a great show. History shows that this game has a lot to do with some positioning with the draft, so we’re hoping that it’ll be a great game and that our fans will enjoy it, and I’m sure CHL fans across the country will enjoy it.”

Ask any draft-eligible player if he cares what draft ranking is or what round they think he’ll be selected in, and the automatic media answers are a quick no, though the real answers are yes.

“Sure they (care about the rankings),” said Huska. “They all know and understand that this is an opportunity for them to separate themselves and compare themselves to other draft-eligible guys from across the CHL. They know that if they have a good outing, it might not make or break where they go in the draft but it will help out.

“If you look back at the (2004 Top Prospects Game), I think Blake Comeau really jumped up in the draft because of the performance he had in that game. He made a lot of people take notice of him, and that’s what’s there for these guys: They have an opportunity to separate themselves when they’re being compared to other guys on the same ice at the same time.”

Comeau had one goal and two assists for Team Orr in a 5-2 win over Team Cherry. All three points came in the first eight minutes of the first period as Team Orr raced out to a 3-0 lead. Also collecting three points was Robbie Schremp of the OHL’s London Knights. Comeau was selected in the second round, 47th overall, of the NHL’s 2004 entry draft by the New York Islanders. To date, Comeau, now playing with the Calgary Flames, has played in 291 NHL games, scoring 59 goals and 130 points. Schremp was selected in the first round, 25th overall, by the Edmonton Oilers and played in 114 games, scoring 20 goals and 54 points. He is now playing overseas in Sweden.

T-Birds up next for Rockets

Better late than never. That seems to be the Kelowna Rockets’ latest catch-phrase in their up-and-down season.

On Friday, the Rockets close out a five-game homestand as they host the Seattle Thunderbirds (17-26-1-1). Game time at Prospera Place is 7 p.m., and the Rockets enter the contest riding some momentum courtesy of a two-game winning streak, both of them shootout victories.

Normally, a shootout win doesn’t carry the same weight as a regulation-time win. In this case, however, Kelowna’s two wins do, as each well-deserved victory against a much higher-seeded team. On Saturday, the Rockets (21-23-2-3) posted a 4-3 win over Vancouver (28-18-1-2), which was followed by Wednesday’s 3-2 decision over Kamloops (34-10-1-3).

With those results now behind them, the question begs: Are these the real Rockets, the ones predicted to have a banner season? Or is this just yet another up-cycle to be followed by a downer?

“The leadership group is really stepping up in the dressing room and is leading by example,” said Rockets left-winger Zach Franko, who scored both shootout winners and is now seven for eight in shootout attempts this season. “Our coaches are doing a great job of preparing us for every game and I think our players are really playing their roles. When you do that, you’re going to give yourself a chance to win every night. I think our forwards can compete with any forwards in the league, our defence can compete with any other defence and our goalies are the best in the league. If we get it going, we’re going to make a push for it this year.”

His teammates are echoing those positive comments.

“We’re playing a lot better as a group,” said goaltender Adam Brown. “Winning these two games is a big confidence booster for us because we now know our hard work is paying off. We just need to keep sticking with it and keep our noses to the grindstone and hopefully get some more wins.”

Brown added that Kelowna was anxiously anticipating the challenge of playing B.C. Division-leading Kamloops on Wednesday, stating “anytime you play a top team, especially one just down the highway, you think of it as a good challenge. Obviously, the rivalry’s been there for a while, so we were really excited for this one.”

Following the game, Blazers head coach Guy Charron, whose team couldn’t hold onto a pair of one-goal leads, gave Kelowna props for winning.

“Our first period was fine,” said Charron. “But we didn’t play that well in the second period, and, fortunately for us, we didn’t have a big deficit. We found a way to get a lead, but we didn’t sustain the effort that we needed to have to be successful. Credit to Kelowna because they did the things that we were hoping to do a little bit more to their defence. They played the puck deep, they worked our defence. Our core group for us did their job tonight. Unfortunately, we had passengers up front, and when you do that and play a team like Kelowna, you’re liable to get yourself in trouble.”

ICE CHIPS: Tonight’s game will the be the first of four meetings this season between Kelowna and Seattle. It’ll also be the first of an extended home-and-home series that concludes Sunday, 5 p.m. in Kent, Wash. . . . Last season, the two split their four-game series at 2--2. . . . The two teams also meet on Wed., Feb. 8 at Prospera Place and Tues., Feb. 14 at Kent. . . . In Western Conference standings, sixth-place Kelowna (47 points) has an 11-point lead over seventh-place Seattle (36), which, in turn, leads eighth-place Victoria (35) by one. . . . Kelowna is 6-4 in its past 10 games, while Seattle is 1-8-1-0 and is riding a four-game losing streak (0-3-1-0). . . . Kelowna is 12-12-0-1 at home, while Seattle is 7-15-1-0 on the road. . . . Special teams — Power play: Kelowna, 12th out of 22 overall at 20.8 per cent (50-240); Seattle, 21st at 15.1 per cent (28-186). Penalty killing: Kelowna, 15th at 76.8 per cent (52-224); Seattle, 17th at 76.3 per cent (50-211). . . . Kelowna is 10-3-0-1 and 13-1-0-3 when leading after the first and second periods, but is 4-11-0-0 and 2-19-0-0 when trailing after the first and second periods. Seattle is 4-2-1-0 and 8-1-1-0 when leading and 4-19-0-1 and 2-24-0-0 when trailing. . . . Leading scorers: Kelowna, RW Shane McColgan (13-35-48), LW Brett Bulmer (20-18-38), RW Colton Sissons (25-11-36), LW Brett Lyon (12-19-31) and rookie LW Carter Rigby (13-13-26). Seattle, RW Burke Gallimore (17-10-27), LW Chance Lund (12-13-35), C Luke Lockhart (9-12-21) and C Justin Hickman (9-8-17).

Rockets end Blazers' hot streak

Zach Franko is proving to be money in the shootout bank for the Kelowna Rockets.

Franko scored the game-winning goal for Kelowna, in the shootout, as the Rockets doused the red-hot Kamloops Blazers 3-2 in WHL action on Wednesday night. The Blazers entered the game riding a nine-game winning streak, but failed to hold a pair of one-goal leads.

Franko, meanwhile, scored his seventh consecutive shootout goal, and is seven for eight so far this season. Franko also netted the winner in Kelowna’s last game, a 4-3 shootout win over Vancouver on Saturday. In both games, he was Kelowna’s first shootout player, and twice gave the Rockets early 1-0 leads. Against Kamloops, like they were against Vancouver, the Rockets were 2-for-2 in the shootout, with Myles Bell again converting, while the Blazers were 0-for-2.

“It feels good that I can contribute any way that I can,” said Franko, who started first against Vancouver and Kamloops, giving the Rockets early 1-0 shootout leads. “Right now, it’s the shootout. I got a couple (shootout goals) early on in the year and my confidence started building. I’ve been working on it in practice, and that’s really key. I’m trying new moves and getting my confidence up in practice really works (in games). Just keep shooting; that’s my two cents’ worth.”

Rockets goaltender Adam brown, who made 23 saves for the win, said it’s invaluable to have Franko’s clutch performance right now as the Rockets try to right their up-and-down season.

“He’s got a great shot and he’s money in the shootout,” Brown said of Franko. “It’s huge when you know someone is going to go out there and score, and all you have to do is two of three (opposing shooters) or one of two. It’s a huge confidence boost, because all you have to make is one save and we’re good to go.”

Shane McColgan, with his 13th goal of the season, and Brett Bulmer, with his 20th, replied in regulation time for Kelowna (21-23-2-3), which is 1-3 in its eight-game season series against its nearest geographical rival. 

Brendan Ranford, with his team-leading 25th goal of the season, and Austin Madaisky scored in regulation time for Kamloops (34-10-1-3), which, after a scoreless first period, led 2-1 after 40 minutes. Ranford opened the scoring, then Madaisky made it 2-1 late in the second with a power-play goal. Cole Cheveldave made 34 stops for the Blazers, who had a nine-game winning streak come to an end and were also outshot 36-25.

From a Kelowna standpoint, standing up to the B.C. Division-leading Blazers instead of getting steamrolled was just as important, if not moreso, than the victory.

“I liked the way we played,” said Rockets head coach Ryan Huska. “I thought we had a good game where we limited a lot of their offensive opportunities, so, defensively, we were pretty good. We had compete from our forwards for the most part, moving themselves up the ice. So, yes, I was happy with our game.”

His counterpart, understandably, wasn’t pleased with the result.

“Our first period was fine,” said Blazers coach Guy Charron. “But we didn’t play that well in the second period, and, fortunately for us, we didn’t have a big deficit. We found a way to get a lead, but we didn’t sustain the effort that we needed to have to be successful. Credit to Kelowna because they did the things that we were hoping to do a little bit more to their defence. They played the puck deep, they worked our defence. Our core group for us did their job tonight. Unfortunately, we had passengers up front, and when you do that and play a team like Kelowna, you’re liable to get yourself in trouble.”

Bailing out the Blazers was Cheveldave, who was well deserving of the third star. The loss pushed his stellar record to 25-5-1-3.

“He’s excellent,” said Charron. “He’s a very dynamic young man and he plays with a lot of confidence. We’re very fortunate to have a young goaltender like him with the season he’s having.”

Ranford made it 1-0 just 57 seconds into the second period with a great individual effort. After taking a pass near the timekeeper’s box, Ranford circled back, then zipped into Kelowna’s zone on a 1-on-2 rush. There, he slipped the puck past Rockets defenceman Mackenzie Johnston, then went wide around him, regained control of the puck and, from the right faceoff circle, picked the far corner, beating Brown high-blocker side for his 25th goal of the season.

The goal stunned Kelowna’s crowd, though it wouldn’t stay silent for long. Just two minutes later, McColgan levelled the score with an in-close one-timer at 3:29. Defenceman Damon Severson spotted an open McColgan to the right of Cheveldave, then fed him a slap pass from the blue-line that his teammate converted, going top shelf.

Madaisky restored Kamloops’ lead at 15:37 with a power-play goal from the right blue-line boards. With Colin Smith as a partial screen in front of Brown, Madaisky put a simple wrist shot on net that squeaked inside the near post. The goal came just 14 seconds into Carter Rigby’s penalty for cross-checking.

In the third, the Rockets made it 2-2 when Bulmer slapped home a loose puck from the left side. The goal, scored at 11:10, came after Bulmer put together a near coast-to-coast rush that eventually resulted in a McColgan rebound popping out near the left half-wall.

Rockets defenceman Mitchell Chapman almost ended the game late in the third, with a slapshot from the right blue-line boards, but his shot clanged off the far post and the buzzer sounding just a second later.

In overtime, nothing was solved, with both teams clamming up defensively and surrendering just one shot each. In the shootout, Franko snapped home a quick wrist shot, while Bell went five-hole. At the other end, Madaisky had his slapshot stopped by Brown, while Ranford lost the handle on the puck and could only watch as the puck skittered away from him and into the left corner.

ICE CHIPS: Kelowna’s scratches were D Cole Martin (lower-body injury, 1-2 weeks), RW Filip Vasko (lower-body injury, 1 month), C Spencer Main (concussion, 2-3 weeks), C Colton Heffley (upper-body injury, day-to-day) and LW Jessey Astles (upper-body injury, 2 weeks). Kamloops’ scratches were LW Ryan Hanes (upper-body injury, day-to-day), RW Jordan DePape (upper-body injury, 1 month) and C Brandon Herrod (lower-body injury, day-to-day). 

Top Prospect Game nearing

Pat Quinn says he can’t wait to visit the Okanagan again. Ditto for Mark Recchi.

The two head coaches for the CHL’s upcoming Top Prospects Game at Prospera Place next week both voiced positive messages during a 45-minute long media-conference call on Tuesday. Quinn will coach Team Orr (White), while Recchi will coach Team Cherry (Red) at the annual game which features the CHL’s top-40 draft-eligible players.

“Years ago, in the NHL, drafting used to be a guessing game,” said Quinn, who has first-hand knowledge of said statement, having both played in the NHL (606 games, 1968-69 to 1976-77) and coached. Quinn’s first coaching gig was an assistant with Philadelphia in 1977-78, and his latest stop was with Edmonton in 2009-10. In between those two stops, of course, were five seasons as head coach of the Vancouver Canucks (1990-96).

“In 1996, when they came up with this concept,” continued Quinn, “all (NHL) management and coaches thought ‘What a great idea to be able to look at the best in Canada, and now internationally, to help us make the correct picks for the future.’ It’s best-on-best and has been a great place to see kids challenge each other in terms of trying to show they are high-quality players. This unique setting provides for some excitement, and we’ve had some great leadership with coaches in the past.”

That leadership trend will continue at next Wednesday’s game, as both coaches have simply stellar resumes. Concerning Recchi, he went out on top last summer after Boston won the Stanley Cup, ending a 22-season career with his third NHL title.

Further, both also have direct connections to the Top Prospects Game, with both being minority owners of WHL teams — Quinn with the Vancouver Giants and Recchi with the Kamloops Blazers. Both, as a side note, will also receive some WHL help, with Kelowna Rockets head coach Ryan Huska acting as Recchi’s assistant, and Vancouver Giants head coach Don Hay being Quinn’s assistant.

“I can’t tell you how thrilled I am to even get the opportunity to do this,” Recchi said from Pittsburgh. “I’ve had to opportunity to watch this game over the years, and, obviously being a fan of junior hockey and part owner, really believing in the CHL. It’s just a fun time for me, and to be able to go and watch these kids and get to know some of them and get to be behind the bench . . . it’s a little different than coaching my 10-year-olds. I’m glad Huska is going to be helping me out with lines and practice, but I’m thrilled. This is a great opportunity for these kids to really showcase what they can bring to the table.”

In regards to the showcase taking place in Kelowna, Quinn said venturing back to the Okanagan is nothing new to him.

“I make a regular trip to Penticton’s hockey school every summer, and it’s a great place to go every summer,” said Quinn, adding he also visits a Kelowna hockey school. “So I’ve got reason to be up there. We also took the training camp for the 2006 Olympics (men’s hockey team) and we had a great hosting during that time.”

Recchi, meanwhile, was in Kelowna earlier in the 2011-12 season to take in a WHL game.

“I’ve been out to the Interior and Kamloops three times to watch the Blazers play,” said Recchi, “and I’m also going back Feb. 17-18 as well.”

Quinn’s storied resume also includes stints as head coach for Canada’s under-18 and under-20 teams that respectively won world gold in Russia in 2008 and Ottawa in 2009.

“Canadian kids are terrific,” said Quinn. “I really enjoyed that time then and I’m really looking forward to this opportunity.”

As far as the Top Prospects Game itself, one cannot, from a WHL viewpoint, not talk about the number of high-end defencemen participating. No less than five blue-liners are projected as early first-round picks, with at least four appearing in the top 10, pending on which website you visit. The four are Ryan Murray of the Everett Silvertips, Mathew Dumba of the Red Deer Rebels, Morgan Rielly of the Moose Jaw Warriors, Griffin Reinhart of the Edmonton Oil Kings and Derrick Pouliot of the Portland Winterhawks.

One website, mynhldraft.com, has Murray going No. 3 overall, Dumba at No. 5, Rielly at No. 7, Reinhart at No. 9 and Pouliot at No. 17. Kelowna blue-liner Damon Severson will also participate in the game, though Rielly will miss the game because of a knee injury.

“These players still have some growing to do,” said Quinn, “Some will grow faster than others after they’re picked this year, some will stop growing. This game is, hopefully, one that will help, but that’s what happens in life. Some years you get a lot of centres, some years you get a lot of defencemen. This year, it seems at least from the West, there’s a high level of defencemen, and I can guarantee you that this year the NHL is hungry for some defence. A lot of times when you’re handling Team Canada, we were concerned about our defence, so this is a good thing to see.”

Recchi said seeing so many high-level defencemen from the WHL “is great to see. Looking on the outside-in and reading all about these great young players, it’s such a great opportunity. I’m a big believer that you build your team from goaltending, defence, then centremen. If you don’t have good defence, you’re not going to be very successful. It’s great to see these young guys developing, and they have a ways to go, and hopefully they stay on that same path. It’ll be great for Team Canada along the way.”

The Top Prospects Game is a two-day event including a skills competition and three-on-three challenge taking place on Tuesday, Jan. 31.

Perplexing season in Kelowna

Bad one night, great the next. What gives with season’s crop of Kelowna Rockets?

It’s a question that’s been perplexing Kelowna’s coaching staff, its management and angering nearly every Rocket fan in the Okanagan this season. Projected by yours truly and many other pundits to have a stellar 2011-12, the Rockets instead are languishing in the bottom half of the Western Conference, with this past weekend’s results underscoring this confusing season.

Kelowna was simply terrible in a 6-3 loss to the Lethbridge Hurricanes on Friday night, then quite solid in a hard-hitting, three-goal rally shootout win over the Vancouver Giants on Saturday night. While momentum swings are expected in junior hockey, Kelowna’s pendulum has swung so wildly this season, it’s amazing it hasn’t done a 360.

“We had a totally different mindset (from Friday to Saturday),” Rockets goaltender Adam Brown said after earning his 100th regular-season victory on Saturday. “We came into the game forgetting about (Lethbridge) but knowing what we had to do differently. I think we executed that.”

Asked what it’s been like inside the Rockets’ locker-room, Brown said there’s been a lot of personal mind games.

“You’re asking yourself ‘What I did Wrong’ or ‘what I could do better.’ Things like that,” he said. “That’s what you have to deal with; that’s the game and you have to battle through adversity sometimes.”

One reason that’s been bandied about why the Rockets are so up-and-down is that they’re young. It’s a somewhat valid excuse, but it’s also one that’s filled with holes, as every team in the league is young.

For example, at season’s beginning, WHL fan and stats guru Alan Caldwell broke down every team’s roster, and Kelowna’s average age was 17.79 years old. That placed the Rockets in a tie for being the youngest in the league, along with the Victoria Royals. Leading the pack at 18.27 were the Calgary Hitmen, whose average player was six months older than Kelowna’s. The league average was 18.02 years old.

Of course, such stats can be skewed by how many, or few, 16-year-olds or 19-year-olds a team has. But this up-and-down swing goes beyond age, and the problem seems to stem from up-and-down leadership and lack of effort.

“You kinda challenge your leaders, and I thought they responded well,” said Huska. “There are certain guys who have to be your best players every night, and if your older guys aren’t, then your team’s not going to have success. I thought against Vancouver, our older guys were our best players. It’s old saying: If your top-six forwards are good, your top four defencemen are good and your goalie’s on, you’re going to give yourself a chance to win a lot of games in junior hockey. (Against Vancouver), I thought our guys were.”

As good a night as Kelowna had against the Giants, however, that stinker against Lethbridge won’t be soon forgotten. Nor that lacklustre 3-2 loss to Everett last Wednesday.

“The guys are talking that the only way we’re going to win is if we play a full 60 minutes,” said Rockets defenceman Mitchell Chapman, who made it 3-2 against the Giants with a bomb from the point early in the third period. “We don’t have guys that can go out and score three goals for us and win games; we need to play as a team. We really got that engraved in our heads, that this is something we have to do.”

The current upside for Kelowna is that its locker-room was in a great mood on Saturday night after outplaying, then beating Vancouver for a well-deserved victory. For example, during media interviews, Brown was constantly teased by teammates during the question-and-answer session.

“(Saturday’s win) was a huge game for us to build on,” said Brown. “We need to keep doing this and keep going this week.”

“It was a great win for the guys,” added Chapman. “We got down by a couple, but the goal in the room was to stick with the game plan,” said Chapman. “That’s what we did, and it really paid off in the end. At times, there’s a little bit of frustration, but this was a key example of when you stick to a plan, good things happen at the end. I think we just wore them down after 60 minutes of full effort, and we can’t complain with the decision.”

Huska agreed it was a good effort.

“(It was a complete turnaround) from the last four games,” Huska said. “That’s why it’s been not a lot of fun around the place over the last little while. Over the last four games, I thought we haven’t played the way we were capable of. (Against Vancouver), it was more like we can. We’re going to make mistakes — that’s part of hockey — but you can skate, you can push your opponent a lot more than the previous four games.”

Saturday night’s sudden turnaround was, according to the team, induced by internal pressure, with the coaching staff and players getting snarly.

“Definitely a bit of both. And the fans help when they’re loud; the guys love the fans,” said Chapman. “But our coaches keep sticking to the same game plan and we’re getting it in our heads, too, that the only way we’re going to win the season is if we keep playing for 60.”