Let's get ready to rumble!!!!

[mccabe23]

Kootenay vs Kelowna! This is the moment we've all been waiting for!!! Both teams will be up for this one with so much on the line! All I can say is...........GO ROCKETS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Jovorock]

What can you say, probly the winner of this game gets home ice advantage for the playoffs!

Kelowna has the edge as they only have to travel from Vancouver, the Ice travel from Prince George. But either way it might be all or nothing tonite with only nine games left.

Go Rockets!!!!!!!

[Squig]

I think it will be a very close game. Both had very difficult weeks with ups and downs and lots of travel.

The only advantage Kelowna will have is us!!

Cheer Loud and Proud folks - we have proven in the past that we can make a difference!!!

Mr. Glass will know where i sit tonight.

Go Rockets Go!!!

[mccabe23]

Yup! Mr. Glass will know where I'm sitting as well! :bounce: He will not forget this night, that's for sure! Hopefully the fans can rattle him and get him off his game. We've seen it happen before in Kelowna. I also think Dawes will have a rough time as well. He'll have a Rocket glued to him all night. You are right Squig, it's gonna be a close one. I can almost see a tie game as a result but let's hope Kelowna puts one more past Glass. I'm glad they put Glass into the game last night. So much for his rest! lol Go Rockets!

[fightstrap50]

Ice chill coming into kelowna

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

weather reports this afternoon say a dark icey cloud is rolling into town right now,residents are advised to carry lots of tissue for the wetness around from all the tears to be shed by Okanagan residents tonight after the Kootenay ICE defeat the kelowna Rockets by a score of 3-2.lol,good luck out there tonight ICE dont worry about the players just keep your heads on the game at hand,just another team on just another night boys!! GO ICE GO!!! :thumb:
__________________

[fightstrap50]

Yup! Mr. Glass will know where I'm sitting as well! :bounce: He will not forget this night, that's for sure! Hopefully the fans can rattle him and get him off his game. We've seen it happen before in Kelowna. I also think Dawes will have a rough time as well. He'll have a Rocket glued to him all night. You are right Squig, it's gonna be a close one. I can almost see a tie game as a result but let's hope Kelowna puts one more past Glass. I'm glad they put Glass into the game last night. So much for his rest! lol Go Rockets!
Glass doesnt really nead a rest he's proven that many times,and as for the guy glued to Nigel Dawes good luck, i hope thats some powerfull glue! lol,we have Adam Cracknell,Devin Welsh,Josh Fauth,and the list goes on... to break that sticky situation up real quick,touch Dawes and pay the price for it,by one of any punishing hitters we have lookin out for him! GO ICE GO!!! :thumb:

[Squig]

ROCKETS' FLIGHT PLAN



Saturday February 26, 2005 - 7:00 PM

Prospera Place

vs.

Kootenay Ice

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------



There's a good, old-fashioned western shootout shaping up for tonight at Prospera Place! Thanks to the combination of events Friday that saw the Rockets knock off Vancouver and the Prince George Cougars upset the Ice, Kelowna could take over top spot in the BC Division and the overall WHL standings by beating Kootenay tonight. Tonight's contest will mark the 1000th franchise game for the Rockets.



With both teams having 9 games to play, including tonight, Kootenay's 90 points are one better than Kelowna's 89 and 8 ahead of the nearest, other WHL competitor - the Lethbridge Hurricanes. In all other respects, the two BC rivals sport virtually identical records. Kootenay win-loss slate reads 41-14-6-2, including 7-2-1 in their last 10 games. In the process, the Ice have scored 192 goals (5th best in the league) and given up 122 (tied for 1st in the league). Meanwhile, the Rockets are 38-12-11-2 and also 7-2-1 in their past 10. Kelowna's 190 goals for are 6th overall while their 124 goals against are 3rd.



Kelowna's 2nd ranked power play has kicked in 77 goals while producing at a 22.6% efficiency as compared to Kootenay's 60 goals and 19.8% efficiency (3rd overall). The teams are next to one another in the penalty killing statistics as well at 8th (Kootenay) and 9th overall. Even their penalty minutes are close - 1180 for Kootenay, 1140 for Kelowna.



Last night's win in Vancouver was well earned by the Rockets and captured before 12,070 fans at Pacific Coliseum. Kelowna jumped on the hometown Giants for 2-goals in the game's first 5 minutes and out-shot (41-27) and out-played Vancouver the rest of the way. Only a during a brief first period flurry that saw them battle back to tie things up, did the Giants carry the play.



"We got caught standing around most of the game," said Giants' Coach Don Hay. "We didn't play a full 60-minute game. In the first, we battled back to tie but Kelowna came out and picked up the tempo in the second period and we didn't keep up."



After the entertaining, 4-goal first period that saw Troy Bodie and Gary Sylvester (on a beautiful stop-and-fire play that saw his laser-guided slap shot whistle into the top corner) score for the Rockets, Chris Ray's second period marker put Kelowna back in front for good. Ray was left uncovered and allowed to whack home his own rebound from the side of the Giants' crease. Later, Tyler Spurgeon spotted a wide-open Justin Keller who then fired home his 27th of the year over a helpless Marek Schwarz from below the right wing face-off circle. Though Paul Albers narrowed the gap to one heading to the third, Kelowna held the fort and skated off with the 4-3 win.



On the bus ride home, the Kelowna coaches were busily preparing the battle plan for tonight's match-up while the excited players attempted to wind down and sleep. A lot of today's mental preparation will determine the ultimate outcome on the ice. It's definitely the game of the year for both clubs and the action in the trenches will likely reflect both teams' desperation.



Gentlemen, start your engines!

[Teaps]

the heat of the Rockets Launching shall melt the ICE to Mere Drinking Water

GO ROCKETS GO!!!!!!!!

[Chipper]

What a game it should be two very evenly matched teams both off tough road trips and Im sure very prepared for this match up. The whole league will watch the results of this one very close. Wish I was there instead of wearing a walkman tonite! anyway enjoy it all Rocket and Ice fans, After the final whistle one team fans will be doing some well deserved gloating and the other some sobing I hope Im Gloating lol but may the best team win. GO ICE GO.........

[RocketMan]

I hope Im Gloating lolNope, but I am. :D

but may the best team win.As they clearly did. Now all they have to do is hold on to 1st overall, and the playoff match ups should fall into place quite nicely. Ice with a long distance travel to Van, and the Rockets with a short, leisurely stroll up to the 'loops.

[kelownakarl]

first round aint gonna be easy!!!!!!!!! for either team!

[RocketMan]

first round aint gonna be easy!!!!!!!!! for either team!Yup, but if forced to pick a poison, I prefer the Rockets travelling the short, 2-hour trip to kamloops. It makes it easier for us as well to day-trip the road playoff games. I would also quite enjoy the Ice having to travel from one side of the Province to other. It should be quite a change for them given all that easy flatland driving they have to do out on the prairies. ;)