Would The Real Kelowna Rockets Please Stand Up

[eecliff]

by Wayne Moore

During the old TV game show 'To Tell The Truth,' celebrity panalists had to try and determine which of the three contestents were who they said they were.

Each of the two imposters looked and played the part of the person they were supposed to be.

You didn't know who was telling the truth until the host finally asked, "Would The Real (insert name here), Please Stand Up."

It seems the Kelowna Rockets have been on the show for months. Problem is, just when you think you have it all figured out, a different group of players stands up.

It's all been well documented, beat the good teams and lose to the doormats.

Case in point, since the trade deadline January 10, the Rockets have amassed a 15-4-1-3 record. Impressive for a team trying to get on a roll heading into the playoffs.

During that time, Kelowna is a more impressive 14-2-1-1 against teams which have qualified for the playoffs.

The downside is that 1-2-0-2 mark against teams that will not be taking part in post season play.

Those squandered six points could be the difference between finishing third or fourth in the Western Conference standings.

With seven games remaining in the regular season, the Rockets sit three points behind third place Spokane after the Chiefs doubled Seattle 4-2.

The Rockets and Chiefs meet twice before the end of the regular season, including Wednesday night's tilt at Prospera Place.

The Rockets are 2-0 against the defending Memorial Cup Champion Chiefs this season.

Aside from two games with Spokane, the Rockets also take on Kamloops twice, Chilliwack, Vancouver and Portland once.

The Chiefs also face Prince George and Tri City twice, and Everett once.

The third place finisher will likely get Kamloops in the first round while the team that ends up fourth will most likely draw the Seattle Thunderbirds, a team which has been red hot at home since moving into their new digs.

Following Wednesday's date with the Chiefs, the Rockets will travel to Chilliwack Friday before returning home to host Vancouver.

Kelowna has won two straight against the Giants after losing five in a row.

[Malc]

By Doyle Potenteau

Tyler Myers doesn‘t think it‘s likely. Neither does Tyson Barrie.

In fact, most of the hockey world has the same opinion.

Still, highly unlikely as it is, wouldn‘t it be neat to see the Toronto Maple Leafs return defenceman Luke Schenn to the WHL and Kelowna Rockets? The NHL‘s trading deadline is today, and junior-aged players must be returned by this date to play for their former team.

“In my opinion, it‘s safe to say he‘s not coming back,” Barrie said of Schenn, whose Leafs team is a likely candidate to miss post-season play.

“I don‘t know if he‘s leading the Leafs in ice time, but I‘m sure he‘s up there. He‘s playing awesome, so I can‘t see him coming back.”

Added Myers: “I highly doubt he‘s coming back. He‘s doing really well with Toronto, so I‘m sure he‘s going to stay.”

Schenn or not, the Rockets (40-21-1-3) have a big game tonight against the visiting Spokane Chiefs (42-20-0-3).

In Western Conference standings, Kelowna is in fourth place with 84 points, three behind third-place Spokane. The Chiefs doubled up the Seattle Thunderbirds 4-2 on Tuesday night.

By overtaking the Chiefs, the Rockets would play second-place Tri-City in the second round of the playoffs – assuming, of course, no upsets take place in the first round.

“It‘s a huge game,” said Barrie. “Anytime you get a chance to play a team that you‘re trying to catch, it‘s huge for us.

“My guess is it‘s going to be a structured game, which Spokane is really good at. It‘s going to be physical and it‘s going to be a fun game to watch and a fun game to play in.”

For tonight‘s contest, the Chiefs will be without defenceman Jared Cowen (knee, out for season) plus possibly blue-liners Trevor Glass and Stefan Ulmer, who did not dress for the Chiefs‘ game in Seattle last night.

Also, Spokane will be without winger Ryan Letts, who was suspended for 10 games on Tuesday for a weekend incident that saw him take out Tri-City goaltender Chet Pickard in a wild goal-mouth tangle.

Pickard suffered a concussion, and after that game, which featured two linebrawls, Ams head coach Don Nachbaur told the Tri-City Herald that “A kid with no future in this game runs a kid with a future. (Spokane‘s Hardy Sauter) is a primitive coach who put the game right back in the 1970s. There was a plan behind that (hit). It was ridiculous.

“He was sending guys off the bench the whole night. In the Ontario Hockey League, they give 15 or 20 games for a hit like that.”

On Sunday, the league fined Spokane $500 for its third multiple fight of the season and $750 for its fourth multiple fight, a one-game suspension for defenceman Cory Baldwin, then handed Sauter a one-game suspension.

Tri-City was fined $1,250 and blue-liner Mitch McColm received a two-game suspension.

Contacted Tuesday before playing Seattle, Sauter said his team‘s focus is on finishing third. Kelowna and Spokane play twice more before regular-season play ends, and those results will likely determine which team finishes third.

“I agree; the two head-to-head teams are going to be big,” said Sauter. “I don‘t foresee either team slipping up a whole bunch to make a determining factor outside of those two games. I think this game is going to be a matter of two good teams playing each other.

“If one can capitalize on a break or two, they‘re probably going to win.”

ICE CHIPS: The Rockets are 2-0 against the Chiefs in their four-game season series. Kelowna beat Spokane 3-0 at Prospera Place on Jan. 2, then travelled south to beat the Chiefs 2-1 on Feb. 8... The Rockets are 7-2-0-1 in their past 10 games, while the Chiefs were 6-4-0-0 prior to Tuesday... Kelowna is 21-1-0-1 and 26-2-0-2 when leading after the first and second periods, while Spokane is 27-0-0-2 and 32-1-0-1.

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