Rockets @ Royals Oct 12/13

Bell supplies the fuel for Rockets

BY CLEVE DHEENSAW, TIMESCOLONIST.COM OCTOBER 11, 2012 11:01 PM

When it comes to defencemen, the Kelowna Rockets have been a stamping factory with the likes of Shea Weber, Josh Gorges, Tyler Myers and Victoria-native Tyson Barrie having come down the assembly line.

So if a blue-liner was to be co-leading the Western Hockey League in scoring, it’s probably not surprising to find that it’s a Rocket.

Myles Bell comes into the weekend set at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre tonight and Saturday against the Victoria Royals with five goals and 14 points in eight games, atop the league scoring list with Kamloops Blazers forward JC Lipon (four goals and 14 points in seven games).

“Things have gone really well this season and I’ve gotten some lucky bounces,” said Bell, an undrafted 19-year-old who was invited to the New York Rangers rookie/development camp over the summer.

“I’ve played some forward in the past so that’s helped with my offensive game. I hope to keep it going at or near the top [of the scoring parade], but only time will tell if I can stay up there.”

Of more concern, said the Calgary native who began his WHL career with the Regina Pats, is getting the Rockets on a more consistent footing this season.

“For me, it’s more about winning games,” he said.

With the upstart Royals sailing along at 6-3, earning an honourable mention in the latest BMO Mastercard Canadian Hockey League top-10 poll, the Rockets are 3-4-1.

“Team discipline is the big one we have to look at,” said Bell, who said he is aware of the impressive list of alumni who have preceded him on the Rockets blueline.

“I feel good things will starting happening for us.”

The second Kelowna player in the top-10 in league scoring is six-foot-one forward Colton Sissons, the 2012 second-round draft pick of the Nashville Predators, with 12 points. That’s the same total as Victoria leading-scorer and 20-year-old Russian import Alex Gogolev.

Both Victoria and Kelowna are coming off Wednesday losses, Victoria with a 5-2 setback in Kamloops against the CHL third-ranked Blazers and the Rockets with a 6-4 loss against the Spokane Chiefs.

This is the first meeting of the regular season between the Royals and Rockets, who share a bit of commercial history. RG Properties of Vancouver, owned by Graham Lee, owns the Royals and operates the Memorial Centre and also operates the Rockets’ home rink, Prospera Place.

ICE CHIPS: The Royals, coming off a 2-2 record during four consecutive road games, now have four home games in a row continuing from the Kelowna set to hosting the Calgary Hitmen next Thursday and the Brandon Wheat Kings on Oct. 23.

A turkey. Passable first period, appalling second and only brief signs of life in the third, undone by poor discipline. Basically the Royals left their legs somewhere on Highway #1 to/from Kamloops. Rockets could have scored many more, especially in the second, which was a shooting gallery in the Victoria end. Even strength play looked like a powerplay for Kelowna. Fans got impatient...I think there was probably paint peeling off the walls in the Royals dressing room, especially after the second.

Got pretty chippy towards the end, so things could get very lively tomorrow night. Credit to the Rockets, they showed a good passing game and looked dangerous throughout, but hard to separate that out from how poor the Royals were tonight.

Rockets power past Royals

KELOWNA 4 VICTORIA 1

DARREN STONE, TIMES COLONIST

For the second consecutive Western Hockey League game, the Victoria Royals didn’t show up in the second period.

On Friday at Save-onFoods Memorial Centre, before an announced crowd of 5,155, the Royals managed only four second period shots en route to losing a 4-1 decision to the Kelowna Rockets.

The Royals were outshot 17-0 on Wednesday in Kamloops during that second period and lost 5-2.

“The second periods are something that we have to work on as a team,” said Victoria forward Logan Nelson, who had his five game point streak (two goals and five assists) snapped. “We have to find a way to get out of this rut. We were faced with some adversity tonight and it will be interesting to see how we respond in the second game of the double-header.”

The Royals and Rockets meet again tonight, 7 p.m. at the Memorial Centre.
“We have a lot of things to work on,’’ said Victoria veteran defenceman Tyler Stahl. “We have to work harder and be better with the puck in our own end. We have to be stronger with our forechecking game, create more traffic and get more shots on goal. Kelowna was the better team tonight and that is why they got the two points.’’

After a slow start to the game, Kelowna started generating some scoring chances. Austin Glover had the first great opportunity after blocking Jesse Zgraggen’s shot at his blueline. Glover raced in on a partial breakaway but he fired the shot over the net.

A few minutes later, Tyrell Goulbourne was set up alone in front of Victoria goaltender Patrik Polivka but he failed to make contact with the puck.
Then Zach Franko opened the scoring at 18:06 of the first period when his shot from the slot, after a perfect set up from Myles Bell, beat Polivka.

The Rockets played an almost perfect second period of road hockey as Henrik Nyberg and Colton Sissons gave Kelowna a 3-0 lead. Sissons scored after a turnover by Victoria defenceman Jordan Fransoo.

Kelowna hemmed the Royals in their end long periods of time and after 18 minutes, Victoria had managed only two shots on goal. At 19:22 of the period, Mitch Deacon gave the Royals some life with his first marker of the season. Deacon crashed the net and scored on a rebound from a Brandon Fushimi shot.

Kelowna defenceman Damon Severson gave the Rockets a three-goal cushion with a third period power-play marker. Severson’s shot deflected into the net off Victoria defenceman Joe Hicketts.

ICE CHIPS: The Rockets have a young team and only dressed one 20-year-old (Dylan McKinlay) on Friday. The only other 20-year-old on Kelowna’s roster is Mitchell Chapman and he was scratched. The Royals played three 20-year-olds — Stahl, Jamie Crooks and Alex Gogolev . . . Victoria forward Steven Hodges missed his seventh consecutive game with a lower body injury. His status is day-today. . . . Bell, the leading scorer for Kelowna with five goals and nine assists is listed as a defenceman. He took a regular shift on right wing and also played the point on the power play. He collected two assists. . . . Kelowna outshot Victoria 31-21 . . . Kelowna goaltender Jackson Whistle recorded his first win of the year.

That's more like it. A really gutty win. This time the Royals' poor period was the first and we managed to survive the second despite an ultra-lengthy 5 on 3 (courtesy of a fight that was only fought by Carroll and TWO delay of game penalties). The third was pretty thrilling all the way around, end to end action before Ben Walker put it away with a PPG with about 2 minutes to go. Royals found their offensive fluidity (and legs) just in time. Two empty nets were missed in the last minute, but what the hell. Vollrath got the start and he was really solid throughout. I'm thinking that Rathjen is going to be the odd goalie out in the Royals' setup, but I reckon he'll get one more start to prove himself.

Red-hot Walker powers Royals to win over Kelowna

BY CLEVE DHEENSAW, TIMESCOLONIST.COM OCTOBER 13, 2012 11:04 PM

Among the crowd of 5,361 Saturday night at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre were the Uruguayan and Argentine rugby players, here for the Americas championship, getting their first taste of live ice hockey.

The South Americans were treated to an example of old-school Canadian fire-wagon hockey, even if it was an American who stole the show.

Minnesota-product Ben Walker had two goals — including the game winner on the power play at 17:44 of the third period — to give the Victoria Royals a
3-2 WHL victory over the Kelowna Rockets.

“I got lucky there [on the winner],” said Walker, who converted a shot taken on goal from the point by defenceman Tyler Stahl.

“Tyler saw me back door and the puck was there. We played well and it was a full team effort. We knew what we needed to do — get pucks deep and get on the forecheck. It’s always nice to get that push back [after Kelowna’s 4-1 victory Friday].”

The other major storyline was rookie Victoria goaltender Coleman Vollrath, making his career first WHL start, and acquitting himself well in a 30-save victory.

“This definitely feels good,” said the native of Calgary. “It’s a credit to my teammates. They were pushing the pace.”

Vollrath is one of three goalies still on the Royals roster.

“I can’t speculate about that,” he said. “I just have to keep working hard.”

Royals head coach Dave Lowry, after the game, addressed the three-way crease race between Vollrath, Czech-import Patrik Polivka and returnee Jared Rathjen.

“We don’t have a time frame,” said Lowry, whose club moved to 7-4. “They are making the decision tough for us, which is exactly what we want. It’s a good luxury to have.”

The Royals started out listless in a first period in which they were outshot
12-3.

Kelowna’s Rourke Chartier scored the lone goal of the opening frame. Walker, on just Victoria’s fifth shot of the game, tied it at 3:31 of the second period.

Walker won a clear decision minutes later against Kelowna’s 2012 second-round Nashville Predators draft pick Colton Sissons in a duel between two guys who don’t often drop their gloves.

“I’m not much of a fighter,” Walker admitted.

It was one of three fights in what became a testy second period. The third one of those proved costly for Victoria with Austin Carroll drawing the lone five-minute major of that altercation along with a game misconduct.

The situation was exacerbated by two Royals delay of game penalties that allowed Kelowna (4-5-1) nearly four minutes of two-man advantage. Myles Bell connected with just one second remaining on the two-man advantage just as it seemed Victoria would survive that ordeal.

Defenceman Jesse Zgraggen, from the point on an assist from Walker, tied matters 2-2 in the third period with his first goal of the season.

ICE CHIPS: Injured Victoria forward Steven Hodges, 2012 Florida Panthers draft pick, sat out his eighth consecutive game but Lowry said Hodges “is getting close to playing” . . . The other Royals notable scratched was defenceman and 2011 Senators draft pick Jordan Fransoo on a coach’s decision.