A week ago, the Seattle Thunderbirds performed a deed no other WHL team has managed to do since late October害羞草研究所�beat the Kelowna Rockets on home ice.
With the memory of the loss still fresh, Jason Smith害羞草研究所檚 club will see the Thunderbirds again Friday in Kent, WA in the first of back-to-back road games this weekend for the Rockets.
害羞草研究所淪eattle came in here last week and they played us hard, they skated, they banged bodies,害羞草研究所� said Smith, whose Rockets fell 6-4 to the T-Birds last Friday at Prospera Place. 害羞草研究所淭hat害羞草研究所檚 the starting point of the trip for us.
害羞草研究所淲e害羞草研究所檙e going to have to make sure we害羞草研究所檙e ready to play, ready to handle their physical play and their pressure and making sure we害羞草研究所檙e doing the right things with the puck. We turned the puck over against them a lot the last time.害羞草研究所�
Kent will be the first of two key weekend stops for the Rockets. On Saturday, Kelowna (26-12-2-1) will be in Langley to take on the surging Vancouver Giants (24-14-4-2).
Vancouver is 6-0-2-0 in its last eight games and sits just a point back of the Rockets atop the B.C. Division, though Kelowna does hold three games in hand.
The Rockets marked captain Cal Foote害羞草研究所檚 return to the lineup Wednesday at Prospera Place with a 7-4 win over Dan Lambert害羞草研究所檚 Spokane Chiefs.
Foote, who along with Dillon Dube won gold with Team Canada at the world junior championship, scored once and was named the game害羞草研究所檚 first star as Kelowna won at home for the 14th time in the last 15 games.
Kyle Topping, who paced the Rockets attack with a pair of goals, said Foote is stabilizing force on Kelowna害羞草研究所檚 blue line.
害羞草研究所淎nytime he害羞草研究所檚 in the lineup he害羞草研究所檚 a difference-maker,害羞草研究所� said Topping. 害羞草研究所淗e plays in all types of situations and having him on the back end helps us a lot.害羞草研究所�
Unlike Foote, Dube wasn害羞草研究所檛 able to take part in a pre-game ceremony honouring the two players or play in the game due to a bout of the flu.
According to Rockets GM Bruce Hamilton, the 19-year-old from Cochrane, AB, who captained Canada害羞草研究所檚 team at the world juniors, won害羞草研究所檛 play this weekend but is expected to rejoin the team early next week.
Rookie netminder Roman Basran will also miss this weekend害羞草研究所檚 action after suffering a leg injury early in Wednesday害羞草研究所檚 game. Brodan Salmond, who has been recovering from injury since November, will make the trip in Basran害羞草研究所檚 place and serve as James Porter害羞草研究所檚 backup.
The Rockets next home action is next Wednesday, Jan. 17 against the Lethbridge Hurricanes.
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