The Kelowna Rockets control their fate going into the final weekend of the regular season.
“Huge games for sure, we need four points,” said Rockets leading goal scorer Tij Iginla. “It’s like playoff hockey before the playoffs.”
Going into the weekend, the Rockets sit sixth in the Western Conference and could finish the regular season anywhere from fourth to eighth.
•4th - Wenatchee Wild - 70 points
•5th - Vancouver Giants - 68 points
•6th - Kelowna Rockets - 67 points
•7th - Victoria Royals - 67 points
•8th - Spokane Chiefs - 64 points
All five of these teams have two games this weekend except for Victoria, who only has one game remaining against Wenatchee.
The Rockets take on Vancouver in a massive home-and-home series, which starts Friday night (Mar. 22) at the Langley Events Centre.
“This weekend is huge, we’re looking to get two big wins,” said Rockets leading scorer Andrew Cristall. “It’s going to be playoff intensity and playoff atmosphere, it’s going to be a lot of fun.”
Both Iginla and Cristall see this weekend as an advantage for the team ahead of the playoffs.
“I think it’s good going into playoff with high-intensity games but at the same time, we got to win these ones,” said Iginla.
“It’s huge, to get the chance to take matters into our own hands and if we win two games, we get the positioning that we want so it’s pretty exciting and we’ll be ready to go,” added Cristall.
Last season, the Rockets got bounced in the first round of the WHL playoffs but the players gained some playoff experience to bring into this year. For being a 17-year-old, Iginla also brings playoff experience as he was with the Seattle Thunderbirds last year, who won the WHL and went to the Memorial Cup.
“We’ll let the guys know the crowd might be louder and everything might be a little more amped up but at the end of the day, it’s the same game, we’re still out there playing hockey so I think we should just be confident in ourselves and it’ll translate onto the ice,” said Cristall.
With this, they’ll help out some of the younger players like the team’s rookie of the year Hiroki Gojsic, who will be experiencing the playoffs for the first time.
“I’m pretty excited, I’m pumped, I’m ready to get things going,” said Gojsic. “These two games this weekend are huge for us.”
“In the room, I think we’re as confident as ever no matter who we play,” said Cristall.
The second half of the home-and-home will take place at Prospera Place on Saturday night, where the Rockets will be wearing specialty jerseys with their mascot, Rocky the Raccoon on them.
“The jerseys are super cool and he had a pretty viral moment which was really funny but glad he’s okay and it should be good to wear those, they’re pretty sweet,” said Cristall.
Fans have until puck drop to get their names in to win a jersey off the player’s backs. The fans whose names are drawn from the ballot will be collecting specialty jerseys from the Rockets themselves.
The jerseys are a part of the team’s Fan Appreciation Night. The Hip Replacements will be providing live music all night long while the 50/50 starts at $10,000, with the proceeds supporting Kelowna Minor Hockey. Every fan will receive a free team poster. Puck drop is at 7:05 p.m.
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