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Kelowna hockey teams back in action in final games before the holidays

The Rockets play twice in Alberta while the Warriors are playing a home-and-home
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The Kelowna Rockets are in Alberta to take on the Lethbridge Hurricanes and Medicine Hat Tigers this weekend. (@thewhl/Twitter)

It’s the final weekend before Christmas for the Kelowna hockey teams.

Kelowna Rockets

After starting their three-game prairie road trip with a 5-2 win in Swift Current, the Kelowna Rockets are Alberta-bound for the last two games before Christmas break.

It starts tonight (Dec. 16) with a tough task in Lethbridge against the Hurricanes. Lethbridge has won five straight games, are 8-2 in their last 10 and are 19-11-0-1 on the season, sitting fourth in the Eastern Conference. They are also 10-4-0-1 at home this season. These two teams haven’t faced each other since March 7, 2020.

Meanwhile the Rockets improved to 11-13-3-0 with their win on Wednesday night. They are sitting eighth in the Western Conference.

Puck drop on Friday night is at 6 p.m. at the Enmax Centre.

The Rockets are also in action on Saturday night, taking on the Medicine Hat Tigers, who sit eighth in the East with a 12-16-4-1 record. These two teams haven’t met since Nov. 8, 2019.

Puck drop on Saturday night is at 6 p.m. at the Co-op Place in Medicine Hat.

Going into the weekend, Rockets forward Andrew Cristall is second in WHL scoring with 51 points (20 goals, 31 assists).

West Kelowna Warriors

The West Kelowna Warriors are also playing their last two games before Christmas as they play a home-and-home against Vernon and Penticton.

On Friday night, the Warriors travel up Highway 97 to take on the Vernon Vipers at Kal Tire Place. Going into the weekend, the Warriors sit third in the Interior Conference with a 15-8-4-0 record (34 points) while the Vipers are 12-11-0-4, sitting sixth in the conference.

West Kelowna has taken all three games against Vernon this season, all by the score of 4-3 and all in overtime or the shootout.

With a win and Cranbrook loss on Friday night, the Warriors can leap back into second place in the conference.

Puck drop is at 7 p.m.

On Saturday night, a rivalry is renewed for the fifth time already this season as the Warriors and Penticton Vees meet in West Kelowna. The Vees are first in the BCHL with a record of 25-2-0-0.

Penticton has taken all four matchups this season, outscoring the Warriors 28-8. In their last matchup, the Warriors were up 2-0 going into the third period but lost 3-2 in overtime.

Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Royal LePage Place.

READ MORE: Grace, Too: Kelowna skater to dress for Team Canada

READ MORE: Kelowna Rockets Dach to debut at World Juniors


@cunninghamjordy
jordy.cunningham@kelownacapnews.com

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Jordy Cunningham

About the Author: Jordy Cunningham

Hailing from Ladner, B.C., I have been passionate about sports, especially baseball, since I was young. In 2018, I graduated from Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops with a Bachelor of Journalism degree
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