It’s a massive weekend for the local hockey teams as they enter the final month of their regular seasons.
Kelowna Rockets
With 11 games to go in the regular season, the Kelowna Rockets hold their fate in their hands as they push for the playoffs.
They are 23-31-3-0 and sit in the eighth and final playoff spot in the WHL’s Western Conference. With a 12-point difference between Kelowna and the ninth-place Victoria Royals, the Rockets have a great chance to clinch in the near future but the question down the stretch is, will they finish in seventh or eighth place? The Vancouver Giants also have 11 games to go and sit two points ahead of Kelowna.
The Rockets take on their rivals, the Kamloops Blazers this weekend in a home-and-home series. On Friday night, the two teams will meet at the Sandman Centre in Kamloops, and on Saturday night, they’ll do it all again at Prospera Place.
Going into the weekend, the Rockets have won two in a row and are 6-4 in their last 10 games while the Blazers are 9-1 in their last 10 and sit second in the West with a 38-11-4-2 record. They are also coming off of a loss while the Rockets are coming off of a win in which both Andrew Cristall and Carson Golder got hat tricks.
Friday night’s puck drop is at 7 p.m. while Saturday night’s is at 7:05 p.m.
West Kelowna Warriors
The West Kelowna Warriors open up the final month of the regular season with eight games to go and a playoff spot already clinched.
Despite clinching a spot in the second season already, every game is important for seeding purposes. Going into this weekend, the Warriors sit third in the BCHL’s Interior Conference with a record of 26-16-4-0.
On Friday night, they welcome the Cranbrook Bucks to town, who are second in the division - 30-13-1-2. Puck drop at Royal LePage Place is at 7 p.m.
On Saturday night, the Warriors make the trip down the Okanagan Connector to take on the Merritt Centennials, who sit last in the Interior at 11-30-3-2. The Warriors and Centennials have met the last two weekends, with West Kelowna winning 9-1 and 7-1.
Saturday’s puck drop is at 7 p.m. at the Nicola Valley Memorial Arena.
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jordy.cunningham@kelownacapnews.com
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