Rockets fizzle in pre-season finale

The Kelowna Rockets scored twice in the opening 138 seconds but showed little else falling 3-2 to the Victoria Royals in the final tune up for both teams prior to the start of the WHL regular season next weekend.

The Rockets struggled to a pedestrian 2-4 record over the course of the exhibition season.

Pedestrian could also describe the Rockets effort through much of Saturday's pre-season finale at Prospera Place.

"It's a little disappointing when we have a 2-0 lead and they have a push and we don't push a whole lot back," says new Rockets head coach Dan Lambert.

"You can blame a lot of things but the reality is in this league you have to play back to back games...and if you use that as an excuse you're in for a long season."

Kris Schmidli 32 seconds in and Colton Heffley less than two minutes later staked the Rockets to an early 2-0 lead.

The Rockets had two opportunities on the power-play later in the opening period but were unable to extend the lead.

The Royals began the comeback early in the second when Jared Dmytriw converted a two-on-one, beating Rockets goaltender Jake Morrissey to the far side.

Matthew Campese tied it eight minutes later on a power-play before Tyler Soy rounded out the scoring with an excuse me tap in on another Royals power-play in the final minute of the second.

Neither team was able to score in the third, however, the Rockets did have a couple of chances on a later power-play with Morrissey on the bench for an extra attacker.

The Rockets were forced to dress five players called up to fill out the roster in place of seven regulars who are off at NHL camps.

Goaltender Jackson Whistle, defencemen Madison Bowey, Dalton Yorke and Mitchell Wheaton and forwards Tyson Baillie, Justin Kirkland and Rourke Chartier are all at NHL rookie camps.

Tyrell Goulbourne was slated to go to the Philadelphia camp but remains in town and dressed for the Rockets Saturday.

Some of those players should begin trickling back into town sometime around mid week.

For Lambert, it couldn't be soon enough.

"it would be nice to get our guys back so we can have some practices with our full team," says Lambert.

"We haven't played a game where we've had a lot of our guys. We've had a few games where we've had a handful or a few more than that but I think we need to come together as a team. It's going to happen."

Rockets president/GM, Bruce Hamilton, was not overly pleased with what he saw Saturday or throughout much of the pre-season.

"I'm really happy exhibition is over and we can get to work but our team has got to change the way they are playing," says Hamilton.

He says the players need to realize how hard they have to work and says it's up to the new coaching staff to get that message across.

The Rockets are heading into the regular season with four 20-year-olds on the roster, one over the league imposed limit of three.

Hamilton can wait as late as Oct 16 to make any moves regarding his over age players, Cole Martin, Tyrell Goulbourne, Colton Heffley and Carter Rigby.

"None of them have done anything through the exhibition that would say they are for sures," says Hamilton.

I'm not convinced I'm settled on our overages at all but it's what's out there and what the market will present. We've got a lot of work to do and the coaches have a lot of work to do - they have to get this thing sorted out and get a work ethic put in here and do it in a hurry."

Kelowna was also without injured forwards Carter Rigby (undisclosed) and Dillon Dube (ankle - four to six weeks).

The Rockets open up the regular season next Saturday when they host the Kamloops Blazers.

Kelowna will raise two more banners to the rafters Saturday, the WHL regular season championship and the BC Division championship.