Rockets Dube launches bears

Photo: Wayne Moore - Castanet

Not every painting is a masterpiece and not every hockey game is a classic.

Saturday's Kelowna Rockets 1-0 win over the visiting Prince Albert Raiders was highlighted more for the hundreds of teddy bears raised for Kelowna General Hospital than a classic hockey game.

Rockets rookie Dillon Dube scored the only goal of the game at 18:29 of the first period.

Within seconds, the Prospera Place ice was littered with teddy bears during the club's second annual teddy bear toss night.

Photo: Wayne Moore - Castanet

Jackson Whistle makes one of several key saves late in the game preserving a 1-0 win Saturday

"My mom said something about it as a joke today (scoring the first goal). They went to the mall today and bought a teddy bear for me so I was pretty happy to get it," says Dube.

"I didn't realize it and then all the teddy bears started coming down so it was kind of nice to get it actually."

Dube grabbed a rebound in front of the Raiders net and slammed home his second of the season and second in three games.

The Rockets came close on a  few occasions but, until the latter stages of the third when the Raiders really imposed their offensive will, neither team was dangerous offensively.

"i thought our first two periods were pretty solid. We didn't give them a whole lot," says Rockets head coach Dan Lambert.

"Then in the third in the last seven minutes they got quite a few opportunities and thank goodness Jackson Whistle made some nice saves for us."

Whislte wasn't overly busy until the end when the Raiders stormed the next as the Rockets found themselves running around in their own end, unable to get the puck out consistently.

"I think we played a full 60 minutes tonight. I thought we came out strong, especially after the effort last night and really took it to these guys for the full game," says Whistle who turned aside 27 shots for his fourth shutout of the season.

The win, his 18th of the year, equalled his career high for wins in a season.

Saturday's win was just the Rockets fifth in 10 tries. It also snapped the Raiders seven game road winning streak.

The Rockets now head out on the road for their annual pre-Christmas road trip, a five game jaunt through Alberta.

They will start the trip without the services of both Madison Bowey and Rourke Chartier who will be taking part in Canada's World Junior selection camp in Toronto.

Thee Rockets could have the services of Austin Glover and Dalton Yorke at some point on the road trip which begins Wednesday in Lethbridge.

Both have missed an extended period of time due to injury.

The Rockets don't play at home again until Dec 27 when the Kamloops Blazers come to town.