Rockets clash with T-birds

Photo: Marissa Baecker

The Kelowna Rockets and Seattle Thunderbirds face off for the first time this season tonight at Prospera Place.

It's their first meeting since last season's Western Conference final series. Seattle won that in six, before going on to capture the Western Hockey League championship.

The Rockets feature 15 players on the roster who took part in the series.

Assistant coach Kris Mallette says they definitely remember that series.

"Our guys remember. There are some players in our room that will actually remember players on that team from two years ago since they were able to knock us out in back-to-back seasons," Mallette said. 

"They don't have many, I think there's only a handful of them left. They're a good team and they're well coached. They play a very similar style that they have in years previous, so we just have to make sure we're ready to go come game time."

The Rockets come into Friday's tilt riding a 13-game home ice winning streak. They've won six straight overall.

The Rockets enter Friday night with a record of 24-11-2-1, good enough for 51 points, and a four point bulge on second place Vancouver in the BC Division.

The T-Birds are fifth in the US Division with 41 points.

The Rockets will again be without captain Cal Foote and assistant captain Dillon Dube.

Both are in Buffalo for tonight's world junior final against Sweden.