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Kelowna Rockets back on the ice Saturday after six-day hiatus

The team’s game on Friday against the Vancouver Giants was postponed
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The Kelowna Rockets will meet the Portland Winterhawks for the fourth and final time this season on Saturday (Jan. 8) after the team’s game the night before the postponed. (Steve Dunsmoor photo)

The Kelowna Rockets won’t have to wait any longer to put their six-game point streak on the line.

Kelowna (16-9-1-3) is slated to host the Portland Winterhawks (16-11-3-1) on Saturday (Jan. 8) at Prospera Place after having their Friday home showdown with the Vancouver Giants postponed.

The Rockets haven’t played since Jan. 2 when they dropped a 4-3 overtime thriller to those same Giants. A rematch between the two teams was set for Jan. 7 before the game was put on hold due to a number of undisclosed players on Vancouver being added to the COVID-19 Protocol List.

After Saturday night’s showdown against the Winterhawks, the Rockets’ next two games on the calendar, both against the Prince George Cougars, have been postponed.

The Cougars are one of 15 teams in the WHL who have been forced to put their activities on pause because of the league’s COVID-19 protocol.

READ MORE: WHL announces vaccine mandate for players and staff this 2021/22 season

Friday night’s postponed game in Kelowna against Vancouver will be rescheduled at a later date and as a result, the team is asking season-ticket holders to save their stub labeled No. 16 for the future game.

Kelowna enters Saturday’s matchup against Portland riding a six-game point streak. Prior to the Rockets’ loss against the Giants on Jan. 2, the team had rattled off five straight victories dating back to Dec. 14.

The Rockets and Winterhawks have previously met three times during the 2021-2022 campaign, with Portland winning each of the three matchups.

This time around, however, Kelowna will look to defeat their cross-border rival with a new face in the lineup. The team acquired Adam Kydd from the Calgary Hitmen on Wednesday (Jan. 5) in exchange for Vernon’s own Steel Quiring.

Kydd is set to make his Rockets debut on Saturday after scoring four goals and posting 19 points in 30 games with Calgary this season.

READ MORE: Rockets trade Vernon product Steel Quiring for Calgary Hitmen’s Adam Kydd


@lgllockhart
logan.lockhart@pentictonwesternnews.com

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