ROCKET LAUNCH!

SOME THOUGHTS AFTER GAME 6:
In case you missed, it the Kelowna Rockets won the WHL championship, and the Ed Chynoweth Cup, Saturday night, beating the visiting Calgary Hitmen 3-2 in overtime. Kelowna won the series, 4-2, and will fly to Rimouski, Que., on Wednesday for the Memorial Cup. The Rockets open the tournament Friday against the host Rimouski Oceanic of the QMJHL.
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The winning goal came at 8:13 of OT and was scored by sophomore D Tyson Barrie, the 17-year-old son of former WHL sniper Len Barrie, who is co-owner of the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning. . . . The winner came on a PP after Calgary D Alex Plante was penalized for hooking. Plante put the hook on Kelowna F Ian Duval in behind the Calgary net at 8:00 of OT. The faceoff was to Calgary G Martin Jones’ right. Kelowna won the faceoff and all five Rockets on the ice touched the puck – C Colin Long to D Tyler Myers to RW Mikael Backlund to LW Jamie Benn to Barrie, who snuck in from Kelowna’s left point and beat Jones with a quick shot.
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This was a wonderful major junior game that had a whole lot of everything. Most of it all, it had emotion and intensity. The middle 10 minutes of the second period were as fierce as any hockey you will see at any level. . . . But, in the end, the better team on this night won the game. . . . Calgary G Martin Jones had to be the game’s first star, thanks to a 47-save performance. He owned Backlund in this one and, in OT, made two scintillating stops on Myers point shots. All game long, Jones gave his team a chance. . . . The Rockets, though, knew this was their Game 7; they had been up 3-0 before losing 6-2 and 6-1 and they really weren't interested in playing Game 7 in Calgary on Monday.
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Kelowna G Mark Guggenberger stopped 23 shots. Rarely spectacular, he was almost always in the right position at the right time, as he has been since he was acquired from the Swift Current Broncos in January. . . . One puck got past him in OT but play had been whistled dead due to an obvious hand pass from one Calgary player to sniper Joel Broda.
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The Rockets had Benn and F Kyle St. Denis back in the lineup for Game 6. Both had been out with suspected concussions. Benn, who led the WHL playoffs in assists (20) and points (33) and tied for the lead in goals (13) with Backlund, hadn’t played since Game 2 when he took an early hit from Calgary D Keith Seabrook. . . . Benn looked rusty but played an integral role in the outcome, while St. Denis provided a lot of energy.
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If there was a turning point, it came at 1:32 of the second period with the Hitmen leading 1-0. Up to that point, play had been fairly even, with the Rockets having the edge in the first part of the opening period and the Hitmen picking it up in the latter stages. . . . Then, early in the second, Calgary D Michael Stone stepped up at his blue line and leveled Backlund with a fierce, but clean, check. The force of the collision separated Backlund from his helmet, stick and both gloves. . . . Deliver a hard but clean hit and, the way the game is played today, you have to be prepared for the challenge. Benn, of all people, immediately jumped Stone and pounded away. When the mess was cleaned up, Backlund was on the Kelowna bench being checked for a possible concussion, Stone wasn't penalized but limped off to the Calgary dressing room and Benn was in the penalty box with a double minor for roughing. The Rockets were fortunate that Benn didn’t get two for instigating, five for fighting and a misconduct. We'll never know what might have happened had the Rockets lost Benn for 17 minutes of the second period. . . . Backlund and Stone both would return in the next few minutes. . . . Calgary F Carson McMillan negated the early part of his club’s PP by taking a hooking penalty just 27 seconds after Benn was sent off. . . . And once the Rockets got through killing Benn’s double minor, they began to take over physically -- at times it looked like bumper cars out there -- and in scoring chances.
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THE OTHER GOALS: Calgary F Bostjan Golicic opened the scoring on a shorthanded breakaway at 7:45 of the first period. Golicic, who had been in the penalty box serving one of two minors given to F Ian Schultz, stepped onto the ice just in time to corral a lead pass from F Kyle Bortis and go in to beat G Mark Guggenberger. Golicic’s goal really quieted what had been a rambunctious crowd. . . . Long pulled Kelowna even on the PP at 11:43 of the second period. Barrie and Backlund drew the assists on the play that originated with a faceoff victory in the Calgary zone after Schultz was penalized for interference. . . . Just 1:50 later, Kelowna took its first lead when F Lucas Bloodoff was credited with a goal after a centring pass by Benn bounced off one of his legs and past Jones. The goal was allowed to stand following video review. . . . The Hitmen tied it at 2-2 at 12:57 of the third period when F Joel Broda, who led the WHL in goals during the regular season, got his 11th of the playoffs. Bloodoff was off for slashing at the time. F Brett Sonne’s shot was knocked down by Myers and Broda got to the puck as it sat in front of the crease. Kelowna held a 38-22 edge in shots at the time.
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Myers, the final series’ MVP, put the puck past Calgary G Martin Jones at 8:31 of the first period but the goal was disallowed after officials went to video review. The ruling was that the net was off its moorings before the puck went over the line. . . . Video review was used on three or four occasions. Unfortunately, Prospera Place doesn’t have replay screens and, on this night, that proved to be a huge shortcoming. Without replay screens, the fans in attendance weren’t able to see what those watching on TV or via the Internet could. It really is a shame that a terrific junior hockey facility like this one has such a huge shortcoming.
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How important are special teams? Kelowna was 0-for-5 on the PP in Game 4 and lost 6-2. It was 0-for-4 on the PP in Game 5 and lost 6-1. On Saturday, the Rockets were 2-for-8, while the Hitmen went 1-for-7. Those two Kelowna PP goals were the difference.
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The attendance was 6,383 and the fans were well-behaved, meaning they cheered whenever they were instructed to do so by the message board on the scoreclock. Seriously, this was a good crowd. At one point, during a video review of what was Kelowna’s second goal, the crowd began chanting: “GOAL! GOAL!.” . . . And most of the fans stayed for the post-game trophy presentations and on-ice celebrations. While this was the Rockets’ third WHL championship in seven seasons, it was the first time they have won it on home ice. (Of course, they did win the 2004 Memorial Cup as the host team.) . . . Yes, this will be Kelowna's fourth Memorial Cup appearance in seven seasons.
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Kelowna had a four-game losing streak in mid-January, after which it won 21 of 25 regular-season games. In the playoffs, the Rockets went 16-6. They opened by sweeping the Kamloops Blazers.
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The Rockets are 3-0 in WHL championship series appearances. In 2003, the Rockets took out the Red Deer Rebels in six games. In 2005, they beat out the Brandon Wheat Kings in five games.
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The Rockets are the best team in the WHL. Of that there can be no doubt. To say otherwise is simply sour grapes. En route to the championship, they beat the Tri-City Americans, Vancouver Giants and Calgary. In the overall standings, those teams were seeded, in order, fourth, second and first. The Rockets, who were the sixth seed in the overall standings, beat each of those teams in six games. Case closed.
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WHL CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL (all times local):
(Kelowna wins series 4-2)
Friday: Kelowna 3 at Calgary 1
Saturday: Kelowna 5 at Calgary 2
Monday: Calgary 0 at Kelowna 2
Wednesday: Calgary 6 at Kelowna 2
Thursday: Kelowna 1 at Calgary 6
Saturday: Calgary 2 at Kelowna 3 (OT)
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THE PICKS:
John Down (13-2), Calgary Herald: Calgary, in 6.
Gregg Drinnan (12-3), Kamloops Daily News: Kelowna, in 6.
Cory Wolfe (12-3), Saskatoon StarPhoenix: Kelowna, in 6.
Jeff Bromley (12-3), Kootenay NewsAdvertiser: Calgary, in 6.
Alan Caldwell (12-3), Small Thoughts At Large: Calgary, in 6.
Scott Fisher (12-3), Calgary Sun: Calgary, in 6.
Dan Russell (11-4), CKNW Radio, Vancouver, and Shaw Cable: Calgary, in 5.
Rob Vanstone (11-4), Regina Leader-Post: Calgary, in 4.
Kevin Mitchell (10-5), Saskatoon StarPhoenix: Calgary, in 7.