Lots of hockey on the horizon this weekend, plus some basketball and volleyball.
Here’s the Kelowna sports weekend preview:
Kelowna Missiles (WHL)
Before highlighting the weekend ahead, the Rockets’ hot game is starting to garner national attention of late. It was announced yesterday that the Rockets are one of three teams to make the list of honorable mentions in the weekly Kia CHL Top 10 rankings. The Rockets went 7-1-1-0 in January.
The team has won six straight games and is looking to extend the streak across Washington state this weekend. It’s a tough road trip as they play three games in three nights, starting in Spokane tonight when they face the Chiefs. Puck drop is at 7:05 p.m. at the Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena. Spokane is fifth in the US division with a 12-23-3-1 record.
The Rockets take on the Tri-City Americans in Kennewick, Washington on Saturday night. They rank fourth in the US division with a record of 12-23-4-0. Puck drop is at 6:05 p.m. at the Toyota Center.
The trip concludes Sunday night when the Rockets take on the Everett Silvertips. This will be the toughest task of the trip as Everett ranks first in the entire WHL with a 30-7-2-2 record and ranks third in the current CHL Top 10 rankings. Puck Drop is at 4:05 p.m. at Angel of the Winds Arena.
As the weekend begins, the Rockets sit second in the BC Division with a 22-10-1-3 record, nine points behind the Kamloops Blazers.
Captain Tyson Feist and forward Colton Dach are both expected to be back in the line-up this week, but the team will miss the hot hand as Jake Poole won’t be in the line-up with appendicitis. Poole has 11 points (five goals, six assists) during their six-game winning streak.
All Rockets games can be viewed or heard on WHL Live on CHL TV at watch.CHL.ca at 3:50 p.m.
UBCO heat
The men’s basketball team welcomes the University of Fraser Valley Cascades to the Furnace this Saturday and Sunday. These two games are rescheduled games from January 8th and 9th. The tip for both games is at 12:00. The Heat are 1-11 over the year while the Cascades are 8-4.
The women’s basketball team is off this weekend. Their next game is scheduled for Thursday 8th February against the Trinity Western Spartans.
—————-
On the volleyball side, the women are down in Langley this weekend to take on the Trinity Western Spartans. These games will be rescheduled from January 21st and 22nd. On Friday, the first serve is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. On Saturday everything starts at 2:00 p.m. This is a battle of the top two teams in the West Division as the Heat are 6-2 (runners-up) and the Spartans are 7-1 (first).
The Heat men’s volleyball team’s next game isn’t until Friday, February 18 with the University of British Columbia’s Thunderbirds.
Okanagan College Coyotes
Both the men’s and women’s basketball teams play home games on Saturday nights, but not in Kelowna. The Coyotes will take on the Langara Falcons on the Penticton campus. It is 2:30 p.m. for women and 4:30 p.m. for men.
The women are 4-4 this season (fifth overall), while Langara is sixth overall with 3-10.
The men are 1-7 and are sixth overall, while Langara is fourth overall with a record of 6-8.
West Kelowna Warriors (BCHL)
The Warriors are home for some tough games this weekend. Going into the two games, they sit fourth in the Interior Division with a 22-13-0-0 record.
On Friday night, the Warriors welcome the Prince George Spruce Kings to town. Prince George is third in the division with a 20-9-3-4 record. The Warriors are 2-1 against Prince George this season.
The Salmon Arm Silverbacks head to West Kelowna for Saturday night. They rank first in the entire BCHL with a 26-5-2-1 record. The Warriors are 3-1 against Salmon Arm this season.
Both games will take place at 7:00 p.m. at the Royal LePage Arena
Kelowna Chiefs (KIJHL)
Like the Rockets, the Kelowna Chiefs will play three games this weekend, but all at home at Kelowna-Rutland Arena.
Friday night they welcome the North Okanagan Knights to town. Kelowna secured a playoff spot last Wednesday night (February 3) when he defeated the Knights 3-1. North Okanagan is 8-19-5-2 a year, fifth in the Bill Ohlhausen division. The season series is tied between these two teams by three points, with this game being the last time they play each other this season.
On Saturday night, the Princeton Posse makes its way to Kelowna. Princeton is fourth in the division with a record of 11-20-3-0. The Chiefs had Princeton’s number all season as they led the season streak 6-0.
The Summerland Steam hit town on Sunday night with their 19-12-1-1 record. They take third place in the division standings. Kelowna leads the season series 3-2.
Puck drop is scheduled for all three games at 7:00 p.m.
READ MORE: Less deforestation should mean more controlled fires around Kelowna, experts say
READ MORE: Korczak becomes third former Kelowna Rocket to make it to the NHL this season
@cunninghamjordy
jordy.cunningham@kelowacapnews.com
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
BasketballHockeyKelownaKelowna RocketsUBCO HeatVolleyballWest Kelowna WarriorsWHL
