Rockets Take 2 Wins in Exhibition Weekend

September 21st-22nd, 2019 Merritt, BC The Major Bantam Rockets kicked off the season last weekend with a pair of exhibition games against the Cariboo Cougars at the Shulus Community Centre in Merritt, BC. Game 1 was at 6:00pm with Bryson Carlyle (1G) firing one past the Cougars’ net minder Jaiden Jakobowski, collected the first goal for the Major Bantam team in the inaugural season, with the lone assist coming off the tape from his Defense partner Luke Schraeder (1A). The Rockets sustained the offensive pressure through the game amassing six more goals with the help of 5 different players, Brayden Skogstad (1G), Ben Strobel (2G), Dante Nunes (1G), Caleb deHoog (1G, 1A), and Koehn Obuck (1G) who managed to get his tally short-handed. The Cougars offence tried their best for a late push to but Angelo Zol made some heroic saves late in the match to shut the door and earn the shutout. Game 2 on Sunday at 11:30am of the weekend was like Déjà vu. The Rockets ended up scoring another 7 goals, by 4 different players, Connor Seeley (2G), Ben Strobel (2G, 1A), Lian Gayfer (2G), and Brayden Schwaerzle (1G). This time, Colton Jugnauth, shut out the already frustrated offence of the Cougars remaining focused to defend against another late game push by the Cats. The Okanagan Rockets had a great first weekend overall outscoring the Cougars 14-0. The team displayed a commitment to team defence and protecting the house and an ability to generate and sustain an offensive attack involving all 5 players on the ice. Special Teams were also surprisingly effective at this stage in the season with the Penalty Kill going 10/10 and a few goals as well coming on the power play.

This week the Rockets prepare for their first 4 games of the regular season at the BC Hockey Major Bantam Showcase hosted at the Richmond Ice Centre.