KELOWNA — It’s been a storybook season for the Okanagan Rockets. The BC Major Midget team smashed several franchise records with 32 wins, 5 losses and 225 goals. The club was also unbeaten on home ice, another record for the team.
Rocket’s rookie, 15-year-old Tyson Jost, led the league in scoring with 44 goals and 44 assists.
The post season has proven equally as impressive. For the second consecutive year, they’ve punched their ticket to BCMML Championships, after a hard fought semi-final series against the Valley West Hawks.
“We went into it knowing it was going to be a three game war, and even the games we won, they were probably most difficult games of the year we were able to pull out,” said Rockets head coach, Mack O’Rourke. “It’s great to get the series win and now be playing for the BCMML championship down in Vancouver.”
It’s déjà vu for the Rockets club. They’ll be playing the very team who dashed their playoff run in the finals last year, the Vancouver Northwest Giants.
“We get a shot at redemption this year,” said Rockets Captain, Branden Wagner, “so hopefully we can pull out the two wins.”
“I’ve heard the word revenge thrown around a bit here throughout the season,” said Rockets GM David Michaud. “To say it’s a dream matchup that we get to face the Giants again, the team we lost to last year, is probably a little bit of an understatement.”
One big difference this year, however, is experience. The Rockets have seven returning players to the Giants two.
In the standings, the Giants inched out the Rockets for top spot in the league by just one point, but in their season series, Okanagan came out on top with two wins, one loss and a draw.
“Everyone’s excited. We have a good group here so everyone’s just going to come out flying and we want to beat this team. This is our goal of the year and I think we’re going to play really good,” said Rockets forward, Liam Finaly.
The championship series starts Friday at 6:30 p.m. at the Burnaby Winter Club.
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