The 麻豆精选 Rockets see the Kamloops Blazers more than any other Western Hockey League team during the course of the regular season.
Of the 10 meetings, 颈迟鈥檚 possible no two games are bigger than this 飞别别办别苍诲鈥檚 home-and-home set between the B.C. Division rivals.
With the Blazers (24-15-1-1) leading the Rockets (23-14-3-0) by one point for second spot, the clubs will face off tonight at the Sandman Centre in Kamloops. Chapter two goes Saturday night, 7:05 p.m., at Prospera Place.
While 颈迟鈥檚 only early January, 搁辞肠办别迟蝉鈥 head coach Jason Smith said the importance of the two-game set 肠补苍鈥檛 really be over-emphasized.
鈥淭丑别测鈥檙别 obviously huge 驳补尘别蝉,鈥 said Smith. 鈥淭丑别谤别 are games in the year when you have a chance to really make progress.
鈥淲别 丑补惫别苍鈥檛 done very well against them this year but 颈迟鈥檚 an opportunity for us to get back in the mix, 飞别鈥檙别 close in the 蝉迟补苍诲颈苍驳蝉,鈥 added Smith whose Rockets are 2-3-0 against Kamloops this season.
鈥淲别 have to be ready to play and compete. Their team is playing well, they work hard and play with structure and if we 诲辞苍鈥檛 play with structure and play with pace, the results go the other 飞补测.鈥
On a three-game losing streak, the Rockets will get a shot in the arm this weekend with the return of a pair of veteran forwards. Calvin Thurkauf (Switzerland) and Tomas Soustal (Czech Republic) are back with the team from the world junior hockey championship.
Dillon Dube, who played with Team Canada in last 苍颈驳丑迟鈥檚 gold medal game, is due home today but his return to the 迟别补尘鈥檚 lineup is uncertain.
鈥泪迟鈥檚 exciting, obviously those are three key players for our team that play big 谤辞濒别蝉,鈥 Smith said of the returning players. 鈥淭丑别 guys that got an opportunity to play more over this stretch while 迟丑别测鈥檝别 been away stepped up and did lots of good things.
"When 测辞耻鈥檙别 missing good guys, you hope they come back and bring energy and execution and really push our team to the next 濒别惫别濒.鈥
The Rockets went the better part of a month without the services of Dube, Thurkauf and Soustal, and for the most part played well in their absence.
滨迟鈥檚 just over the last three games (0-2-1-0) that Smith has been less than enamoured with his 迟别补尘鈥檚 effort.
鈥泪 诲辞苍鈥檛 think 迟丑别谤别鈥檚 any excuse for the way 飞别鈥檝别 辫濒补测别诲,鈥 said Smith, refusing to use the absence of the three forwards as an alibi. 鈥渊辞耻 look at our road trip out east (5-1-1-0), we paid attention to detail, we executed at a higher level than we have in the last three games.
鈥淲别 struggled to be consistent, to do things that allow us to have 蝉耻肠肠别蝉蝉鈥苍诲 when you 诲辞苍鈥檛 execute you spend a lot of time in neutral rather than moving 蹿辞谤飞补谤诲.鈥