Two’s a fluke, Three’s a streak

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“I will take that all day, every day”.

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Those words from Kelowna Rockets Head Coach Kris Mallette on his team getting goal production from the blue line.

In the past two games, four of nine goals the team has scored have been generated from defensemen, with Jackson DeSouza collecting the game-winner Friday night in a 5-4 win over Vancouver.

One night later, Elias Carmichael scored twice, one into an empty net, in a 4-0 victory over the Prince Albert Raiders.

Ethan Mittelsteadt also found pay dirt with a terrific wrist shot against the Giants.

“Mittsy [Mittelsteadt] has had some good looks, and is working on getting shots through”, Mallette added. “He has had some good chances to get the puck to the net, but they’ve been blocked, or he misses wide, but he is making some good reads.”

DeSouza’s goal, his 6th of the season, was the first game-winner from a defender this season.

“I am pretty sure Jackson will tell you he closed his eyes to score that goal, but he had a lot of fun with that celebration. It was quite exuberant”, Mallette said with a chuckle.

Coming into this season, DeSouza had just one goal in 70 career games.

The 57 shots the Erie, Colorado product has had on the net this season is one shy of the entire number of pucks he sent on goal in his 18-year-old campaign.

Turning 20 next month, the outspoken shot blocker, who likely needed an ice bag or two after Saturday’s win, leads the team with six goals, which is one better than teammates Caden Price and Elias Carmichael.

That entire d-core has a combined for 17 goals this season.

Jake Lee and Tyson Feist, who graduated as 20-year-old’s a year ago, combined to score 30 times.

“It has been tough,” Mallette admitted when struggling to score goals as a team in January. “I’m a mixed bag of emotions back there [behind the bench] for the most part. I try to keep it [emotions] pretty even keel. I let them know individually when they come off the ice when they have done something very well, but I am not too emotional.

“I’ve hit the glass a few times and maybe have let out a few choice words here and there. I have nothing to do with it in regards to the end product, but I let them hoot and hauler and enjoy it and then try to keep them focused for the next shift.”

The team has been depleted by injury with the loss of John Babcock and Marek Rocak with undisclosed injuries.

That has forced the team to play the last three games with just five defensemen.

Only pouring more fuel on the Rockets offensive fire is a power play that has been terrific in February.

Despite a small sample size, and without key catalyst Andrew Cristall, the team again looks like a threat to score on every chance they get with the extra man.

“In stretches, we’ve lost that momentum with the power play”, Mallette told RocketFAN. “Opposition teams feed off that.  I like the movement, I like the fact that we aren’t so stagnant and predictable.

“I want a shooters mentality”.

With an uptick in the most crucial position on the ice, goaltending, the team jumps on the bus this morning headed for Prince George with a quiet confidence.

With games Tuesday and Wednesday at CN Centre, the Rockets should have a better understanding of what is required to win.

Now it is a matter of coming out and doing it consistently to close the gap on team’s above them in the standings.