The Rockets resurgence thanks to road success

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“Sometimes getting on the road and not having the stuff you are used to at home, gelling with your group and having that extra time with each other, maybe some things that are out of the norm allow guys to just concentrate on playing hockey.”

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Currently on its longest road trip of the season, which started December 1^st in a 4-0 win in Vancouver and will conclude December 27^th in Kamloops, the team has 5 wins and only losses to the Seattle Thunderbirds (3-2) and the Brandon Wheat Kings (6-3).

With victories in Prince Albert and Saskatoon over the weekend, the game-winning goal and tying goal were eerily similar. In both instances, rookie forward Hiroki Gojsic created a tenacious forecheck only to get the puck free to Tij Iginla for the game winner with :22 seconds left in regulation time against the Raiders. Gojsic repeated the feat one night later creating havoc along the end boards before the puck was flushed out to d-man Mark Rocak for the tying goal with 17.9 seconds left in regulation time against Saskatoon.

“It is a credit to the group that there is a belief from within,” Mallette continued, with his group joining only Prince George and Victoria in the Western Conference as teams with identical records of 7-3-0-0 heading into the Christmas break. “It comes with hard work, and I am glad we got rewarded for it.”

In the Rockets last eight games, seven of them have been decided by a single goal, with the team winning those games that they often lost a season ago.

The team is playing slightly bigger boy hockey with the acquisition of Luke Schelter from the Portland Winterhawks two days into the prairie road trip. The 19-year-old isn’t impressing with his offensive instincts, but his battle level along the boards.

“A big body up front,” Mallette pointed to Schelter’s 6’2, 200-pound frame. “We don’t want you to play like Andrew Cristall. I don’t want you to play like Gabriel Szturc. I told him I wanted him to be responsible.

“When pucks come around, he is strong to protect, he is strong to make simple plays and when he had time [with the puck] he had confidence with it.”

Schelter is now one of only three forwards, the others being Max Graham and Ethan Neutens, who tip the scales at +200 pounds. Horoki Gojsic is close to making it a quartet, weighing 198 pounds.

“I know when you come to a new team, excitement and adrenaline come into play, and I am happy with the product,” Mallette commented on Schelter’s opening four games with his new team.

Schelter went out against the Blades Saturday night and scored the game’s second goal, tying the score at one.

“If they want it, go get it,” was Mallette’s retort to RocketFAN before taking on the high-powered Blades, winners of seven straight home games.

The line score at the end of the night read: Rockets 5 Blades 4 in overtime.

“We’ve had success with a simple, workmanlike mentality,” he said.

“A team mentality. A team first, with no selfishness is where we need to be to win hockey games.”