Guggenberger saved his best for last

• Mark Guggenberger's performance in last years WHL final is still haunting several members of the Calgary Hitmen. You can now add the Everett Silvertips to that list. The 21 year-old goaltender was the best player on the ice Monday night, and needed to be, in a 2-1 win over the Tips, in the seventh and deciding game of their opening round playoff series. The Rockets win the series four games to three.
• Guggenberger, who gave up a soft opening goal in game six, closed the door shut in a third period dominated by the Tips. Everett stormed the net in the final period looking for the equalizing goal, but either found a shot hitting a shin pad of a Rockets defender or hitting a portion of Guggenberger's 6 foot 3 frame.
• One of the main reasons why the Tips dominated play in the third was the Rockets top players were exhausted after attempting to kill off five power plays in the second period alone. Fatigue was a factor coupled with the Tips being a creative team in the offensive zone. They threw everything at the Rockets in the third period, but a 'Kevin Constantine shot blocking clinic' had the Tips unable to find the back of the net.
• For the first time in this series the Rockets opened the scoring. Radko Gudas, injected back in the lineup after missing four games with a shoulder injury, took an early roughing penalty. Dallas Jackson's point shot was tipped at the side of the net by Geordie Wudrick to give the Rockets the 1-0 lead. It was Wudrick's WHL leading 8th goal of the playoffs.
• Captain Lucas Bloodoff is credited with the game winning goal in the second period, a goal that had to be reviewed because of a possible high stick. On the ice the officials did not call it a goal, yet on video it clearly showed the goal was good.
• The Tips appeared to be tight in game seven. Forward Clayton Cumiskey has a breakaway early in the first period and essentially doesn't get a shot off after fumbling the puck, and top scorer Shane Harper also has a glorious scoring chance on Guggenberger late in the third period and also loses control of the puck.
• This was the Rockets second seven game series win since the team re-located to Kelowna. The Rockets beat Seattle in 2005. The Rockets also lost in 2004 to Everett in seven games and lost to Seattle in an opening round seven game series in 2008.
• The seven game series win will never take away the sting of losing to the Tips in 2004, but it will ease the pain a bit. The Rockets were huge favourites in 04, and lost, while the Tips were 21 points better than the Rockets in this years playoff and suffered the same fate.
• The most surprising defenceman in this series for me was Rockets rookie Colton Jobke. Again a great effort by the 17 year-old in game seven, playing alongside Collin Bowman. Jobke is making smart decisions with the puck, and is being rewarded with ice time. Do you notice that he often gets blasted into the end board by a big hit after attempting to clear a puck? But do you also notice that Jobke is fearless to go for the puck and isn't scared to get hit to make a play? Impressive.
• The Rockets advance to the second round of the playoffs where they face the Tri City Americans. The point differential between the two teams is exactly the same as it was against the Tips. The Rockets and Americans met four times during the regular season with the Am's winning all four games. Funny thing is, the two teams didn't meet one another after the trade deadline. The last game they played against one another was December 5th.