A seasonal series which doesn't make sense

• The seasonal series that doesn't make sense continued Saturday night at Prospera Place. This time the score was lopsided in the Kelowna Rockets favour after a 8-1 home ice win over the visiting Kamloops Blazers. Just six days earlier the Blazers beat the Rockets handily by a 5-1 count. Outside of one game - a 5-4 Blazers victory on October 13th - all five games haven't been close.

• Despite the final outcome, this game was tighter when you examine it closely. The Rockets were full marks for a 3-1 lead after 40 minutes before blowing things open with five goals in the third period. With Tyson Barrie returning to the lineup, the Rockets were simply a more confident team. Barrie had a goal and two assists while his teammates played a much more complete game than what we saw in the previous four outings.
  
• Spencer Main was especially good Saturday night. Main scored twice and added an assist. Main opened the scoring with a nice back hand by out-waiting Blazers goaltender Jeff Bosch and then slid a hard back hand past Bosch in the third period to make it a 4-1 game. That goal appeared to be the back breaker. Main's opening goal was his first in 15 games. It was Main's second-two goal game this season. The 18 year-old had two goals against the Vancouver Giants on October 20th.
• This was a total team effort. Seven different goal scorers and 12 players picking up at least a point was a good sign that everyone came to play.
• Mitchell Callahan scored his 50th goal of his career on a play that needed video replay. It appeared Bosch made a sensational glove hand save on Callahan, who shot the puck into the goalies glove after kicking the puck from his skate to his stick from in close. Video replay showed that Bosch's glove was indeed over the goal line when he snagged the puck out of mid air.
  
• Rookie defenceman Damon Severson was an impressive +5 in the game. Blazers d-man Austin Madiasky was a -5.
• For a second straight night 17 year-old Jesse Astles got involved in a fight, this time with Blazers heart and soul forward Ryan Hanes. Astles looked calm and cool in knocking down Hanes with a hard right. Astles isn't a heavyweight but will win more battles than he loses at the middle weight division.
• The Rockets played this game without leading scorer Shane McColgan. The 17 year-old sat the game out for precautionary measures. No question he will play this Friday against the Portland Winterhawks.
• The most successful outcome outside of the game itself was the ugly blazer promotion held on the ice during the second and third intermission. The number of men wearing an ugly blazer to the game was amazing. Close to fifty paraded onto the ice before a winner was declared and walked away with a new suit from McDermott's Men's Wear.
• Congratulations to forward Geordie Wudrick. His third period goal was not only his 22nd of the season but his 200th point of his WHL career. Wudrick now has 201 points after also picking up an assist. The 20 year-old now has goals in 6 of his last 8 games.
• The two Blazers I liked in the lopsided loss was Dylan Willick and JC Lipon. Willick wouldn't quit even though some of his teammates did and Lipon had a gutsy performance despite being bagged up.
• After seeing the Blazers three times in the last nine days, the Rockets won't meet them again until March 2nd. The two teams will clash three times over ten days to close out the seasonal series.