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91大黄鸭 Rockets go into massive weekend against Vancouver

The Rockets could finish the season anywhere from 4th-8th
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91大黄鸭 Rockets won a 4-3 victory over the Vancouver Giants on Friday night, March 1, at the Langley Events Centre, in a game that saw the Giants battle back from a 3-0 third-period deficit to force overtime. (Rob Wilton/Special to Langley Advance Times)

The 91大黄鸭 Rockets control their fate going into the final weekend of the regular season.

鈥淗uge games for sure, we need four points,鈥 said Rockets leading goal scorer Tij Iginla. 鈥淚t鈥檚 like playoff hockey before the playoffs.鈥

Going into the weekend, the Rockets sit sixth in the Western Conference and could finish the regular season anywhere from fourth to eighth.

鈥4th - Wenatchee Wild - 70 points

鈥5th - Vancouver Giants - 68 points

鈥6th - 91大黄鸭 Rockets - 67 points

鈥7th - Victoria Royals - 67 points

鈥8th - Spokane Chiefs - 64 points

All five of these teams have two games this weekend except for Victoria, who only has one game remaining against Wenatchee.

The Rockets take on Vancouver in a massive home-and-home series, which starts Friday night (Mar. 22) at the Langley Events Centre.

鈥淭his weekend is huge, we鈥檙e looking to get two big wins,鈥 said Rockets leading scorer Andrew Cristall. 鈥淚t鈥檚 going to be playoff intensity and playoff atmosphere, it鈥檚 going to be a lot of fun.鈥

Both Iginla and Cristall see this weekend as an advantage for the team ahead of the playoffs.

鈥淚 think it鈥檚 good going into playoff with high-intensity games but at the same time, we got to win these ones,鈥 said Iginla.

鈥淚t鈥檚 huge, to get the chance to take matters into our own hands and if we win two games, we get the positioning that we want so it鈥檚 pretty exciting and we鈥檒l be ready to go,鈥 added Cristall.

Last season, the Rockets got bounced in the first round of the WHL playoffs but the players gained some playoff experience to bring into this year. For being a 17-year-old, Iginla also brings playoff experience as he was with the Seattle Thunderbirds last year, who won the WHL and went to the Memorial Cup.

鈥淲e鈥檒l let the guys know the crowd might be louder and everything might be a little more amped up but at the end of the day, it鈥檚 the same game, we鈥檙e still out there playing hockey so I think we should just be confident in ourselves and it鈥檒l translate onto the ice,鈥 said Cristall.

With this, they鈥檒l help out some of the younger players like the team鈥檚 rookie of the year Hiroki Gojsic, who will be experiencing the playoffs for the first time.

鈥淚鈥檓 pretty excited, I鈥檓 pumped, I鈥檓 ready to get things going,鈥 said Gojsic. 鈥淭hese two games this weekend are huge for us.鈥

鈥淚n the room, I think we鈥檙e as confident as ever no matter who we play,鈥 said Cristall.

The second half of the home-and-home will take place at Prospera Place on Saturday night, where the Rockets will be wearing specialty jerseys with their mascot, Rocky the Raccoon on them.

鈥淭he jerseys are super cool and he had a pretty viral moment which was really funny but glad he鈥檚 okay and it should be good to wear those, they鈥檙e pretty sweet,鈥 said Cristall.

Fans have until puck drop to get their names in to win a jersey off the player鈥檚 backs. The fans whose names are drawn from the ballot will be collecting specialty jerseys from the Rockets themselves.

The jerseys are a part of the team鈥檚 Fan Appreciation Night. The Hip Replacements will be providing live music all night long while the 50/50 starts at $10,000, with the proceeds supporting 91大黄鸭 Minor Hockey. Every fan will receive a free team poster. Puck drop is at 7:05 p.m.

READ MORE: Iginla wins 91大黄鸭 Rockets MVP at team鈥檚 annual awards

READ MORE: West 91大黄鸭 Warriors set for weekend in the Kootenays

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Jordy Cunningham

About the Author: Jordy Cunningham

Hailing from Ladner, B.C., I have been passionate about sports, especially baseball, since I was young. In 2018, I graduated from Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops with a Bachelor of Journalism degree
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