It鈥檚 all come down to a best-of-three.
With a trip to the Western Hockey League鈥檚 championship series beckoning, the 91大黄鸭 Rockets and Seattle Thunderbirds meet tonight in Game 5 of the Western Conference final in Kent, Wash.
While the stakes get higher with each passing game, Rockets鈥� head coach Jason Smith said little will change in the way his club prepares for the task ahead.
鈥淲e鈥檒l take the steps we need to make sure we鈥檙e ready to play the game,鈥� Smith said. 鈥淲e鈥檒l make sure we get rest, food and hydration and just move forward.
鈥淚 think we gotta worry about what we鈥檙e doing as a team and what we鈥檙e doing as a group, making sure we鈥檙e taking care of what we can control,鈥� Smith added. 鈥淲e鈥檙e not worried about what they鈥檙e doing.鈥�
What the Thunderbirds did was get the upper hand in the series with a 2-1 win on Tuesday night, as Keegan Kolesar scored the decisive goal with just 20 seconds remaining in the game.
On Wednesday, in what Smith鈥檚 club considered a must-win scenario, the Rockets rebounded for a 4-2 win to even the series and assure a Game 6 would be played on Sunday in 91大黄鸭.
To move on in the playoffs, the Rockets will have to win at least one more time on Thunderbirds鈥� ice.
Rockets rookie Nolan Foote said that victory might as well come on Friday night.
鈥淚t鈥檚 huge for us to go into Seattle with this win,鈥� said Foote who connected for his first playoff goal in the Game 4 victory. 鈥淲e鈥檝e gotta go down there and get the win, come back to 91大黄鸭 with the home crowd and finish them off.鈥�
Game 6 of the Western Conference championship will face off at 5:05 p.m. Sunday at Prospera Place.
A seventh game, if needed, is set for Tuesday, May 2 in Kent.
Stephens signs with Sabres鈥�
Rockets鈥� defenceman took the next step towards a pro career this week, signing a three-year entry level deal with the NHL鈥檚 Buffalo Sabres.
Stephens, 20, was drafted by the Sabres in the fifth round, 122nd overall in the 2015 NHL draft.
A native of Surrey, Stephens is in his third season with the Rockets during which time he has collected 19 goals and 57 points in 203 games while posting a +56 rating and 166 penalty minutes. He also added 12 assists, and a +5 rating in 50 career playoff games.
The 6-foot-1, 176-pound rearguard led 91大黄鸭鈥檚 blueline corps in goals this season with 13, while adding 22 assists in 67 games.
Stephens was a member of the Rockets鈥� WHL championship team in the 2014-2015 season.
