Photo credit: Steve Dunsmoor

By Regan Bartel

Not much Christmas joy in 9-1 loss

Rockets’ suffer worst home ice loss of season

Dec 15, 2024 | 9:54 AM

One team looked tired, the other energized.

Coming off a 6-3 loss the night before, with eight regulars out of the lineup, the Kelowna Rockets suffered their worst home-ice defeat Saturday afternoon, falling 9-1 to the Wenatchee Wild.

On the other hand, the Wild were coming off a high after defeating the top team in the WHL, the Everett Silvertips, the night prior.

“Our group looked fatigued,” assistant coach Derrick Martin said after the game. “It is no excuse. Wenatchee made the same trip as we did last night. It was a quick turnaround, and we showed our youthfulness tonight as we were not sharp in our spots. We weren’t sharp in our details with the puck and not crisp away from the puck.”

Despite being last in the Western Conference, Wenatchee capitalized on the Rockets’ struggles, with twenty-year-olds Kenta Isogai and Evan Friesen each recording five-point nights.

Notes, one quote and anecdotes

Things that make me go hmm...

Oct 08, 2024

Notes, quotes and anecdotes

Things that make me go hmm...

Sep 13, 2024

Notes, quotes and anecdotes

Things that make me go hmm...

Aug 27, 2024

“Occasionally, there are going to be nights like this,” Martin added. “You hope you can limit those and that it’s the only one you have in a season. It wasn’t a great night. There isn’t a lot to say, outside of saying there wasn’t much that went right with our group, especially over 40 minutes.”

The Wild jumped to an early lead, scoring three goals in the first period and adding four more in the second for a commanding 7-0 advantage. The fear of a shutout loomed large, especially with over 4,700 fans eagerly awaiting a home goal for the Teddy Bear Toss promotion.

Nate Corbet broke the drought with a wrist shot from the blue line early in the third period, allowing fans to finally throw stuffed toys onto the ice.

“Give them [Wenatchee] credit, they played a really sound game,” Martin said. “When the score is what it is, you expect a team to take their foot off the gas, and maybe we saw that in the last 10 minutes.”

The Wild, who know what it feels like to be embarrassed in a home Teddy Bear Toss game, had been shut out 3-0 by the Everett Silvertips the previous Sunday, with fans waiting until the final buzzer to participate in the promotion.

“I am a big believer in how you enter the zone without the puck,” Martin continued. “We coasted to our spots. We had four or five guys down low to our net. When a team goes low to high with you, now you’re chasing the game, and it felt like we were chasing the game a lot tonight.”

While allowing three power-play goals against and failing to score on three chances of their own, the Rockets were especially exposed defensively without the services of 19-year-olds Caden Price, Marek Rocak, and Carter Kowalyk.

“We beat them 4-0 on their home ice, and now they’ve beat us twice here pretty good,” Martin said, reflecting on his team’s struggles against the Wild since they relocated from Winnipeg more than a season ago. “We are missing some pieces now, but man-to-man, I believe we are as good as they are on paper.”

Rhett Stoesser, making his home debut with the Rockets after five consecutive road appearances, couldn’t prevent the embarrassment. The 19-year-old was pulled in the second period when the game was already out of reach, with Jake Pilon taking over, despite playing the night before in Tri-City.

“I don’t think our group quite tonight,” Martin concluded. “I just don’t know if we ever got started the way we wanted to.”