Photo credit: Steve Dunsmoor

By Regan Bartel

Rockets host Royals in BC Division clash

Early season speed bumps

Oct 15, 2025 | 6:00 AM

The Kelowna Rockets return home tonight to face the Victoria Royals at Prospera Place, aiming to halt a two-game losing skid and find some early spark that has been missing from their starts this season. Through their opening stretch, Kelowna has managed just two first-period goals and has opened the scoring only once, a trend that head coach Derrick Martin knows must change if his team is going to steady its course.

“It’s a work in progress,” Martin admitted when asked about the team’s slow starts. “We talk about it a lot as a group, and collectively we’re searching for answers. I’d like to think that we’re going to find that sooner rather than later, but it’s been a common theme and something that collectively as a group we need to get fixed for sure.”

Martin doesn’t sense panic in his room, but he does see inconsistency in how his team approaches the opening minutes of games.

“I think our consistency is lacking, maybe in our details at the start of games,” he said. “A testament to the group, they always find a way to claw themselves back in, but it’s not a recipe for success long term to be chasing in this league. It’s certainly not something we’re desiring to do.”

That tendency to fall behind early has often forced the Rockets to play from behind, creating a sense of urgency that shows up too late.

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“We’re not drawing up game plans where we fall behind early on,” Martin added. “It’s another opportunity to right the ship in that regard, and we’ve got to keep picking away at it because the answer is inside our dressing room.”

While the starts have been an issue, so too has the power play. Kelowna enters tonight’s game ranked near the bottom of the WHL with the extra man, fourth last overall ahead of only Calgary, Spokane and Red Deer. Martin knows it’s an area that must evolve quickly.

“I think we’re just playing too slow right now on it,” he said. “Guys are trying to find that familiarity with each other, but at the same time you’ve got to give that blind trust to your teammates a little bit. We’re a little casual at times. We play slow, we make a pass and stickhandle, make another pass and stickhandle. I’d really like to see our group speed that process up.”

Martin says the team has worked on adjustments and will experiment with new looks. “We’re going to give it a little bit of a different look on both units and see if that helps our case,” he said. “We’re learning and growing, but it’s an area where it’s pretty simple to make some of the changes that are necessary for that to be successful.”

The Rockets’ power play, he notes, doesn’t need to be flashy, just efficient.

“We’re not the Edmonton Oilers,” Martin said with a grin. “We’re not sending Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl over on a two on four and scoring a goal. We’re a group that I like to equate more to a Tampa Bay, where you play predictable hockey. People can know what you’re doing, but they still have to find a way to beat you. That’s through making simple reads and being a threat to shoot the puck all over the ice.”

Martin’s message to his team heading into tonight’s matchup is rooted in earning their chances. He believes that much of the Rockets’ scoring drought, both at even strength and on the power play, comes down to a willingness to fight through traffic.

“You’ve got to get to the hard areas to earn the fun,” Martin said. “Our guys know that. We’ve covered that off in video, in pregame meetings, they understand that it’s a smart group.”

That rebound effort will be tested by a Victoria team that sits comfortably in the middle of the pack but has shown an ability to pounce on opponents who start slow, a pattern Kelowna can’t afford to repeat.

The Rockets have shown flashes of what they can be, and that opportunity comes on home ice, where the crowd will be eager to see a team that starts on time and stays there.