Photo credit: Steve Dunsmoor

By Regan Bartel

Tij Iginla earns 3 points in debut

‘We almost need to get down to get going’ – Rockets Associate Coach Don Hay

Oct 16, 2025 | 10:11 AM

The Kelowna Rockets got a spark from a familiar face Wednesday night but it wasn’t quite enough to secure two points. Tij Iginla, playing his first WHL game since November 30th, made a statement with two goals and an assist, earning first-star honors in a 6-5 shootout loss to the Victoria Royals at Prospera Place.

For associate coach Don Hay, the game was a mixed bag. There were flashes of resilience, but too many defensive lapses and missed chances proved costly.

“I thought, holy smokes, we’re going to put everybody asleep here,” Hay said with a laugh when describing the first period, which ended with only five total shots between the two clubs. “It was great to see Tij come out and score that goal, and I thought he was the best player on the ice tonight. Victoria’s goalie was also pretty good. I thought Tij led us in a lot of different ways, and he brought a lot of energy to our team.”

That energy, however, took time to spread. The Rockets had to claw back several times, showing their trademark late push.

“We almost have to get down to get going,” Hay admitted. “We need to come out and play a harder, more determined type of game. I think that in the third period we showed that we could have easily gave up, but we found a way to get a point, and that point is valuable to us. So disappointing we didn’t get the shootout point, but you know, you’re out of control, the game is out of your hands at that time. It’s into the goalie’s hands basically.”

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Hay’s message after the game centered on what he called “stickiness,” a need to hold onto pucks and grind down opponents rather than relying on spurts of momentum.

“We need more of a concentrated effort. I call it sticky. We want to be sticky on the puck, hold on to pucks, protect pucks, make plays,” he explained. “Be more effective for a long period of time. Wear people down. I don’t think we’re really wearing anybody down right now, so we have to get that mentality.”

Victoria, Hay noted, gave the Rockets a lesson in exactly that.

“I thought their overtime, they had the puck a lot of the time, and they played it pretty well,” he said. “Obviously they practice quite a bit holding on to pucks, not giving up pucks, and making the team defend. The one thing I liked about the Victoria forwards is, you know, it was hard to shake them. When they came in on the forecheck, you make a move by the D-man and usually sometimes a forward would swing away, but they just stayed right on us. They made it really hard that way.”

Another encouraging sign was the play of Hayden Paupanekis, who notched a goal and an assist in one of his better outings since returning from injury.

“I think I saw him like that as well,” Hay said. “He scored a big goal there towards the end, the third goal was a great shot from the circle that Longley set up, and that was off the forecheck. That was really a big spot. He’s been out a while, his injury slowed him down a little bit. The more he plays, the more he’s on the ice, he’s gonna gain more and more confidence. He’s proven that he can score goals, he can be around the net, and I think that’s what we really need right now.”

The Rockets now turn their attention to the Everett Silvertips, a team Hay knows will present a new challenge.

“They are fast,” he said. “I watched them play a game against Victoria and they were quick all over the ice. I think they won that game 4-1. We have to be ready. Everett’s M.O. for years is that they’re a quick team, they work hard, they put pressure on your defense, and they try to take advantage of your mistakes. We have to put pressure on them. We gotta make them defend, and the more we can make them defend, the better our opportunity is to put the puck in the net.”

With new faces arriving and others just returning, Hay said time and chemistry are key.

“We’ve had a lot of practice time with those ten days off, but now we have new people coming into the lineup,” he said. “We have to find some chemistry, and that’s why getting the point was so important tonight. We found a way to get a point and stay in the hunt. We have to continue to get better, continue to find ways to get points, continue to get over .500. Small things like that are part of the process.”

The Rockets didn’t get the win Wednesday, but with Iginla back in the lineup and Hay’s insistence on pushing for a “stickier” more complete game, there were signs this group may be rediscovering its rhythm.