By Regan Bartel

Now 7-6-1-1 on season

Rockets leave Victoria with two points

Nov 9, 2025 | 3:28 AM

The Kelowna Rockets found their rhythm again Saturday night in Victoria, skating to a 6-3 win over the Royals to wrap up a wild weekend on the Island. After a controversial loss the night before, this one felt like redemption. It was structured, confident, and complete.

Associate coach Don Hay was smiling postgame, and for good reason.

“It’s always nice to come up after a win,” Hay said. “We’re happy we’re leaving here with two points, and catching the 9 o’clock ferry. That’s a bonus.”

The Rockets earned it with a mix of grit and precision, led by an excellent performance from 18-year-old goaltender Harrison Boettiger, who turned aside 27 shots for his second straight victory.

“Harry was good in goal,” Hay said. “He made three huge saves in the last few minutes. He was solid throughout the night. I don’t know if he got a star, but he was really steady. Back-to-back wins for him will do nothing but build confidence.”

The lost art of true sports storytelling

Why athlete stories should never fade

Jul 22, 2025

One call, one commitment

Luke Schenn's call, Mazden Leslie's answer

Jul 19, 2025

Is the NCAA grass really greener?

WHL's grit and grind is unmatched

Jul 10, 2025

Confidence was a theme for the entire group. The Rockets’ special teams tilted the game in their favour, two goals on five power-play opportunities and six kills on seven shorthanded chances.

“Our specialty teams won tonight,” Hay said. “That was a big difference.”

The night started with a pleasant surprise when rugged defenseman Nate Corbet opened the scoring early in the first period.

“It’s nice that those guys get rewarded,” Hay said. “They do the dirty work, they protect their teammates, they block shots. We came here with five defensemen this weekend, and I thought all of them played really well.”

Up 1-0 after the first, the Rockets found another gear in the second period, one that left the Royals chasing shadows.

“You could feel it on the bench,” Hay said. “We were in the driver’s seat.”

Tij Iginla, who has scored in five of the six games he has played this season, continued his torrid scoring pace, ripping a power-play rocket past Royals goaltender Jake Pilon.

“That’s an NHL shot,” Hay told RocketFAN. “That’s a great shot.” Moments later, Hiroki Gojsic crashed the crease and banged one home, a payoff for a player who’s been waiting to find his stride.

Gojsic wasn’t done. He piled up three points on the night.

“He’s had success before, he’s been drafted, and it’s been a tough start for a lot of our guys to score,” Hay said. “It’s nice to see him contribute. He was a big part of it.”

By the midway mark of the second, it was 5-1 Kelowna. The Royals tried to make things interesting late, but the Rockets never lost their composure.

“You get up 5-1 and usually you can take a deep breath,” Hay said. “But it’s 5-2, 5-3, and you’re thinking, oh boy, it’s going to be an interesting third. Then we had to kill some penalties, and I just kept looking at the clock, it was going so slow.”

The Rockets stayed the course, and Boettiger made the saves that needed making. Then came the dagger, Kalder Varga finishing off a power play midway through the third to restore Kelowna’s cushion.

For Hay, the performance was exactly the kind of bounce-back he wanted to see after Friday’s stumble.

“If you didn’t have that response, you’d be worried,” he said. “But the guys dug in. It was a different kind of day – 4 o’clock start, out of the hotel earlier—but they handled it well. They had good focus from the start.”

That focus was evident from puck drop.

“Scoring first is a confidence builder,” Hay said. “If we prepare the right way and start the right way, we give ourselves a chance to have success.”

He also pointed to predictability, something he preaches constantly.

“You have to be connected and do things over and over,” Hay said. “It’s great to have special players, but everyone has to be predictable. Get pucks in at the right time. Make the other team come a long way to get to the net. If you do that, you give yourself a chance.”

It wasn’t just one line or one player, it was layers of contribution. Iginla with two goals, Gojsic breaking out offensively, Boettiger locking it down in net, and a penalty kill that ground down the Royals when it mattered most.

“You get contributions from a lot of different guys, that’s how you win,” Hay said.

Saturday’s win pushes the Rockets back over the .500 mark (7-6-1-1) and gives them momentum heading home for a date with the Lethbridge Hurricanes next Friday at Prospera Place.