Photo credit: Steve Dunsmoor

By Regan Bartel

Proving a point at Prospera Place

Rockets outwork the league leaders

Nov 20, 2025 | 6:00 AM

The Kelowna Rockets picked the perfect night to make a statement. The Edmonton Oil Kings came to Prospera Place riding a nine-game winning streak as the top team in the Western Hockey League, and the Rockets delivered one of their most complete performances of the season in a 5-2 win. It was the kind of game that feels bigger than the standings, the kind that tells you this team is starting to figure things out.

There was a fun subplot with the brothers on both sides. Tij Iginla and Hiroki Gojsic played for Kelowna, Joe Iginla and Kanjyu Gojsic for Edmonton, but the Rockets weren’t worried about family drama. This was about proving they could beat a heavyweight team, and they did it with style.

Associate coach Don Hay didn’t hide how significant it was.

“I think it was a great game for the fans to watch. Edmonton has a proven track record. For us, it was important that we beat a good team,” Hay said. “To me, it was a game that really sets the standard, and you have to be able to beat good teams to become a good team.”

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The Rockets saved their best work for the third period, one of their most mature frames of the season. They outshot Edmonton 19-6 in that final period and tightened things up defensively, never letting the Oil Kings get their usual rhythm. Every detail counted.

Hay talked about how Kelowna handled the flow of the game.

“In the second period we scored early, they battled back, we scored, they battled back, and then to get the power play goal was really big,” he said. “And then we got a couple of empty netters with a big penalty kill. Those empty net goals are really important and we will take as many as we can get.”

The game had pace from the opening faceoff. Both teams had chances, but Kelowna had some key plays. Hayden Paupanekis and Kalder Varga scored, and newcomer Shane Smith netted the game-winning goal on the power play early in the third, his first goal with his new team. Rookie goalie Harrison Boettiger was solid in net, named first star, and kept the Rockets in control until they finally pulled away.

Hay wasn’t surprised by the performance.

“Our goalie made a great save on Joe Iginla [seconds into the game] and that is what goalies are supposed to do. They are supposed to make good saves,” Hay said. “You have to find ways to outwork the goalie. You have to find ways to outcompete the goalie.”

Even with the offense clicking, Hay was just as happy with how the Rockets played without the puck. Edmonton has a dynamic power play, but Kelowna stayed calm under the pressure.

“They had some power plays early in the first period. We withstood that. They are a very creative power play. They move a lot. They have a lot of one timers,” Hay said. “We defended really well and that is really important.”

This was another step for a team slowly finding its groove. The Rockets now have six wins, one regulation loss, and three overtime losses in their last ten games.

Hay sees Wednesday as part of that upward trend.

“I just thought we had a good week last week. We got four out of six points,” Hay said. “Now you are starting to build. You just cannot let down. We talked earlier in the week about having more of a killer instinct. When we get the lead, finish off the game. Maybe it is starting to sink in a little bit.”

The schedule doesn’t get any easier. Everett visits Friday, Portland comes Saturday. Two different styles, two different tests. Hay sees them as opportunities.

“I think it is good because it means something. The games are competitive and you are only going to get better with competitive games,” he said. “This team did not win a lot last year, so we have to start learning how to win.”

And Hay made it clear the Rockets need to carry this focus forward.

“Everett is a good team. Everett plays a different style than Edmonton. They throw everything at the net. They come at you hard on the forecheck,” he said. “You cannot relax when you are on the ice. As soon as you relax you find yourself creating a mistake.

We have to learn to stay on top of our game and stay focused for every shift.”

The Rockets showed Wednesday they can hang with the best. Now it’s about doing it again, two games in a row.