Rockets roll with depth and discipline

The Kelowna Rockets are starting to look like a team that knows exactly who it is, and maybe even what it can become.

Wednesday night’s 6-1 win in Spokane was Kelowna’s eleventh victory of the season, pushing the record to 11-7-3-1 and moving the Rockets into a tie for third in the BC Division with Kamloops. The team now has only two regulation losses in its last thirteen games.

Six different players scored in the win, and that tells the story. The Rockets did not lean on one guy or one line — the whole lineup got rolling.

Right from puck drop, Kelowna settled into its structure. A big moment came late in the first period when Tomas Poletin, the Teddy Toss goal scorer, found the back of the net with his thirteenth of the season.

“I thought the late goal in the first was a big one,” Associate coach Don Hay told RocketFAN. “Poletin’s goal came off a good forecheck, and he snapped it home. That was a key part of the game.”

Spokane pushed back early in the second, but Dawson Gerwing, coming out of the penalty box, restored the two-goal lead with a confident two-on-one rush.

“I thought Gerwing’s goal was key because it came right after he got out of the penalty box,” Hay said. “We killed it, he scored, and made a great play. Good shot, settled us down, and we controlled the rest of the period.”

Kelowna added another before the break, though things got a little loose at times.

“We got the two early goals, and then it got a bit scrambly. I thought we stopped making the simple play, getting pucks behind their defensemen. They are missing two talented players and you want to make them defend. We did that, then we stopped, took a couple penalties, and gave them some life.”

A big penalty kill late in the second helped steady things heading into the third.

“We finished the period killing off the penalty, which was really important,” Hay added. “Then in the third we got a power play goal and a short-handed goal, so we got back to playing the right way.”

One of the nicest plays of the night came from veteran defenseman Nate Corbet, who jumped into the rush and finished off a clean three-way passing play.

“We talk about that all the time. Corbet made a great breakout pass, jumped up, [Tij] Iginla made a good pass, exactly how you draw it up.”

Corbet does not score often, so it was a big moment.

“He does not get a lot of goals, so it is nice to see him get rewarded.”

The short-handed goal came from Shane Smith, a player Hay leans on in every situation.

“Shane is a Swiss Army knife. Power play, penalty kill, six on five, center, wing. He has been a really valuable addition.”

Hay’s mindset on aggressive penalty killing has not changed.

“If you have a chance to go, go. Short-handed goals can change a game. I just do not want guys cheating.”

One Rocket still searching for his first of the season is Levi Benson, but Hay believes it is coming.

“He is playing with good players. He made a great play on the fourth goal. You do not lose offensive skill, sometimes you just lose a little confidence. You have to get to the net.”

Now the focus shifts to Friday in Tri City.

“They are a team trying to find their identity too. They win games you do not expect and lose games they probably should win. That is the parity in the league right now.”

Parity might define the WHL, but momentum belongs to Kelowna, who sit in 5th place in the Western Conference.

Six goals. Six different scorers. Eleven wins. Only two regulation losses in thirteen games. The Rockets are finding their stride, and they have started this U.S Division road trip on a winning note.