Photo credit: Steve Dunsmoor

By Regan Bartel

Teamwork makes the dream work

Two tough tests for Rockets

Jan 16, 2026 | 6:00 AM

The Kelowna Rockets play the Calgary Hitmen tonight, and both teams are rolling. The Hitmen have won four in a row, while the Rockets have picked up three straight wins, one shy of their longest streak this season.

For Rockets coach Derrick Martin, the way his team has come together isn’t about fancy coaching. It’s about players caring and buying in.

“That’s not coaching,” he said. “That’s the people in the room and the people that came into the room.”

During the three-game win streak, the Rockets have allowed just five goals and scored five power-play goals, plus a shorthanded goal. Martin says that comes from players taking ownership on and off the ice.

“They ask questions. You give them feedback or advice, and you can see them try to put it into their game right away,” he said.

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Even with new players joining the team, forward Ty Halaburda and defenseman Parker Alcos, the group clicked quickly. On the bus to Portland, players were joking and keeping the energy up, the kind of culture Martin wants.

“Our room is really welcoming,” he said. “At the end of the day, guys want to have fun and they want to win hockey games.”

The Rockets also got a boost last weekend with veteran defenseman Nate Corbet returning after missing 16 games. As an assistant captain, Corbet helps set the tone in the locker room.

“Leadership like that is huge,” Martin said.

Are they fully bought in yet? Martin says not quite.

“I wouldn’t say they’re bought in yet. I’d say they’re all in,” he said.

Buy-in, he explains, isn’t instant. It’s about trying, learning, and sticking with it, which the Rockets have done.

“Buy-in is everything we do all the time, and that takes a little while,” he added.

Motivation matters too.

This weekend, the Rockets host Calgary and Prince George. Tonight’s game will be emotional as captain Carson Wetsch faces his former team for the first time since being traded. After a four-game absence, Hayden Paupanekis will also likely play, giving the team more depth at centre.

Prince George leads the Rockets by three points for second place in the BC Division, with the Cougars opening the weekend with a stop in Kamloops tonight.

Both home games can be heard on 104-7 The LIZARD, or stream the games right here at RocketFAN.CA. https://rocketfan.ca/player/?playerID=2740