(Image Credit: RocketFAN)

By Regan Bartel

Toughest loss after trade deadline

Rockets fall in Wenatchee

Feb 13, 2026 | 10:11 PM

Inside the Town Toyota Center on Friday night, the Kelowna Rockets learned a hard lesson about discipline and detail, falling 5-3 to the Wenatchee Wild in a game that was never as comfortable as the standings suggested.

The two teams came in separated by 18 points, but from the opening faceoff, Wenatchee didn’t look intimidated.

The Rockets trailed 3-1 after the first period and were still behind 4-3 after forty minutes. A late empty net goal sealed the result and sent Kelowna to a frustrating loss at the end of a difficult night.

Kelowna’s goals came from Vojtěch Cihar, Dawson Gerwing and Hiroki Gojsic.

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Three of the five goals the Wild scored came on the power play, from a Wenatchee unit that entered the night ranked third-worst.

“We actually started the game fine,” said Rockets assistant coach Brandon McMillan after the game. “But we became undisciplined. Their power play gave them confidence and momentum, and after that, we were chasing the game.”

Wenatchee opened the scoring and followed it quickly with a power play goal that deflected in front of the net. A second power play marker later in the period gave the home team full control and sent Kelowna into the intermission down 3-1.

“They get that breathing room early,” McMillan said. “It does not matter who you are playing in this league. When you fall behind like that, it is hard to come back.”

The tipped goals in front created difficult conditions for Kelowna goaltender Harrison Boettiger, who struggled to find sight lines through traffic.

“From what we were seeing on the bench, one went off our own defender and another one was tipped,” McMillan said. “Those are tough plays for any goalie. But you cannot keep putting yourself in those situations. Taking undisciplined penalties just wears your group down.”

After a first period that lacked structure and discipline, the Rockets responded with a much stronger second.

Kelowna began to move the puck more quickly through the neutral zone and spent longer stretches in the offensive end. Cihar helped ignite the push with a goal that brought the Rockets back to life and gave the bench some energy.

Gerwing followed with a finish around the net that cut the lead again and forced Wenatchee to defend instead of attack. Later in the period, Gojsic found open space and pulled Kelowna within one.

By the end of forty minutes, Wenatchee still held a 4-3 lead, but the game had completely changed.

“We showed some real resilience in the second period,” McMillan said. “We got our game back and gave ourselves a chance.”

The third period turned into a tight, physical grind.

Kelowna pushed for the tying goal, but Wenatchee closed off the middle of the ice and forced most of the Rockets’ shots to come from the outside. Several promising shifts ended with blocked shots or cleared rebounds before second chances could develop.

“We had some looks,” McMillan said. “We just could not find that equalizer.”

The Rockets were handed a critical opportunity late in regulation when they went to the power play with a chance to tie the game. Instead, Wenatchee’s aggressive penalty kill pressured the puck immediately and disrupted Kelowna’s setup before it could get organized.

“They are the best penalty killing group in the league,” McMillan said. “They pressure you right away. You have to know what you are going to do with the puck before it even gets to you. We were not executing the next play.”

The chance disappeared quickly when a penalty taken early in the power play wiped out most of the advantage and turned the situation into four-on-four hockey.

“That is something we have to clean up,” McMillan said. “We have to be smarter as a group.”

As time slipped away, Kelowna pulled the goaltender and went with the extra attacker. The Rockets struggled to generate clean looks from the slot, and one loose puck sitting in front of the Wenatchee net could not be found in time to create a real scoring chance.

Moments later, the Wild moved the puck up ice and scored into the empty net to make it 5-3.

“We did not generate enough inside,” McMillan said. “There was a puck sitting in front and we just could not find it. Those little moments usually decide games.”

The loss comes only days after Kelowna defeated Wenatchee, but McMillan said the coaching staff was already unhappy with the way the Rockets started that game as well.

“We talked about it after Wednesday, even though we won,” he said. “We were not happy with our first period. With this group right now, it is about consistency. It has to be there every shift, every period, every night.”

McMillan also felt the third period showed a team trying to force offence rather than trust its structure.

“We tried to do too much on our own,” he said. “Instead of letting the game come to us, we tried to create something individually. This is a hard league. You have to play connected.”

The result served as another reminder of how dangerous games can be late in the season, especially against teams playing without pressure.

“At this time of year, teams lower in the standings just go out and play,” McMillan said. “They have no pressure. We do not have the right to take anyone lightly.

“We have to come back with a big chip on our shoulder and show why we expect to be a top team by the end of the season.”