(Image Credit: Steve Dunsmoor)

By Regan Bartel

Rockets win in extra time

Finally….an OT victory

Feb 20, 2026 | 10:05 PM

The road has not always been kind to the Kelowna Rockets this season. Over-time, in particular, has been an unsolved problem.

Until Friday night.

In a tight, emotional Western Hockey League rivalry game, the Rockets finally found their breakthrough, edging the Kamloops Blazers 3–2 in overtime, thanks to a winner 1:55 into the extra session.

The goal came off the stick of Mazden Leslie, and it ended a long wait for Kelowna’s first overtime victory of the season after losing five straight.

After the game, Rockets associate coach Don Hay summed it up with a smile.

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“It was probably our best ugly win,” Hay said. “But it was nice to finally get an overtime win, and it’s always nice to win on the road.”

The Rockets were the better team early, building a 2–0 lead with a strong pace and sharp execution. They created chances off the rush, defended well through the neutral zone, and forced Kamloops into hurried decisions.

But as often happens in rivalry games, momentum turned quickly.

Late in the second period, Kelowna suffered a short but costly lapse. Two goals just over a minute apart erased the lead and sent the game into the second intermission tied 2–2.

“We had a little bit of a lull late in the second,” Hay said. “We gave some pucks away, and they capitalized. It was a pretty even game, and it could have gone either way.”

Instead of folding, Kelowna leaned into the defensive details that have defined its recent play. And most importantly, the Rockets survived two key penalty kills against one of the more dangerous power plays in the league.

Those kills, Hay said, were a turning point.

“We had two big penalty kills in the third period, and that was really important for us,” he said. “Guys were blocking shots, getting in lanes, and doing the little things.”

Leslie was right in the middle of it. Before scoring the winner, he delivered a complete two-way performance, a goal, two assists, and a critical blocked shot late in regulation that kept the game tied.

Behind all of it stood Harrison Boettiger.

The Rockets’ goaltender was steady, but his best work came early in the third period when Kamloops pressed hard to take the lead.

“I thought he played well throughout the game,” Hay said. “Even when we were up 2–0, he made good saves. He looked square and confident tonight.”

Boettiger finished the night with 28 saves and turned away several dangerous chances during the Blazers’ early third-period power play.

Line changes also played a quiet but important role in keeping Kelowna balanced as the game tightened.

Hay explained that the coaching staff adjusted the forward combinations to spread the offense and avoid leaning too heavily on one group.

“One line had been playing really well,” he said. “We split it up a little bit, and it helped balance things out and gave us more depth.”

Then came overtime.

Kelowna controlled possession early in the extra frame, moved the puck patiently through the neutral zone, and finally found an opening. Leslie jumped into the play, scoring his 14th goal of the season and handing the Blazers their sixth straight overtime loss at home.

“At one point, we were one of the only teams without an overtime win,” Hay said. “So it was good to finally get one.”

It was also another reminder of how thin the margins are in this rivalry.

One of the night’s other standout performances came from Tij Iginla, who reached a major milestone. His two goals gave him 99 and 100 for his Western Hockey League career, pushing him to the team lead in points with 63.

The Rockets were not perfect. Hay admitted some turnovers stalled momentum and stretches where the team made things harder than necessary.

“We have to play better,” he said plainly about the rematch Saturday at Prospera Place.

“We have to be better from the drop of the puck to the end of the game. There were a few turnovers that hurt us, and we have to take that out of our game.”