(Image Credit: Steve Dunsmoor)

By Regan Bartel

Iginla scores twice

Rockets hold off Blazers

Feb 21, 2026 | 9:02 PM

The Kelowna Rockets did exactly what playoff-bound teams are supposed to do on home ice Saturday night: stay patient, survive a strong push from a desperate opponent, and let their stars finish the job.

Behind a pair of goals from Tij Iginla only 66 seconds apart in the second period, Kelowna skated to a composed 4-2 win over the Kamloops Blazers, tightening their grip on fourth place in the Western Conference race and keeping third firmly within reach.

The victory keeps the Rockets one point back of the Prince George Cougars for third in the conference, while stretching their cushion over Kamloops to seven points with just a dozen games remaining.

It wasn’t flashy. It wasn’t overwhelming. But it was mature.

And that word came up more than once from Kelowna assistant coach Brandon McMillan after the game.

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The Blazers made sure of that.

“I thought we really took over the last ten minutes of the second period,” McMillan said. “We had a lot of zone time, we were creating chances, breaking them down and making plays. Their goalie made some very good saves and kept them in it.”

The moment finally arrived in rapid-fire fashion.

With the game tied 1–1, Iginla took over.

He struck once to give Kelowna the lead, then struck again just 66 seconds later, snapping the game open and sending the Rockets to the intermission up 3-1.

It was the kind of sequence that changes the tone of a building and a night.

For Iginla, it was yet another reminder of the level he has reached. The two-goal night pushed him past the 200-career-point mark and continued a surge that has made him one of the most dangerous players in the league down the stretch.

“He’s obviously one of the elite players in this league, if not the best,” McMillan said. “He’s really elevated his game the last few weeks. Since he came back from the World Juniors, you can see his game has gone to another level. He’s leading our group offensively and taking a lot more responsibility on his own end too.”

But if the second period belonged to Iginla, the third belonged to structure.

Kamloops came hard, cutting into the lead and forcing Kelowna into a far more defensive posture.

It looked passive at times.

McMillan acknowledged the Rockets adjusted their approach through the neutral zone and made a few tactical changes to manage the push.

“We changed a little bit of our neutral-zone forecheck,” he said. “There are a few things we can tweak when we watch it back, but overall, we played a very mature and responsible game. Our puck decisions in the neutral zone were very good, getting pucks in deep and managing the game.”

The Blazers made things uncomfortable, but Kelowna never unravelled.

Instead, they waited.

And when Kamloops took a late penalty while pushing for the tying goal, the Rockets were handed the chance to finish the job.

With the Blazers’ net empty, Vojtech Cihar buried the power-play insurance marker to seal it.

It was a deserved reward on a night when Cihar was heavily involved offensively, piling up eight shots and spending most of the evening attacking with pace.

“We’ve really stressed for him to be more offensive and to think that way,” McMillan said. “He’s taken a big step in his game. He has to shoot more, and tonight he did. He’s such a smart player, always in the right spot, great stick, great mind — and he helps us on both sides of the puck.”

Kelowna didn’t chase offense in the third. They didn’t force plays through pressure. They accepted that Kamloops would push, and prepared for it.

“We knew they were going to come,” McMillan said. “We were up 3-1 and trying to hold a lead. I thought we handled it well.”

McMillan pointed out the need for more depth scoring and consistency throughout the lineup, especially as the schedule tightens and the margin for error disappears.

“That’s something that can creep in when you have a player producing the way Iggy is,” he said. “Other guys still have to contribute. We need to get more from our group, and hopefully, as we get healthier and deeper, that will help.”

But in the bigger picture, Saturday’s result fit the script Kelowna is trying to write heading into the final stretch.

“You want to keep pushing and keep getting better,” McMillan said. “We’re still trying to hunt down Prince George. It would be nice to get that third spot. This is the time of year when you really want to elevate your game.”