By Regan Bartel

End February with upset loss

Third period collapse in Wenatchee

Feb 28, 2026 | 9:15 PM

It was supposed to be a simple, business-like road win across the border.

One last stop in Wenatchee.
One last push before the calendar turns to playoff mode.

Instead, it became one of the most shocking third periods the season has delivered.

The Kelowna Rockets watched a tight, controlled hockey game fall apart Saturday night, giving up five goals in the final 20 minutes and dropping a 6–2 decision to the Wenatchee Wild.

Through forty minutes, the night could not have been scripted much better for Kelowna.

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The Rockets carried a 2–1 lead into the third period on goals from Ryan Oothaudt and Ty Halaburda, had limited Wenatchee to just 10 shots through two periods, and had checked every box you want to see from a team trying to climb the Western Conference standings late in the season.

They were patient.
They were structured.
They were in control.

Then, in a span of 20 minutes, it all disappeared.

Wenatchee poured in five third-period goals, completely flipping the game and snapping Kelowna’s season-high six-game winning streak.

After the game, Rockets assistant coach Brandon McMillan tried to explain how a calm road game turned into something else entirely.

“You know, it kind of felt a little bit eerie,” McMillan said. “It was a tight game going into the third. I thought we actually started the third period pretty well. We had a couple of really good shifts and some chances. Then they got one on the board. They seemed to get a couple pretty quick and gained some momentum.”

The Wild tied the game early in the third, and from that point on, the building felt different.

What had been a slow, defensive game suddenly opened up. The pace jumped. The space disappeared. And it was the home team that fed off it.

“They got one on the board and then a couple pretty quick,” McMillan said. “Then we started trying to do too much, trying to chase it. That’s where we gave up a few more.”

For Kelowna, the collapse was not about how they played for most of the night.

It was about a few moments.

A few rushed plays.

A few decisions that snowballed.

“We didn’t defend our net very well,” McMillan said. “And then we had a few odd-man rushes against us because we’re trying to do too much in the offensive zone. Those kill you in tight hockey games. We have to manage the puck better.”

When asked which goal really broke the game open, McMillan didn’t point to the tying goal. He didn’t point to the go-ahead goal either.

He pointed to the fifth goal of the period.

“Even when it was 4–2, we felt like we still had enough firepower to get another two,” he said. “It was that fifth one. We turned the puck over, they came down on an odd-man rush and scored.”

The timing of the loss made it sting even more.

Earlier in the night, the Prince George Cougars had lost, opening the door for the Rockets to move into third place in the Western Conference of the Western Hockey League.

It was there for them.

Instead, the opportunity slipped away.

“Going into the third, it was a huge opportunity for our group,” McMillan said. “To take a step forward and leapfrog them in the standings. Hopefully it’s another learning lesson for us. How to play third periods, especially when you’re in an away barn and you’re a little thin.”

Despite the five-goal outburst, McMillan was careful not to frame the loss around effort.

“They’re a hardworking team. That’s their identity,” he said of Wenatchee. “I don’t think they outworked us tonight. I think they outworked us in a few key areas, and they scored some key goals.”

Once the game was tied at 2–2, the energy in the rink shifted. Wenatchee’s confidence grew with every shift, and the Wild started to look like a team that believed the night was theirs.

For a Rockets group that had built momentum through February and started to look comfortable heading toward the playoffs, the loss was jarring.

But, in McMillan’s view, it was not a setback that defines them.

“I don’t think it takes away from what we’ve done this month,” he said. “It’s that time of year. You’ve got to move on to the next day. Every game is a playoff game now.”

Kelowna now turns its attention to a critical mid-week matchup against the Spokane Chiefs, a team McMillan believes could very easily be waiting for them in the first round.

“We need to be ready for them,” he said. “And really show them our best game.”

Saturday night in Wenatchee was a reminder of how thin the line can be this time of year.

You don’t have to be outplayed for sixty minutes to lose a hockey game.

Sometimes, you only lose it for a few.