(Image Credit: Steve Dunsmoor)

By Regan Bartel

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Some nights in junior hockey, it feels like everyone is just trying not to trip over each other.

For the Kelowna Rockets, winners of 6 of their last 7 games, this season has been about learning how to play smart, stay steady, and trust each other without letting the chaos take over.

Head coach Derrick Martin says that’s where the real growth has come.

“We’re getting better at not forcing plays that aren’t there,” Martin said. “When we stay connected and trust the next play, our game settles down in a big way.” Translation: Sometimes the smartest play is not the flashiest one.

Martin says the team has also figured out that effort doesn’t take a day off.

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“Our group is starting to understand that you don’t get to pick when you compete,” he said. “It has to be there on every shift, whether things are going your way or not.” Basically, you can’t just coast when the scoreboard looks easy.

Accountability inside the room has also played a huge role.

“Our players are holding each other to a higher standard,” Martin said. “When that comes from inside the room, it’s powerful. It doesn’t have to come from the coaches all the time.” If you skip a check or take a bad line change, someone on the bench will notice — and probably tell you.

Leadership is clear in Captain Carson Wetsch. Martin says Wetsch’s impact goes beyond points.

“When I hear our players talk about our dressing room, that’s what means the most to me. Carson is a big part of driving our culture and making sure everyone feels included. He’s helped other guys along, and that leadership has been tremendous for us.”

It’s not just Wetsch carrying the load. Young players like Owen Folstrom, Eli Barrett, and Von Lakovic, who made his WHL debut recently in Wenatchee, are stepping.

“With some opportunity, guys have been able to show what they’re capable of,” Martin said. “Their minutes have gone up, and they’ve earned that by doing the hard things, getting pucks in deep, finishing checks and being reliable away from the puck.”

Trust is growing on the ice, too.

“The trust in our group has grown,” Martin said. “Guys are more comfortable playing the right way, even if it doesn’t show up on the scoresheet right away.” That confidence is the kind that lets a team survive the wild stretches of a junior hockey season.

For Martin, it all comes down to habits.

“When you focus on habits instead of outcomes, you give yourself a chance to be consistent,” he said. “That’s what we’re trying to build, a team that can rely on its game, no matter the situation.”

And now the Rockets open the month of March with a home game tonight against the hard-charging Spokane Chiefs, winners of six straight.

Spokane has come out of nowhere to sit fifth in the Western Conference, and if the playoffs were to begin tonight, the Rockets would meet them in the opening round.

They haven’t met in the playoffs since 2003, which adds a little extra spice to an already high-stakes matchup.