For a while Saturday night, it felt like the Kelowna Rockets were right there.
Not chasing. Not scrambling.
Right there.
But the same problem showed up again.
They couldn’t grab the lead.
The Everett Silvertips beat the Rockets 4–2 at Angel of the Winds Arena, taking a 2–0 lead in the best-of-seven series. And through two games, Kelowna still hasn’t led for a single second.
That’s the part that sticks.
“There’s a lot to like about our game tonight,” Rockets assistant coach Brandon McMillan said. “We had urgency. We competed hard. We were winning battles. It was a good effort – we just didn’t get the result.”
This one felt different than Game 1.
Better.
Kelowna pushed the pace. They outshot Everett 39–38. They had zone time. They had looks.
But the difference was where it mattered most.
Special teams.
The Rockets went 0-for-6 on the power play and are now 0-for-11 in the series. Everett made them pay, going 2 for 3 with the man advantage, and now 3 for 6 in two games.
“Anytime you’re playing from behind, it’s tough,” McMillan said. “They get a lead, and they keep it simple. Their power play scored, ours didn’t. That’s the difference.”
And it keeps happening early.
Everett opened the scoring again Saturday, just like in Game 1. From there, Kelowna was chasing.
Hayden Paupanekis got the Rockets on the board. Owen Folstrom added another.
Both goals kept Kelowna within reach.
But tying it wasn’t enough. They needed one more.
And they couldn’t find it.
“It’s a tight series,” McMillan said. “There’s not a lot of room for mistakes. They’ve capitalized on a few of ours.”
Most of Everett’s damage came from in tight.
Around the crease. On the power play. In those moments where playoff games swing.
Kelowna is still trying to get to those same spots more often.
“We’ve got to get to the net more,” McMillan said. “Their goalie has seen a lot of our shots. If we can create more traffic, we’ll have more success.”
That’s especially true on the power play.
Because it hasn’t been all bad.
Kelowna’s first power play of the night looked dangerous. Quick puck movement. Shots. Chances.
It just didn’t go in.
“You’re not going to score every time,” McMillan said. “But you want to build momentum. I thought we did that at times. We just didn’t finish.”
Everett didn’t have that problem.
“They’ve got a strong penalty kill,” McMillan said. “They pressure, they block shots, and they work together. For us, we’ve got to win pucks back and find ways to get shots through.”
Meanwhile, Everett keeps rolling at home.
The Silvertips have now won 17 straight games in their building dating back to the regular season. They’re 3–0 at home in the playoffs.
It’s a tough place to play.
Still, this series isn’t out of reach.
Not even close.
“They took care of home ice,” McMillan said. “Now we’ve got to do the same.”
The series shifts back to Kelowna for Games 3 and 4 on Tuesday and Wednesday.
That’s where things can change fast.
McMillan even pointed back to 2009, when a Kelowna team lost the first two games on the road and still came back to win the series.
The message is simple.
Stay with it.
“We knew it was going to be a long series,” he said. “We just have to clean up a few things and be ready at home.”
Because the truth is, the Rockets are close.
They’re not getting blown out.
They’re just not getting over the top.
“We’re right there,” McMillan said. “We just have to push it a little more and put together a full 60 minutes.”
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