‘He is always going to be on our minds’ – Captain Carson Wetsch

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The Rockets insist the first two games have been tighter than the results suggest, but they also acknowledge there were differences between Game 1 and Game 2.

Enough talk. Time for action

As they say in Everett, 'Let's play hockey!

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Defenseman Keith McInnis didn’t sugarcoat the opener.

“First game wasn’t our best by any means,” he said. “I think we were more watching rather than playing.”

That changed in Game 2, at least early.

“I think going into Game 2, there was a lot more intensity and a lot more desperation,” McInnis said. “We had a really good start, and if we can keep that momentum through 60 minutes, we’ll be just fine.”

It’s a theme echoed by Wetsch, who pointed to a stronger opening period in the second game as a step in the right direction.

“I think we dominated that first period,” Wetsch said. “You could tell right from the start the energy was way up.”

But momentum hasn’t lasted long enough, and execution hasn’t followed consistently. Through two games, Kelowna has been outscored 8-3 and has yet to score on the power play, going 0-for-11. Everett, meanwhile, has capitalized at key moments.

The gap, McInnis suggests, isn’t structural – it’s situational.

“The way they play, they’re really selfless,” he said of the Silvertips. “So I think if we can shut them down on their end early, then we’ll be good.”

Defending Everett’s attack requires a full-unit approach. Their puck movement and support make it difficult to isolate one threat.

“I think it’s all five guys on the ice,” McInnis said. “The way they move the puck around, it’s a little bit more challenging. But if you have good sticks and if we can get a pin, it shuts everything down. They’re good players, give them respect, but it’s just another night.”

At times, the Silvertips’ offensive zone pressure can look controlled on the surface, but underneath, there’s constant motion.

“When they get rolling in the D-zone, things can be happening quickly,” McInnis said. “But if we just stick to our structure, stay in our lanes, they shouldn’t get anything.”

For the Rockets, the issues have been less about being overwhelmed and more about not capitalizing on opportunities when they present themselves, particularly on special teams and around the net.

“There’s definitely rebounds,” Wetsch said. “It’s just a matter of how bad you want it. If we work hard and get underneath their D-men, we can find more secondary chances.”

The power play remains a key storyline. It has shown flashes, but not finish.

“It wasn’t what we expected,” Wetsch said. “But if we all just get on the same page, things will start to pick up.”

McInnis sees it similarly, not as a systemic flaw, but as a missed opportunity waiting to turn.

“If we can score on the power play in Game 3, we’re right there,” he said. “We have all the belief in that room. We’ll be just fine.”

.Game 3 shifts the series to Kelowna, where the Rockets will try to turn a competitive but losing effort into a result that changes the tone.

“I think Game 3 is huge for us,” McInnis said. “We get that one, and then we get the next one at home, we’ll be just fine.”

Wetsch echoed the importance without overstating the situation.

“It’s a seven-game series. It’s a long series,” he said. “We’re not too worried about being down two. But Game 3 is going to be huge, especially in our home barn. We’ve got to take it to them.”

Now they’ll do it without one of their leaders.

Halaburda’s absence will be felt, but his presence, in a different way, will remain.