Rockets let opportunity slip away

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It was a familiar score with a very different ending for the Rockets, who beat the Kamloops Blazers 3-2 in overtime a week earlier. Kelowna is now 1-2 in its three overtime games this season.

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Assistant coach Brandon McMillan liked what he saw early, but the Rockets couldn’t sustain it for a full 60 minutes.

“We came out really strong. We came out ready to play,” McMillan said. “We had a really good first period, got up two goals, outshot them, took control of the game.”

Jakub Frolo scored his first WHL goal, while Jacob Henderson also found the back of the net for Kelowna. The two goals gave the Rockets an early advantage, but Brandon responded with a much stronger second period after making a goaltending change.

The Wheat Kings began winning more physical battles, finishing their checks and putting the Rockets under pressure. Kelowna, meanwhile, struggled to match the intensity it had shown in the opening period.

“I said something on the bench during the second period that they were out-hitting us now,” McMillan said. “They were moving their feet and finishing their checks. We looked like we were a little bit content that we were up two goals, and they were able to claw back into it.”

The Rockets needed a response, and it came after Brandon appeared to take the lead with a third goal. Kelowna’s coaching staff spotted a potential offside and successfully challenged the play, keeping the score tied 2-2.

McMillan said the coaching staff relies on a combination of video review on the bench and communication with someone watching the game from the press box.

“We have the iPads down on the bench, and we have somebody up here in the booth who’s watching the play as it goes on,” he said. “I’m wearing a walkie-talkie in my ear, so all I hear is the goal go in, and then I hear somebody up top say that it looked like it was offside.”

With the officials preparing to restart play, the coaching staff had little time to make a decision. McMillan checked the replay on the bench’s iPad before alerting head coach Derrick Martin.

“The eye in the sky was saying it was offside. I double-checked down there and then told Marty, and we called them over, and they were able to reverse the call,” McMillan said.

“It’s great to get the calls right because that was a blatant offside that was missed by the officials. It’s nice that we can go back and look and get the plays right.”

The overturned goal kept the game tied, but the Rockets couldn’t regain the control they had established early. Both teams played cautiously in the third period, with neither willing to make the mistake that could decide the outcome.

McMillan felt the Rockets could have done more to dictate the pace, particularly on home ice.

“I think it was a little bit safe,” he said. “This was their last game on their road trip, so they were just trying to play safe, and we looked like we didn’t want to make a mistake either.

“That’s something we can learn from. We want to go out there and dictate and take control, especially on home ice.”

The game went to overtime, where the Wheat Kings found their opportunity just 1:41 into the extra period.

During a faceoff, Kelowna’s Tomas Poletin fell while battling for the puck and lost his helmet. Under WHL rules, a player who loses his helmet must leave the ice immediately, forcing Poletin to make a long trip back to the Rockets’ bench.

That left Kelowna temporarily vulnerable as Brandon took advantage of the numbers situation to create the winning opportunity.

“Unfortunately, he loses his helmet, and in this league, you have to get off the ice right away,” McMillan said. “We’re the furthest dot away from our bench, so he’s got to sprint back to our bench. They have a little three-on-two for probably 10 or 15 seconds until we get fresh legs on the ice.

“Unfortunately, they made a play and had a really good shot.”

Cole Slobodian scored the winner, with Brady Turko picking up an assist, giving Brandon its seventh victory of the season.

Despite the disappointment, McMillan said the Rockets could take positives from the performance, including their penalty killing. Kelowna shut down every Brandon power play, while the Rockets’ own power play has continued to show progress through an increased emphasis on video work and practice repetitions.

“Special teams are so big in this league, and if you can have a good power play and a good penalty kill, a lot of nights they can win you hockey games,” McMillan said.

“It’s something we’ve really focused on this year and really worked a lot more off the ice with video and in practice. We’ve built it into our practices a bit more, and it’s starting to show dividends.”

For McMillan, the challenge now is turning the experience into a lesson the Rockets can use going forward. Kelowna had a two-goal lead against a strong opponent but couldn’t find the third goal that might have put the game out of reach.

“We did a lot of good things tonight,” he said. “If we can continue to grow and, like I’ve said, just put teams away, we had them on the ropes.

“They’re on a long road trip. If we can just put those teams away in the second period, then this is a different story and a different conversation for us.”