Gutting out a one goal win

It was long overdue.

The Kelowna Rockets’ first win came when, if excuses were acceptable, this was the time a mulligan could be conceded.

Playing their third game in four nights while facing a team well rested with a week off, a road victory for the Kelowna Rockets didn’t look probable Saturday night in Tri-City.

Instead of cowering to mental and physical fatigue, a team with talent and skill was sick of losing five in a row, digging deep in a 2-1 win.

“I thought our group was really good in the first period and built off it with that momentum,” Rockets assistant coach Derrick Martin said after the game. “We had a lot of guys step up. It was one that we needed.”

Despite surrendering the opening goal for a sixth consecutive game, Michael Cicek, the team’s leading scorer, extended his point streak to six games with a power play goal before Caden Price scored the game winner with his first of the season less than five minutes later.

Price was a force back on defense, playing his best game of the season and showing why he was invited to Hockey Canada’s summer evaluation camp for the world junior team.

“Mental toughness is the ability to separate act from feel,” Martin added after his team gave up the opening goal where it would be easy to slip into the mindset of ‘here we go again’. “We acted like pros coming out of that, and we got back after it following the goal. It’s a good sign from a group that needed that.”

After starting five consecutive games to begin the season and coming up empty handed, Jari Kykkanen was given the night off and backup Jake Pilon stood tall with a 31 save performance, and first star honours.

“Jake was unbelievable tonight,” Marten added. “He did everything we could have asked him to do for us.”

It was Pilon’s first road win since December 12, 2023, when the 18 year-old made 32 stops in a 2-1 win in Moose Jaw where he was named the third star.

With Pilon dialed in Saturday night before an impressive crowd of 4,136 at Toyota Center, the road team surrendered just five-third period shots for their 16th win in their last 18 regular season games against the Americans.

“The message was pretty cut and clear,” Martin added about the approach heading into third period with a slim 2-1 lead. “We weren’t going to take a step back. We were going to continue to push the pace and push forward and even when we were hemmed inside our own zone, we had a checking mentality. Guys were filling lanes and it was difficult for them to get pucks to our net.”

Listen to the audio as Regan Bartel speaks with Kelowna Rockets AC Derrick Martin after the one goal victory: 

Once the buzzer sounded, and the players filed off the bench to celebrate with Pilon, forward Brett Calhoon was seen picking  up the game puck.

“Mally [Kris Mallette] was yelling at him to get the game puck and he was kind enough to acknowledge me for my first win in the WHL,” Martin added about the valuable souvenir he gladly accepted post-game in the victorious dressing room. “It certainly took longer than I anticipated it would.

“It was a nice moment to share with the group that I am really proud to be apart of.”