Rockets come up empty in Royal rematch

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“We definitely did not come out ready to play in the first period,” McMillan told RocketFAN. “It was one of the first periods that we felt as a staff that we got outworked. Our identity is our work ethic, and we felt like they took it to us in the first period.”

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Victoria scored three times in the opening period, forcing Kelowna to chase the game for the second consecutive night. Folstrom’s goal provided a response, but the Rockets still faced a two-goal deficit heading into the intermission.

Kelowna showed some improvement in the second period, controlling more of the play and creating opportunities to get back within striking distance.

The chances were there, but the offensive production never followed.

“I think our second period was better,” McMillan said. “We generated more. We didn’t have the shot volume that I think we wanted, but we still had some looks, and we felt like we were controlling more of the play in the second.”

The power play also failed to provide a spark. Kelowna went 0-for-5 with the man advantage, struggling to get pucks through traffic and allowing Victoria’s penalty killers to disrupt its setup.

“We were just trying to make the extra pass instead of just shooting,” McMillan said. “They blocked a lot of shots on us tonight. We weren’t getting pucks through.”

The problem, he added, was compounded by the time Kelowna spent handling the puck and searching for the perfect play.

“If you’re slow, if you’re overpassing, then that’s when penalty kills are comfortable and they’re able to get lanes, block shots and break up these plays.”

Friday’s 5-4 shootout loss to Victoria had been a frustrating way to open the road trip’s final two games. The Rockets had let opportunities to secure the win slip away before eventually losing in the shootout. Saturday brought a different challenge, as Kelowna never recovered from its early deficit.

Discipline was also a factor across the two-game stretch. The Rockets gave Victoria eight power plays Friday and five more Saturday, providing the Royals with too many opportunities to capitalize.

“They’ve got some of the top-end skill in the country,” McMillan said. “When you’re undisciplined like we were, and we give them eight power plays yesterday and five today, they’re going to score goals on it. It doesn’t matter how good a penalty kill you have.”

Although Kelowna’s discipline improved Saturday, the early deficit and lack of offensive production proved too much to overcome.

The 20-shot performance was also a departure from what the Rockets had established through the opening weeks of the season. Kelowna had been among the WHL’s leading teams in shots on goal while limiting opponents’ opportunities at the other end.

McMillan believes the team needs to return to the approach that had served it well.

“We’ve been doing really well this year with shooting the puck, and I think we were near the top of the league in shots for and even in shots against,” he said. “That’s something we got away from this weekend.”

The loss ends a stretch in which Kelowna had found ways to collect points even when games extended beyond regulation. The Rockets needed overtime in each of their previous four games, including three shootout losses, but Saturday’s defeat offered no such consolation.

Kelowna now turns its attention to the Portland Winterhawks, with the two teams set to meet next Friday.

For McMillan, the message coming out of Victoria was straightforward.

“We just weren’t prepared and we weren’t ready to compete at the start of the game,” he said. “That’s really what ended up costing us, our first period.”