From heartbreak to heart attack hockey

• Share on Facebook
• Share on Bluesky
• Share on X
• Copy Link

“It was a nice change, especially the way things have been going of late,” assistant coach Josh MacNevin said after the game. “The guys jumping up and down on the bench…they deserved that one.”

Rockets await start of Memorial Cup

Chances were there. Goals weren't

Apr 20, 2026

Enough talk. Time for action

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

Apr 10, 2026

Rockets face road test in games 3 and 4

Goaltending, discipline and depth driving 2-0 series lead over Blazers

Mar 30, 2026

Indeed, they did, especially after gift-wrapping a win for the Royals on Saturday night, with the game-winner scored with 2:33 remaining in the game. A likely win turned into a terrible loss.

“Things haven’t been going great, and we’ve been fighting and scratching for that win,” MacNevin added. “They come back and tie it at 2-2, and everyone starts gripping their sticks a little tight and nobody wants to be the guy to cost us anything.”

With time ticking down before Iginla’s late-game heroics, 17-year-old Americans forward Jordan Gavin had a great chance to win the game when he was able to find a free lane towards the net on the backhand, with goalie Jari Kykkanen, the first star, coming up large with a game-saving save.

“Jari had everybody’s back and put us on his back for a bit,” MacNevin said with relief coming from his voice. “It is so good for our confidence to get the win. It is important.”

Outshot 36-27 in the game, the Americans, with just five wins since Christmas looked determined to edge closer to a playoff spot in the Western Conference.

“They were throwing a lot of pucks on net,” MacNevin added with his team still leading 2-1 heading into the third period despite surrendering 24 shots through 40 minutes. “That was part of their game plan for sure. We did a pretty good job of limiting them to one of those shots. If it is one at a time, I have lots of confidence in the world for Jari to do what he does.”

When Americans forward Parker Bell scored with 13 minutes left in the third period, you could see the Rockets’ spirits sink, almost with a look of  -‘here we go again’.

“You want your older guys to take over and show composure in a situation like that,” he said. “You need to be a calming influence. You just have to play. Sure, they have some momentum but if you calm down and do things you should be doing, keep it simple, it generally works out.”

After losing twice in Victoria both Friday and Saturday night by identical 3-2 scores, a loss again by that same difference would have been devastating.

“It is a good learning experience for the guys,” MacNevin added. “Hopefully this will kick start something for us, or at least that is the plan.”

With 12 games left in the season and sitting four points back of the Vancouver Giants for sixth place in the Western Conference, the stakes get even higher when the two teams meet this Friday at Prospera Place.”

“We have been so close the last couple of games and they haven’t been going our way,” MacNevin said about his team snapping a four-game losing streak. “Throughout the season you are going to have those games. You are going to have a game where the opposition goalie steals a game.”

With just seven more games on home ice and five more on the road, the belief is a win like this will have carryover into the final four weeks of the regular season.

“I believe we won it [the game] late because we did things right earlier and we got rewarded at the end.

“It is good for the morale and the mental state of our team.”