Kelowna Rockets put up a season high nine goals in a pounding of the Vancouver Giants

Rockets pummel Giants

Photo: Contributed

Rockets put up a season high nine in win over Vancouver

Not even a broken down bus could prevent the Kelowna Rockets from rolling to an easy victory over the Vancouver Giants Saturday night at the Langley Events Centre.

The Rockets didn’t arrive in Langley until just after 6:30 for what was scheduled to be a 7 p.m. game after trouble with the bus’s heating system forced the team to wait for a second bus to get them to the game.

The start of the game was pushed up a half hour but even all that didn’t stop the Rockets on this night.

After a slow first period, the Rockets got their legs under them and ran away and hid.

Deadlocked at 1-1 after 20, the Rockets poured in five goals over the first 12:47 of the second period to build up a 6-1 lead en route to a 9-2 win.

Tig Iginla had a career-high six points including three goals and three assists. Dawson Gerwing also had a career high with two goals and two assists.

Tomas Poletin also scored twice with Ty Halaburda against his former team and Carson Wetsch had the others.

The Giants opened the scoring just seconds into a power play when Brett Olson tipped home Joe Iginla’s point shot. It was the younger Iginla’s first game in a Giants uniform after being acquired by Edmonton at the trade deadline.

It was all Kelowna after that.

Halaburda tied it before the end of the period, then Iginla just eight seconds into the second converted a pass from Wetsch on a two-on-one sending the Rockets on their way.

Tij Iginla was bound to score during the Iginla bowl, right?@Kelowna_Rockets | @utahmammoth | #TusksUp pic.twitter.com/fiQL6La1ud

— Western Hockey League (@TheWHL) February 1, 2026

Rookie Linden Sobocan turned away 16 shots to earn the win in his Western Hockey League debut.

The win, the Rockets third in a row, moves them into a fourth place tie with Kamloops in the Western Conference, four points in back of the third place Prince George Cougars.

The Rockets will host Portland Tuesday before heading north for a pair of key games with the Cougars next Friday and Saturday.