Kelowna Rockets come back from a terrible first to beat Wenatchee 8-4

Rockets shake off bad start

Photo: Steve Dunsmoor

Shane Smith had three goals in his return to the Rockets lineup Wednesday

You look at the final score and you think the Kelowna Rockets had their way with the visiting Wenatchee Wild.

An 8-4 drubbing and a 49-33 shot differential will do that.

Not the case on this night. Even up 2-0 early, the Rockets were at times disorganized and falling into old habits behind their blueline.

Shane Smith, who returned to the lineup Wednesday after missing two weeks with an upper body injury, helped set up Mazden Leslie then scored on a shot that went off Wild defenceman Boston Tait’s skate.

But the Wild took advantage of a couple of penalties and some sloppy play to grab a 3-2 lead after 20.

Former Rocket Levi Benson scored the go-ahead goal, batting a puck out of mid air after a point shot hit the end glass and sailed into the crease.

“I just thought we took a two-goal lead, got a lucky bounce to get the two-goal lead and I thought we took it for granted and wasted away the rest of the period,” said head coach Derrick Martin.

“I thought we were marginally better in the second…I didn’t think we were anywhere near our standard.

“In the third period I thought we were a better team but we learned last weekend we can’t be a 20-minute team and be successful.

I give a ton of credit to the job they’ve done over there. They don’t quit but we need to be better.”

Twenty minutes, he said, is not a recipe for success.

The trio of Smith, Carson Wetsch and Ty Halaburda were easily the best line Wednesday and the only three really going in the first.

And, the jumpstarted the comeback in the second.

Smith took a long stretch pass from Halaburda, skated in all alone and beat Tobias Tvrznik five hole with a deke to the backhand. Just 22 seconds later Ryan Oothoudt scored his first Western Hockey League goal on a pretty setup from Hayden Paupanekis to send Kelowna into the third up a goal.

Vojtech Cihar, who Martin admitted struggled in the first, increased the lead when he was awarded a penalty shot after being hauled down at the end of a gorgeous end-to-end rush.

Coming off the left wing, Cihar, instead of deking, flicked the puck into the top corner bringing the crowd, and the bench to their feet.

ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED??? ?

VOTJECH CIHAR WITH AN ABSOLUTE NASTY PENALTY SHOT GOAL!!@Kelowna_Rockets | @LAKings | #GoKingsGo pic.twitter.com/3lP5Xy59qT

— Western Hockey League (@TheWHL) February 12, 2026

“It was pretty crazy. When he was at centre ice we were trying to think what he was going to do and that wasn’t one of the ones,” said Smith.

“It was super exciting and super cool and we joke around about it but obviously it gives us confidence to have a player like that out there.”

After the Wild got one back on a deflection on one of their four shots in the period, the Rockets pulled away.

Tij Iginla with his 27th, Smith with his third and 27th of the campaign and Hiroki Gojsic rounded out the scoring.

Smith, with three goals and an assist did not look rusty on his return to the ice.

“A lot of work while the boys were playing the games the last couple of weeks trying to stay in game shape and doing what I can.

“But, I owe a lot of thanks to my linemates tonight. It was a pretty easy game for me out there.”

One of those linemates, Carson Wetsch, had four assists on the night.

The Rockets, who were outshot 21-9 in the first, peppered Tvrznik with 40 shots over the final 40 minutes as Kelowna outshot the Wild by that wide margin.

The Rockets get the Wild again Friday night in Wenatchee and Martin says the recipe is very simple.

We know what makes us successful, we know what our identity is. We’ve done this 51 times, we have a large enough sample size.

“It’s just about buying in at the start of the game and not waiting until our backs are pressed against the wall.”

Wednesday’s win moved the Rockets a point up on Kamloops into third in the BC Division and fourth in the conference.

They are just a single point in back of Prince George.