Rockets Battle Royals in Prospera Place Rematch
WHL Kelowna Rockets

Rockets Battle Royals in Prospera Place Rematch

Published on March 11, 2026 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Kelowna Rockets News Release


Kelowna Rockets defenceman Owen Hayden
Kelowna Rockets defenceman Owen Hayden
(Kelowna Rockets)

The Kelowna Rockets are set to take on the Victoria Royals for the second time in five days. The Rockets last played the Royals Saturday night at Prospera Place, where they won 9-2. The Rockets will head back to the Prospera Place for the rematch Wednesday night at 7:05pm PST.

KELOWNA ROCKETS

The Kelowna Rockets enter the weekend having won eight of their last eleven games. They currently sit fourth in the Western Conference and are in a very tight race with the Prince George Cougars for the third seed.

Tij Iginla (39G, 45A), the 2024 NHL sixth-overall pick, continues to lead the Rockets' offensive charge. Iginla, who was just named WHL Player of the Week, is currently on a 13-game point streak where he has recorded 33 points. Carson Wetsch (22G, 48A) continues to be a consistent playmaker and is approaching the 50-assist mark this season. Ty Halaburda (29G, 35A) has also been extremely effective for the Rockets since being acquired at the deadline. Tomas Poletin (19G, 14A) returned to the lineup last weekend and recorded two assists, while fellow Czech Vojtech Cihar (8G, 17A) is riding a four-game point streak.

On the blue line, Mazden Leslie (17G, 45A) leads the defensive unit and currently ranks eighth among WHL defensemen in scoring. Keith McInnis (9G, 23A) and Parker Alcos (5G, 23A) have been valuable additions since being acquired at the deadline. Rowan Guest (1G, 25A), who has six points in his last six games is expected to miss tonight's game with an upper body injury.

In goal, Harrison Boettiger (3.01 GAA, .904 SV%) has handled the bulk of the workload this season and has won four of his last five games. Josh Banini (3.28 GAA, .893 SV%) has also been reliable for the Rockets in net.

WHERE THEY RANK

Kelowna Rockets: 3rd in the Western Conference (35-19-6-3)

Victoria Royals: 8th in the Western Conference (26-27-5-3)

VICTORIA ROYALS

The Victoria Royals are facing the Rockets tonight after a 2-0 loss in Seattle last night against the Thunderbirds. Victoria currently sits just one point out of a playoff spot with six games remaining.

Offensively, the Royals have struggled at times this season and have scored the seventh-fewest goals in the WHL. They are led in scoring by overage forward Roan Woodward (31G, 23A) and veteran Hayden Moore (17G, 30A). 2026 NHL Draft-eligible forward Nolan Stewart (12G, 32A) and fellow overage forward Reggie Newman (12G, 27A) also contribute to the Royals' offensive attack, while Heath Nelson (20G, 16A) is also enjoying a strong season for Victoria.

On the blue line, the Royals are led by rookie defenceman Timofei Runtso (11G, 30A), who ranks second among WHL rookie defensemen in scoring. Fellow rookie Odin Vauhkonen (3G, 18A), Henry Peterson (4G, 9A), and veteran Landon Young (3G, 13A) round out Victoria's young defensive core.

In net, goaltender Ethan Eskit (3.03 GAA, .903 SV%) has played more games and more minutes than any other goaltender in the league. The veteran has appeared in 50 of the Royals' 62 games this season. He was out last weekend with an injury, and former Rocket Jake Pilon (5.35 GAA, .838 SV%) filled in for Eskit.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

Head-to-Head Season Series

Kelowna vs. Victoria - Tied 2-2

Game 1: Wednesday, October 15th, 2025 (vs Victoria) - Victoria won 6-5 SO

Game 2: Wednesday, October 22nd, 2025 (at Victoria) - Kelowna won 2-1 SO

Game 3: Friday, November 7th, 2025 (at Victoria) - Victoria won 4-2

Game 4: Saturday, November 8th 2025 (at Victoria) - Kelowna won 6-3

Game 5: Saturday, March 7th 2025 (vs Victoria) - Kelowna won 9-2

Last 10 games

Kelowna: 7-1-1-1

Victoria: 4-6-0-0

Special teams

Kelowna: PP 23.31% | PK 79.68%

Victoria: PP 20.98% | 79.59%

POWER RANKINGS:

Kelowna currently sits fifth in the week twenty-three power rankings

Victoria currently sits fourteenth in the week twenty-three power rankings

CLINCHED:

With a point in their overtime loss Friday night against the Vancouver Giants, the Kelowna Rockets have officially clinched a playoff berth in the 2026 WHL Playoffs.

MAZDEN HITS 250:

Rockets defenseman Mazden Leslie has been red hot as of late with points in 23 of his last 27 games, posting 35 points in those 27 games. On Saturday night against the Victoria Royals, he hit 250 career points. This is the first time this milestone has been hit by a Kelowna Rockets defender in history, as Tyson Barrie came the closest with 228 points in his WHL career. He is the 13th defenseman in WHL history to hit the milestone.

IGINLA'S 2ND HALF DOMINANCE:

Kelowna Rockets forward Tij Iginla has been on an incredible hot streak since returning from winning a Bronze Medal at the 2026 World Junior Championships. Iginla recorded five points Saturday night against the Victoria Royals and has now registered at least 1 point in 25 of his last 26 games since returning to the lineup. Over that span, Iginla has recorded 26 goals and 31 assists for 57 points in 26 games. Tij is currently on a 13-game point and looks to extend it to 14 games against Victoria on Wednesday night.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Kelowna Rockets forward Tij Iginla was named the Tempo WHL Player of the Week for the week of March 2nd to 9th after recording three goals and 10 assists for 13 points in four games while posting a +10 rating. It marks the second time this season and the fourth time in his career that Iginla has received the WHL Player of the Week honour.

HOME AND AWAY COMPARISON:

The Rockets are 35-19-6-3, including a 17-7-5-2 record at the Prospera Place. On the road this year, the Rockets have an 18-12-1-1 record.

The Royals are 26-27-5-3, including a 14-11-2-3 record at home. On the road this year, the Royals have a 12-16-3-0 record.

UPCOMING MILESTONES:

#25 Jaxon Kehrig - 1 game away from 100 career games played

#23 Hayden Paupanekis - 1 point away from 100 career points

#16 Carson Wetsch - 6 points away from 200 career points

#4 Mazden Leslie - 8 games away from 350 career games played

ROCKETS INJURY REPORT:

#7 Peyton Kettles - UBI (Indefinitely)

#25 Jaxon Kehrig - UBI (Week-to-Week)

#26 Rowan Guest - UBI (Week-to-Week)

#29 Hiroki Gojsic - LBI (Week-to-Week)

UPCOMING SCHEDULE:

The Rockets will take on the Kamloops Blazers in a home-and-home series this weekend. The first game is Friday at Prospera Place at 7:05 PM PST. Tickets for that game are available at selectyourtickets.com. The Rockets will then head to the Sandman Centre on Saturday to take on the Blazers. That game will be available for free on Victory+ and 104.7 The Lizard.

Check out the Kelowna Rockets Statistics

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Images from this story

Kelowna Rockets defenceman Owen Hayden
Kelowna Rockets defenceman Owen Hayden
   



Western Hockey League Stories from March 11, 2026


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