Rockets Face Blazers in Home and Home Series
WHL Kelowna Rockets

Rockets Face Blazers in Home and Home Series

Published on March 12, 2026 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Kelowna Rockets News Release


Kelowna Rockets right wing Carson Wetsch
Kelowna Rockets right wing Carson Wetsch
(Kelowna Rockets)

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.

KELOWNA ROCKETS

The Kelowna Rockets enter the weekend after a 2-1 overtime victory over the Victoria Royals on Wednesday night. The Rockets have points in eleven of their last twelve games and are currently in a tight race with the Prince George Cougars for the third seed in the Western Conference.

Tij Iginla (40G, 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 14-game point streak during which he has recorded 34 points. Carson Wetsch (22G, 48A) continues to be a consistent playmaker and is approaching the 50-assist mark this season. Overager Shane Smith (31G, 34A) is second on the team in goals and has four goals in five games since returning from injury. Ty Halaburda (29G, 35A) has also been extremely effective for the Rockets. Tomas Poletin (20G, 15A) returned to the lineup last weekend and recorded a goal and an assist in Wednesday's win over Victoria, while fellow Czech Vojtech Cihar (8G, 17A) has seven points in his last five games.

On the blue line, Mazden Leslie (17G, 46A) leads the defensive unit and currently ranks tied for sixth in defenceman scoring in the WHL. His seven game-winning goals rank second in the WHL. Keith McInnis (9G, 23A) and Parker Alcos (5G, 25A) have been valuable additions since being acquired at the deadline. Since joining the Rockets, Alcos has seen his offensive production increase, recording 16 points in 28 games. Rowan Guest (1G, 25A), who has six points in his last six games, is expected to miss this weekend's games with an upper body injury.

In goal, Harrison Boettiger (2.95 GAA, .906 SV%) has handled the bulk of the workload this season and has won five of his last six games for the Rockets. Josh Banini (3.28 GAA, .893 SV%) has also been reliable in net and has allowed two goals or fewer in five of his last six appearances.

WHERE THEY RANK

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

Kamloops Blazers: 5th in the Western Conference (29-22-7-5)

KAMLOOPS BLAZERS

Kamloops enters this game after beating Tri-City 6-1 Wednesday night. The Blazers come into the matchup on a three-game winning streak, during which they have outscored their opponents by a combined 20-5.

Offensively, the Blazers are led by projected first-round pick in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft JP Hurlbert (39G, 54A), whose 93 points rank third in the WHL. He is a dynamic forward who leads the attack for Kamloops. Chicago Blackhawks draft pick Nathan Behm (36G, 46A) is another big piece for the Blazers. Edmonton Oilers draft pick Tommy Lafreniere (38G, 35A), along with veteran forwards Jordan Keller (27G, 26A) and Josh Evaschesen (30G, 40A), also headline the attack for Kamloops.

Defensively, the Blazers are led by Harrison Brunicke (2G, 16A), who has only played in nineteen games this season. Isa Guram (7G, 24A) and overagers Ryan Michael (3G, 29A) and Rhett Ravndahl (4G, 12A) provide additional experience on the blue line. Rookie Joaquin Geras (1G, 11A) has also helped headline the back end for Kamloops.

Goaltender Logan Edmonstone (3.11 GAA, .902 SV%) has played in most of the games this season for the Blazers and has been quite good. He has played in three of the four games against the Rockets this season and is likely to start both this weekend.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

Head-to-Head Season Series

Kelowna vs. Kamloops - Tied 2-2

Game 1: Friday, January 2nd, 2026 (vs Kamloops) - Kamloops won 3-2 SO

Game 2: Saturday, January 3rd, 2026 (at Kamloops) - Kamloops won 4-1

Game 3: Friday, February 20th, 2026 (at Kamloops) - Kelowna won 3-2 OT

Game 4: Saturday, February 21st 2026 (at Victoria) - Kelowna won 4-2

Last 10 games

Kelowna: 7-1-1-1

Kamloops: 4-4-1-1

Special teams

Kelowna: PP 23.31% | PK 79.68%

Kamloops: PP 27.05% | 75.13%

POWER RANKINGS:

Kelowna currently sits seventh in the week twenty-four power rankings

Kamloops currently sits eleventh in the week twenty-four power rankings

MAZDEN HITS 250:

Rockets defenseman Mazden Leslie has been red hot as of late with points in 24 of his last 28 games, posting 36 points in those 28 games. On Saturday night against the Victoria Royals, he hit 250 career points. The feat 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 26 of his last 27 games since returning to the lineup. Over that span, Iginla has recorded 27 goals and 31 assists for 58 points in 27 games. Tij is currently on a 14 game point and looks to extend it to 15 games against Kamloops this weekend

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 36-19-6-3, including an 18-7-5-2 record at the Prospera Place. On the road this year, the Rockets have an 18-12-1-1 record.

The Blazers are 29-22-7-5, including a 17-7-7-1 record at home. On the road this year, the Blazers have a 12-15-0-4 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 - 7 games away from 350 career games played

#6 Parker Alcos - 5 games away from 200 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 Penticton Vees in the Battle of the Okanagan to end the regular season next weekend. The Rockets will head to Penticton Friday, March 20th, to face the Vees at 7:05pm PST. That game is available for free on Victory+ and 104.7 The Lizard. The Vees will then head to Prospera Place the following night to battle the Rockets at 6:05pm PST. That game will be the final regular season game for both teams before the 2026 WHL Post-Season.

Check out the Kelowna Rockets Statistics

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Images from this story

Kelowna Rockets right wing Carson Wetsch
Kelowna Rockets right wing Carson Wetsch
   



Western Hockey League Stories from March 12, 2026


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