RECAP: 2nd Period Flurry Lifts Rockets Past Giants

Category: ArticleJanuary 31, 2026

LANGLEY, B.C. – The Kelowna Rockets scored three power play goals in a 9-2 win over the Vancouver Giants on Saturday night at Langley Events Centre.

The score was 1-1 after 20 minutes before the Rockets scored six second period goals to take a 7-2 lead after 40 minutes. They added two in the third to make it a 9-2 final.

Vancouver now has a record of 18-28-1-2 (39 points). They played Saturday with five regulars out of the lineup due to injury, including two of their top-4 defencemen and three top-six forwards. The Memorial Cup host Rockets improve to 25-16-4-2 (56 points), currently sitting in fourth place in the West.

Brett Olson (9th) and Tobias Tomik (10th) each scored for the Giants.

Tij Iginla had a standout performance for Kelowna with three goals and three assists. Dawson Gerwing had two goals, as did Tomas Poletin. Ty Halaburda and Carson Wetsch also scored a goal each for the Rockets.

CLICK FOR THE OFFICIAL WHL BOXSCORE

GAME SUMMARY

Midway through the first period, Olson opened the scoring for Vancouver on a deflection five seconds into a power play, after he tipped in a wrist shot from new Giant Joe Iginla.

Brett Olson gets a deflection goal on the Power Play to make it 1-0 Giants! The assists came from Joe Iginla and Will Sharpe! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/g3yAdJhj68

— Vancouver Giants (@WHLGiants) February 1, 2026

Halaburda tied the game for Kelowna a few minutes later on a quick shot from the right circle.

Tij Iginla gave Kelowna their first lead just eight seconds into the second period off a 2-on-1 rush.

Five minutes later, Gerwing made it 3-1 with his first of the evening, which was quickly followed by a power play marker from Poletin, which was followed up by Gerwing’s second of the contest just 83 seconds later, giving Kelowna a 5-1 lead thanks to four goals in just over eight minutes.

Tij Iginla notched his second of the night at the 12:47 mark of the second to make it 6-1 Rockets.

Tomik scored a highlight reel goal for the Giants less than a minute later to make it 6-2.

In TOMIKian fashion! 😤 pic.twitter.com/2zfpsWwC9r

— Vancouver Giants (@WHLGiants) February 1, 2026

Poletin made the score 7-2 with Kelowna’s third power play goal of the game late in the second.

Tij Iginla completed the hat-trick just over seven minutes into the third period and Wetsch found the scoresheet at the 10:48 mark of the third to make it a 9-2 final score.

STATISTICS

SOG: VAN —6/4/8 = 18 | KEL – 14/22/15 = 51
PP: VAN—1/4 | KEL — 3/8
Face-Offs: VAN — 30 | KEL — 24

3 STARS

1st: KEL – Tij Iginla – 3G, 3A, 8 SOG, +4
2nd: KEL – Dawson Gerwing – 2G, 2A, 8 SOG, +2
3rd: VAN – Tobias Tomik – 1G, 5 SOG

GOALTENDING BATTLE

Vancouver: LOSS – Burke Hood (21 saves / 27 shots) & Kelton Pyne (21 saves / 24 shots in relief)
Kelowna: WIN – Linden Sobocan (16 saves / 18 shots)

THEY SAID IT

“It’s disappointing because I really did like our start. Put ourselves in a good position scoring first there on the power play. But for us tonight at times it was self-inflicted wounds. Taking nine minors against a team like Kelowna is just not a recipe for success…In the second period I felt like we shot ourselves in the foot a little bit. They’re a good team and give them credit, but we talked after the game that when you go through adversity or something bad happens in a game, you can’t compound that mistake or that error by going off script or by trying to do too much.” – Head Coach Parker Burgess

“With the moves that we made, the injuries that we have, he’s got to play and he’s got to produce. He seems to be taking on that challenge fairly well. I thought he skated well tonight, he protected pucks, he was taking it to the net…he was a dangerous player.” – Burgess on the play of Tomik

CLICK BELOW FOR THE FULL POST-GAME INTERVIEW WITH BURGESS

UPCOMING

The Giants continue their five-game homestand on Sunday against Red Deer.

Date	Opponent	Location	Time
Sunday, February 1	Red Deer	Langley Events Centre	4:00 PM
Friday, February 6	Spokane	Langley Events Centre	7:00 PM
Saturday, February 7	Kamloops	Langley Events Centre	7:00 PM

Stream all Giants games for free on Victory+.