Cardinal Sport Weekend Preview: Rockets & Vees set for home-and-home Battle of the Okanagan
KELOWNA ROCKETS
Kelowna comes into the weekend with a 0-0-1-0 record after pushing Vancouver to overtime in its regular-season opener.
The Rockets opened the scoring against the Giants through returning forward Ryan Oothoudt, with newcomer Cole Braunshausen helping create the play after taking a hit to move the puck. The goal marked Oothoudt’s first of the season and Braunshausen’s first WHL point.
Peyton Kettles also found the back of the net in his return to regular-season action. The Pittsburgh Penguins second-round pick scored Kelowna’s second goal of the night, giving him one goal through the club’s opening game.
Oothoudt, Braunshausen, Kettles, Owen Folstrom, and Dane Sorensen each enter the weekend with one point.
Kelowna’s powerplay converted once on six opportunities against Vancouver and enters Friday operating at 16.67 percent. The penalty kill went 2-for-8 in the opener.
The Rockets will look to build off several positives from their first game while tightening things up defensively and staying disciplined against a Penticton team that has already played twice.
PENTICTON VEES
Penticton enters the weekend with a 1-1-0-0 record after splitting its opening two games on the road against the Prince George Cougars.
The Vees dropped their season opener 4-1 before responding the following night with a 5-1 victory.
Gavin Katz and Tyden Bergeson lead Penticton offensively with three points apiece through two games. Both have recorded one goal and two assists.
Tyler Deakos, Brooks DeMars, and Callum Stone have also contributed early, each recording two points.
Penticton has scored six goals while allowing five through its first two games.
The Vees’ power play enters the weekend operating at 18.18 percent, having converted twice on 11 opportunities. Their penalty kill has surrendered three goals on six opposing power plays.
Friday will mark Penticton’s first home game of the regular season before the rivalry moves to Prospera Place less than 24 hours later.
ROSTER UPDATE
The Rockets are expected to welcome Tomas Poletin back into the lineup this weekend after the forward was recently reassigned by the New York Islanders.
Poletin was a strong contributor against Penticton last season, scoring five goals in eight games against the Vees. The 2025 fourth-round NHL Draft pick is expected to make his 2026-27 season debut during the home-and-home set.
Kelowna will remain without Vojtech Cihar and Nate Corbet this weekend. Both players have been reassigned by the Los Angeles Kings to the Ontario Reign (AHL) and will join the club for training camp.
As a result, Cihar and Corbet will be unavailable for both games against Penticton.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
Friday marks the first regular-season meeting between the Rockets and Vees in 2026-27.
The two clubs met eight times during the 2025-26 regular season, with Penticton posting a 5-2-0-1 record while Kelowna went 3-5-0-0.
The series was evenly split in Penticton, with both teams posting 2-2-0-0 records at the South Okanagan Events Centre.
At Prospera Place, Penticton went 3-0-0-1 while Kelowna finished 1-3-0-0.
The familiarity continued into the preseason, giving both teams plenty of recent experience against one another heading into the first Battle of the Okanagan of the regular season.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
Season Record
KEL: 0-0-1-0 | PEN: 1-1-0-0
Goals For
KEL: 2 | PEN: 6
Goals Against
KEL: 3 | PEN: 5
Powerplay
KEL: 1/6 — 16.67% | PEN: 2/11 — 18.18%
Penalty Kill
KEL: 2/8 — 75.0% | PEN: 3/6 — 50.0%
ROCKETS SCORING LEADERS
- Ryan Oothoudt — 1G, 0A, 1P
- Peyton Kettles — 1G, 0A, 1P
- Cole Braunshausen — 0G, 1A, 1P
- Owen Folstrom — 0G, 1A, 1P
- Dane Sorensen — 0G, 1A, 1P
VEES SCORING LEADERS
- Gavin Katz — 1G, 2A, 3P
- Tyden Bergeson — 1G, 2A, 3P
- Tyler Deakos — 1G, 1A, 2P
- Brooks DeMars — 0G, 2A, 2P
- Callum Stone — 1G, 1A, 2P
ROCKETS INJURY REPORT:
- #14 Cole Braunshausen – LBI (Day-to-Day)
UPCOMING SCHEDULE:
After this weekend’s home-and-home series against the Penticton Vees, the Rockets will turn their attention to another Okanagan rivalry with a home-and-home set against the Kamloops Blazers. Kelowna will host Kamloops at Prospera Place on Friday, October 2 at 7:05 pm, before heading to the Sandman Centre the following night for a 6:00 pm matchup against the Blazers.
