West Kelowna erupted for five goals in dominant win over Powell River

Warriors earn critical win

Photo: Wayne Moore

The West Kelowna Warriors picked a perfect time to put together their most complete effort of the season.

The Warriors dominated in every facet of the game and in all three zones in a 5-0 win over the lowly Powell River Kings.

“I can’t complain at all. It was a 60-minute game for our guys, we back checked, we played above the puck and did all the little things we need to do,” said head coach Simon Ferguson.

“It showed that on the scoreboard.”

West Kelowna peppered goaltender Vincent Lamberti with a season-high 49 shots while allowing a season- low 15 in the victory.

“That’s the way we need to play. If we play that way against the top teams in the league it’s probably a closer score, but I think we can beat them.

“If the guys can figure that out and stay with it for a good length of time then I think we can make a push.”

In this case, the shot totals told the story and if not for the acrobatics of Lamberti, the Warriors could easily have hit double digits.

Despite allowing five goals, Lamberti was spectacular, easily the Kings best player over the course of the night.

Edouard Gauthier faced just 15 shots, only a few of those of high quality in registering his first BC Hockey League shutout.

Sam LeDrew paced the attack with two goals with Elias Callgren, Ian Alonso and Jackson Kyrkosta adding the others.

The Warriors were good from the start but were unable to generate many quality chances early, despite 60 seconds with a two-man advantage.

That all changed late in the first when LeDrew rifled home his 23rd in the final minute. He took a cross-ice pass from Tyler Grahme off the rush and wired home what turned out to be the game winner.

The Warriors broke the game open in the second. Callgren doubled the lead when his initial pass pinballed off Joey Macrena back to Callgren who moved into the low slot and beat Lamberti five-hole.

Kyrkostas made it 3-0 on a quick wraparound before Alonso ripped home a backdoor pass on a Warriors power play.

LeDrew closed out the scoring with a late third period power play goal.

The win was important for the Warriors who picked up a single point on Okotoks in the fight for seventh in the Interior Conference.

Okotoks came into the week just a point behind with two games in hand, however regulation defeats to Blackfalds and Brooks and an overtime loss to Cranbrook Saturday allowed them to pick up just a single point.

The win for the Warriors widens that gap to two. Both teams have four games left in the regular season including a critical four-pointer next Friday night in Okotoks.

“Both those games (next weekend), Blackfalds has been playing real well. Okotoks is going to be a playoff atmosphere and we are going to have to bring our best game.”

Penticton Vees on their third straight game with a 5-2 game against Spruce Grove Saints

Vees earn another win

Photo: Jack Murray

The Penticton Vees are keeping their win streak going, beating the Spruce Grove Saints 5-2 on Friday night at the South Okanagan Events Centre.

Eli McKamey was one of three Vees to score in the first period, along with Matthew Cataldo and Louie Wehmann, getting three goals on 14 shots.

Wehmann opened the scoring with a second rebound shot at the top of the crease. McKamey doubled the Vees lead shortly after when he scored on a pass from behind the net by George Stavrianeas.

Cataldo extended the lead to 3-0 when tipped the puck in on his backhand.

Frederic Deschenes and Matheson Mason scored for the Saints in the second and third period.

Tipping the game further in the Vees favour was thank to Conyr Hellyer and Caton Ryan scoring back-to-back empty net goals in the final two and a half minutes of the third.

Vees goaltender Will Ingemann made 23 saves in net and was named the game’s first star.

The Vees head up north to visit the Vernon Vipers on Saturday with puck drop at 6 p.m.

Salmon Arm Silverbacks cinch playoff berth with 7-3 win over Cranbrook Bucks

Silverbacks playoff bound

Photo: Kristall Burgess

The Salmon Arm Silverbacks are preparing for the playoffs as they enter the final stretch of the season.

On Friday March 7, the Silverbacks clinched their playoff spot with a 7 - 3 win over the Cranbrook Bucks.

“We are excited to be going back to the playoffs,” said Tyler Shattock, Silverbacks GM and head coach. “This allows us to try and build on back-to-back Interior Conference Finals and take the next step on bringing Salmon Arm a championship.”

For the past two years in a row the Silverbacks have been defeated by the Penticton Vees in the interior conference finals.

The Silverbacks still have plenty of regular season games to focus on before playoffs including three more home games at Rogers Rink.

They face off against the Powell River Kings at home on Friday March 14. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m.

Then on Saturday night they will stay in Salmon Arm with a game against the Spruce Grove Saints at 6 p.m.

And finally they will close out their regular season home games with a game against the West Kelowna Warriors on Friday March 28.

Tickets to all home games are available online or at the box office. Adult tickets cost $17 seniors cost $15 and kids get in free at all three of the remaining home games.

Kids tickets must be picked up at the box office with the purchase of an adult or senior ticket.

Vernon Vipers pick up two losses on the road

Vipers pick up two losses

Photo: Vernon Vipers

The Vernon Vipers added two losses to their record as the team drifts further away from a playoff spot.

The Vipers were on the road in their last two games against the Blackfalds Bulldogs and Sherwood Park Crusaders on Friday and Saturday.

Their game against Blackfalds was the first time the Vipers played at the Eagle Builders Centre in Blackfalds, Alta. this season.

The Vipers kept it tied through one period but then fell behind and could never recover. The Bulldogs scored four goals in forty minutes to shut out the Vipers 4-0.

The Vipers' offence never got into a rhythm, only putting 15 shots on the Bulldog net. The team also couldn’t keep themselves out of the penalty box, racking up nine in the matchup.

Viper’s Jari Kykkanen had 29 saves.

The team's head coach Lukas Lomicky said the performance was one of the weakest from his team this season.

“I felt like sometimes we were just trying to do much and we just didn't have it,” said Lomicky.

Vernons’ offence had a better showing during their second game of the weekend against the Sherwood Park Crusaders.

The Vipers first grabbed the lead with a great goal coming from Kyren Gronick. But they were then on the wrong side of a 4-0 scoring run to be down by three going into the final period.

The Vipers got one more goal from Eddie Revenig but could not close the gap and further. They ultimately lost 6-2.

“We just got outskilled by Sherwood Park. We had our chances and we didn't score,” said Lomicky.

Struggles playing on the road

The Vipers have struggled playing in opponent's arenas this season. They are 6-19 on the road, which makes up more than two-thirds of their losses.

Vernon is currently on a six-game losing streak on the road, with their last away win being against the top-ranked Penticton Vees on Feb. 7.

“We were not able to put up 60-minute efforts on the road. And when you do have those individual mistakes on the road, you pay the price more for it than at home,” said Lomicky.

What’s next

The Vipers will be back in Kal Tire Arena this weekend to take on the Penticton Vees and Spruce Grove Saints. The games are Saturday at 6 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m.

Warriors drop a pair of games to the top teams in the BCHL on the weekend

Lost weekend for Warriors

Photo: Wayne Moore

The West Kelowna Warriors Will face off with either the Penticton Vees or Brooks Bandits in the opening round of the BC Hockey League playoffs.

The Warriors got a chance to measure themselves against both this weekend and the results were not what they had hoped.

West Kelowna fell 3-2 in Penticton Friday night then, in a lacklustre performance, dropped a 6-3 decision to the Brooks Bandits at Royal LePage Place Saturday.

The Warriors trailed 3-2 after a wild opening 20 minutes, but were unable to mount much in the way of an attack the rest of the way, managing only nine shots on goaltender Chris Quizi the rest of the way.

“It’s not going to get it done. It’s getting fancy, it’s playing the wrong way,” said head coach Simon Ferguson.

“But credit to them, they’re a good team. There’s a reason why they are always top of the league…they play hard, they play simple and they work.”

Both teams had some really good chances early in the game but it was a fortuitous bounce that opened the scoring.

Bor Glavic made a really nice save, sending the puck behind his net. As he slid back to his crease, Mathis Dufour sent a centering pass that hit Glavic and deflected into the net.

The Bandits made it 2-0 on the power play minutes later before the Warriors finally got on the board when Axel Lofgren tapped home a rebound from in close.

The Bandits again resorted the two goal lead moments later but, in the final minute on an odd man rush, Ben Miller spotted Philip Monnich Hagen trailing the play.

The Swedish defenceman rifled home his first BCHL goal from the slot to again the deficit to one.

The Warriors didn’t get any closer.

Keith McInnis doubled the lead in the second then Parker Lalonde bagged his first of two just after a Warriors penalty had expired 24 seconds into the third to put the Bandits up 5-2.

Jackson Kyrkostas tipped home his 10th to again bring the Warriors to within two, and they had a great chance to cut it to one in tight but the puck alluded a Warrior in front of Quizi.

“It was sloppy at times, good at times. The flow of the game wasn’t great, I didn’t know what to expect and I don’t think the players knew what to expect.”

The only good news to come out of the evening was the fact Okotoks and Spruce Grove, trying to catch the Warriors, both lost as well.

The Warriors remain seventh in the Interior Conference, a point better than Okotoks and six up on Spruce Grove.

The Warriors have five games remaining, including a showdown in Okotoks in two weeks, while the teams below them each have seven games left.

West Kelowna play host to Powell River next Saturday before hitting the road for three straight in Okotoks, Blackfalds and Salmon Arm.