Warriors hang 8 on shellshocked Caps

The game plan was simple for the West Kelowna Warriors Friday - play a full 60 minutes.

Photo: Wayne Moore - Castanet

Brennan Clark (outside the picture) beats Connor Lacouvee with the Warriors 4th goal in an 8-1 thumping of Cowichan Friday.

They executed the plan to a 'T' in pounding the beleaguered Cowichan Capitals 8-1 before more than 900 fans at Royal LePage Place.

"That's the one thing we talked about, we wanted a 60 minute effort tonight. No matter who we were playing we just haven't felt over the last little while that we've had the full 60 minutes," says head coach Rylan Ferster of Friday's effort.

"That was the one thing we wanted to focus on tonight and a credit to our guys I think we showed up for 60 minutes.

Marcus Basara led the way with two goals (19, 20) and two assists while defenceman Braxton Bilous also scored twice (5, 6) and added an assist.

Max French (8th), Jetlan Houcher (5th), Brennan Clark (12th) and Devon Hascarl with his first of the season also scored for the Warriors who fired 49 shots at the netminding tandem of Connor Lacouvee and Steven Heslop.

Jarrett Brown replied for the Capitals who briefly tied the game 1-1 18 seconds into the second period just as a two man advantage expired.

It was the last real good chance the Capitals would get as the Warriors shut them down in all three zones.

Defensively, the Warriors didn't give the Capitals much room to maneuver, especially near their own blueline and through the neutral zone.

Photo: Wayne Moore - Castanet

SURFING? Warriors captain Max French has his stick snatched by Cowichan defenceman Tyler Mueller

"We want to have a good forecheck, we want to be aggressive and get on them. It's pretty simple, if the puck is in their end they are probably not going to score," says Ferster.

"The one thing we talked about tonight was we didn't want any outnumbered attacks and I think that really starts on your forecheck."

Ferster says a lot of that started with the first forward in on the forecheck.

With the game scoreless and the Warriors on an early power-play, goaltender Tyler Briggs slammed the door on Kyle Horseman on a clear cut breakaway.

The Warriors took over from there.

Bilous wired a wrist shot from the right point high past a screened Lacouvee 14 minutes into the period to give the Warriors a 1-0 lead. They could have easily had three or four more had it not been for the play of Lacouvee.

Max French broke the 1-1 tie four minutes into the middle frame with a wrist shot from the left circle.

Houcher slid a rebound five-hole on a power-play to make it 3-1 before Clark upped the lead to three on another power-play late in the middle frame.

Lacouvee allowed two more goals early in the third before he was replaced by Heslop who allowed the final two.

The Warriors finished the night 4-6 on the power-play. The Capitals went 1-4 with the man advantage.

West Kelowna, a point up on fourth place Salmon Arm, again looks for a second straight victory for the first time in more than two months when they play in Vernon Saturday night.