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BCHL  

West Kelowna close out regular season with 5-1 win in Penticton

Warriors end on a high note

The West Kelowna Warriors will head into the BC Hockey League playoffs on a roll.

The Warriors closed out the regular season in convincing fashion Sunday afternoon dumping the Interior Conference champion Penticton Vees 5-1 at the South Okanagan Events Centre.

The Warriors closed out the regular season winning four in a row while collecting points in their final 12 (8-0-4-0).

West Kelowna finished even with the Vees in the loss column with 10, but the difference between the two teams was the Warriors inability to win past regulation time, losing 11 times in three-on-three overtime including nine straight.

Trent Wilson led the way offensively for the Warriors with a pair of goals, one shorthanded and one on the power play, along with an assist.

Felix Caron had three assists giving him a team-leading 69 points on the season. Caron who finished third in league scoring, also finished with the most points among skaters in the Interior Conference.

Jack Pridham and Jackson Kyrkostas each had a goal and an assist while defenceman Sean Keohane also scored for the Warriors.

Anselmo Rego scored the lone goal for the Vees midway through the third with the Warriors already nursing a 5-0 lead.

The Warriors led 2-0 after one and 4-0 after two.

Keohane opened the scoring with his sixth of the season wiring a wrist shot from the top of the right circle off a feed from Cal Hughes just 26 seconds in.

Wilson doubled with lead three minutes. With the Warriors shorthanded Felix Caron chipped the puck out to a streaking Wilson who broke in alone and beat Andrew Ness five-hole.

Wilson's 19th of the campaign stood up as the game winner.

The game devolved at times with the officials handing out six misconducts and a game misconduct. Four of the misconducts came during a skirmish a minute into the second.

Late in the period James Fisher of the Vees was handed an instigating minor, fighting major and game misconduct when he dropped the gloves and challenged Viggo Nordström after taking exception to a check from the Swedish forward.

The teams combined for 97 minutes in penalties including 57 to the Vees.

The Warriors finished the game two for seven with the man advantage while Vees were kept off the scoreboard on their four opportunities while surrendering the shorthanded goal.

Matthew DellaRusso turned away 28 shots for the win while giving workhorse starter Rorke Applebee a much needed rest.

The Warriors and Vees now move on to the post season which begins Friday.

West Kelowna will face the Cranbrook Bucks in their best-of-seven first round series while the Vees take on the Prince George Spruce Kings.

Both series open up in West Kelowna and Penticton respectively with games one and two set for Friday and Saturday.



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