West Kelowna Warriors unable to complete comeback in Trail

Ugly first dooms Warriors

Photo: Contributed

West Kelowna fall 6-4 in Trail

The West Kelowna Warriors couldn’t quite come back from an ugly start in Trail Friday night.

The Warriors spotted the Smoke Eaters a 3-0 first period lead, then gave up a pair of goals late in a 6-4 defeat.

In a wide open first in which the Smokies outshot West Kelowna 17-16, it was the home side that did all the damage on the scoreboard.

Cash Carter scored twice before the game was 10 minutes old, the second coming with the Warriors two men short. Brayden Sinclair made it 3-0 before the period was out.

The Warriors wasted no time getting on the board in the second. With Trail down two men, Dylan Krayer slipped the opening faceoff to an unmarked Noah Garthe to his left.

Garthe gained the Smoke Eaters blueline and hit a streaking Krayer who split the D and fired a shot over the glove of Cooper Michaluk.

DYLAN KRAYER WASTES ZERO TIME ⏳

The Warriors convert 5 seconds into the frame

?️ Drew Wilson#BCHL | @BCHLWarriors pic.twitter.com/a32BhydEaN

— BCHL (@BCHockeyLeague) February 7, 2026

The goal, five seconds into the period, is the quickest goal in franchise history, bettering Shawn Hochhausen’s goal seven seconds into the second period of a game against Trail Feb. 25, 2012.

The Smokies got that one back before Natan Ethier and Krayer again, both on the power play, brought the Warriors to within a goal after 40.

They peppered Michaluk with 21 shots in the second.

The Warriors again came out fast in the third and were rewarded when Ruslan Jamaldinov tied it eight minutes in.

But Otto Hanson restored the lead a minute later and Erik Pastro iced it into the empty net with 11 seconds left.

The Warriors outshot Trail 52-30 on the night.

The Warriors will look to repay the Smoke Eaters Saturday night when they don their peach uniforms for the annual Peachland Warriors night.

Faceoff at RLP is 7 p.m.