Showcase RECAP

It's been a couple days since the end of the Bauer BCHL Showcase where the Warriors went 2-0 with wins against both Cowichan Valley and Langley.

Special Teams ruled the day on Saturday afternoon, as both teams scored ONLY on the power play, but it was the Warriors getting 2 goals, and the Caps only 1.

Kyle Marino's howitzer went through Storm Phaneuf, before Jonathan Desbiens went bar-down on a delayed zone entry at the end of a 4 on 4 scenario.

Forbes Ploszaj was solid in the game, making 25 saves for his 2nd win of the season, and the lone goal that he allowed was a perfect back-door pass to a waiting Ayden MacDonald that Forbes had no hope in getting to.

The penalty kill was good in the final 4 minutes of the game as well, blocking numerous shots with Tanner Campbell ejected for a Blow to the Head major. With the win, West Kelowna moved to 3-2.

On Sunday night, with very few left in the stands, the Warriors got a 1st-period goal from Connor Sodergren, as his 1st in the BCHL broke the deadlock as he buried a rebound from the front of the net.

Langley tied it up with a quick wrister from Ben Butcher in the 2nd frame, and again Ploszaj cannot be faulted for it. The clearing attempt hit a stanchion, bounced right to the middle and Butcher had all day to snap one home upstairs. 1 inch either way on the clear and the puck is off the glass and out.

Paul Lovsin gave the Warriors the lead as he would go shelf on Nic Trencianski, and that's what the Warriors went into the intermission with.

Right before the buzzer of the middle frame, Kyle Marino was taken down and awkwardly fallen on, which lead to Rylan Ferster earning a bench minor for disagreeing. The conversation would escalate into a game misconduct for the Warriors coach as Shae Naka took over the bench.

Kyle Marino gave the Warriors a two-goal lead late, before Lovsin buried his 2nd of the game into an empty net.

Showcase Thoughts:
The Warriors allowed just 2 goals in 120 minutes while in Chilliwack, a testament both to the netminding of Forbes Ploszaj, and the stingy defense of West Kelowna, including the play of Bryan Nelson and Scott Allan, who both fit into the systems really well and really quickly.

Special Teams won the game Saturday night, and you could make the argument that it did on Sunday too, as the penalty kill was an impressive 91.7% in the event. While the Warriors still rank 14th in the category in the BCHL, they definitely showed improvement.

The Interior Division did not dominate this years Showcase, (10-1-0-1) in 2014, which showed some better parity and some very entertaining games. Having the event 3 weeks into the season definitely made for better hockey, as players were more familiar with one another.

Four teams were 2-0 at the 2015 event, as Wenatchee, Penticton, and Powell River all matched the Warriors mark.

Next action for West Kelowna is tomorrow (Wednesday) in Merritt as they take on the Centennials at 7 PM.