Warriors 4 - Victoria 2

The West Kelowna Warriors found themselves down 2-0 again on Sunday afternoon for the 3rd straight game. It didn't happen as quickly as it did in Vernon on Friday night, but being down 2-0 after one wasn't the position the Warriors wanted to be in. That being said, there wasn't much panic from anyone as the coaching staff felt after the game that it wasn't a terrible period, the Warriors just weren't sharp enough.

Brayden Gelsinger got the Grizzlies on the board as the former Warrior put one through the legs of Forbes Ploszaj. Mitchell Barker's quick wrist shot as the Grizzlies were short handed was one that could have broken the Warriors, but they wouldn't allow that after a period break regroup.

Quin Foreman scored a nice goal in front with a great move in tight, before Liam Blackburn extended his point streak to all 16 games with a marker at 14:03. That Blackburn goal came on a power play, with Keyvan Mokhtari in the box for butt-ending. The undisciplined play came off a corner scrum right after he was knocked down by Warriors defenseman Jake Harrison.

Garrett Forster would one-up Gelsinger by scoring the Warriors 3rd goal and eventual game winner, as he went in on a break and went upstairs on Mitchel Benson, capping it off with a celebration on his way to center ice.

Kylar Hope made it 4-2 on a nifty deflection from a Brett Mennear pass, putting one top shelf again on Benson and widening the lead. The Grizzlies would try and apply pressure late, but Ploszaj was able to see the majority of the shots and made solid saves to hold down his 5th win of the year.

Game Thoughts:

• Not the best 1st period for the Warriors, but they haven't necessarily been strong in the opening 20 minutes all year. The Warriors have been out-scored 22-11 in the first 16 games in the opening frame. Shots on goal have been 178-145 in favour of the Warriors.
• It's the 2nd period that the Warriors really come to play, and once again it happened on Sunday. It was Reed Gunville and Quin Foreman that sparked West Kelowna, with points on each of the 2nd period goals, as Gunville had 2 assists and Foreman had 1+1.
• For the season, West Kelowna is out-scoring opponents 24-14 and out-shooting them 233-129 in that 2nd period, which is a big WOW stat.
• Big weekend ahead for the Warriors, as the Salmon Arm Silverbacks are now ranked #18 in the CJHL rankings, and will be another big test. Angus Redmond stole the game for Salmon Arm last time after the 'Backs got the 3-0 lead, but the Warriors have confidence they can play with them. If West Kelowna can get traffic like they did in Vernon on Friday, it could be a different outcome.