The West Kelowna Warriors and Penticton Vees will square off starting March 18th at the SOEC as the battle for the Interior Division Final kicks off. This will be the fifth time these teams have met in the post-season in the last 10 years, and the third time in the Interior Division Final. The Vees have won all previous meetings, including last years first round series that ended in five games.
The season series this year also favoured the Vees, winning six of seven against West Kelowna, with a total score of 23-13. West Kelowna lost one of those games in overtime.
When you look at the head to head stats from the season series, the Vees best players were on their game against the Warriors. Scott Conway scored six times and had 12 points against the Warriors in six games, while Tyson Jost scored nine times in five games. Dante Fabbro added eight assists from the back end. In goal, the two netminders split duties, with Anthony Brodeur going 4-0 with a 1.50 GAA and .956 SV%, and Zach Driscoll going 2-1 with a 2.01 GAA and .938 V%. Brodeur did not dress in the last two games of the Vernon series, so Driscoll may have the edge as the Game 1 starter.
On the Warriors side of things its clear who the Game 1 starter will be, as Matthew Greenfield has had a great playoffs so far, going 4-2 with a 2.40 GAA and a .932 SV%, although when you remove Game 1's 6-5 scoreline, Greenfield posted a 1.77 GAA and a .948 SV%. Great numbers all around.
In the regular season, Greenfield saw the Vees three times, shutting them out in his Warriors debut, and overall posting a 2.69 GAA and a .924 SV%.
Jonathan Desbiens lead the way offensively in the Warriors season series against Penticton, scoring five times in seven games, while Liam Blackburn had three goals and three assists.
The Special Teams in the season series were as follows:
Vees PP - 6 for 37 (16.2%)
Warriors PP - 3 for 28 (10.7%)
Vees PK - 25 for 28 (89.3%)
Warriors PK - 31 for 37 (83.8%)
The Penticton Vees were the #2 ranked PP in the opening round (7 for 22) behind the Coquitlam Express (5 for 15) who got swept in the opening round. The Warriors PP was down in 8th, going 5 for 29). When you flip the page to penalty kill numbers, both teams shine, having each allowed (and scored) two goals while short-handed in the opening round. The Warriors were short-handed 4.2 times per game, while the Vees were short-handed 3.4 times.
Scott Conway lead the BCHL in scoring in the opening round with five goals and five assists, while Vees locked down the 3rd and 4th spots in the top scoring as Nicholas Jones had 5+4, and Tyson Jost had 4+5. The Warriors Liam Blackburn had 4+4 against Salmon Arm and sits in 7th in playoff scoring.
Series Schedule:
Game 1 – Friday March 18th – SOEC Penticton – 7 PM
Game 2 – Saturday March 19th – SOEC Penticton – 6 PM
Game 3 – Monday March 21st – Royal LePage Place- 7 PM
Game 4 – Tuesday March 22nd – Royal LePage Place – 7 PM
**Game 5 – Friday March 25th – SOEC Penticton – 7 PM
**Game 6 – Saturday March 26th – Royal LePage Place – 7 PM
**Game 7 – Sunday March 27th – SOEC Penticton – 6 PM
All games broadcast on www.mixlr.com/bchlwarriors and www.bchl.fasthockey.com
Call 250-769-7051 for tickets to the Warriors home games.
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