The West Kelowna Warriors will enter the BCHL Interior Division Playoffs as the #4 seed and take on the #1 Penticton Vees in a Best of 7 series starting Tuesday March 3rd in Penticton.
Monday, 2 March 2015
Sunday, 1 March 2015
PLAYOFF BOUND - Game Recap - Warriors vs. Surrey
The West Kelowna Warriors knocked off the Surrey Eagles 6-2 on Saturday at RLP and found out that the Salmon Arm Silverbacks had fallen in overtime 2-1 to the Penticton Vees when they were in the locker room for the 2nd intermission.
The fans behind the Warriors bench knew of the score and were vocal in spreading it around moments after Jack Ramsey won it for Penticton, but the Warriors kept pushing with their 3-0 lead at that point.
In the end it was a 4 for 4 power-play night for the Warriors, Brayden Gelsinger and Tanner Campbell each had a pair of goals, Jason Cotton and Kristian Blumenschein had the others, and Jonathan Desbiens had 4 assists.
The Salmon Arm Silverbacks need to be given a lot of credit for their efforts over the latter half of the season. At one point the Silverbacks were 11 points behind West Kelowna, and in the end they were 1 point away from taking a playoff spot. Credit to everyone on that team and in that organization, as they were one of the hottest teams down the stretch, going 18-8-0-1 since December 13th. In comparison, the Warriors went 13-11-0-3, and the Penticton Vees went 16-5-2-1.
Looking at just those numbers, the Silverbacks gained 8 points on West Kelowna during that stretch, and picked up 1 more than Penticton, although the Vees played 3 less games. Still a huge accomplishment, and as Rylan Ferster has said for 6 weeks "A real good team is going to miss the playoffs"
Tonight's Game Thoughts:
The fans behind the Warriors bench knew of the score and were vocal in spreading it around moments after Jack Ramsey won it for Penticton, but the Warriors kept pushing with their 3-0 lead at that point.
In the end it was a 4 for 4 power-play night for the Warriors, Brayden Gelsinger and Tanner Campbell each had a pair of goals, Jason Cotton and Kristian Blumenschein had the others, and Jonathan Desbiens had 4 assists.
The Salmon Arm Silverbacks need to be given a lot of credit for their efforts over the latter half of the season. At one point the Silverbacks were 11 points behind West Kelowna, and in the end they were 1 point away from taking a playoff spot. Credit to everyone on that team and in that organization, as they were one of the hottest teams down the stretch, going 18-8-0-1 since December 13th. In comparison, the Warriors went 13-11-0-3, and the Penticton Vees went 16-5-2-1.
Looking at just those numbers, the Silverbacks gained 8 points on West Kelowna during that stretch, and picked up 1 more than Penticton, although the Vees played 3 less games. Still a huge accomplishment, and as Rylan Ferster has said for 6 weeks "A real good team is going to miss the playoffs"
Tonight's Game Thoughts:
- West Kelowna came out sort of like they wanted to with pressure, but once that first power-play goal went in, you could see some relief on the faces of Warriors players. The power-play would be lethal from then on.
- Tanner Campbell was the one that scored that 1st goal of the night, and I talked on the broadcast about him being "Mr. 1st Goal of the Game" guy. Now that I've had a chance to look back...of his 8 goals this season for the Warriors, 3 of those have been the first goal of the hockey game.
- Scott Patton was very good for West Kelowna tonight. He probably wants the Cole Plotnikoff goal back from the sharp angle, but with the Eagles out-shooting the Warriors in the game, Patton had to be sharp. He also stopped a Darius Davidson penalty shot, and made a couple fantastic saves with his toe and glove. Oh, and kind of ON HIS BIRTHDAY TOO (Leap year baby, February 29th)
- The Eagles played a solid hockey game tonight and I thought generated a lot offensively with only 9 forwards. They rolled through their 3 lines and kept getting shots onto Scott Patton throughout the night. The killer was the lack of a penalty kill tonight, as the Warriors go 100% on the man advantage.
Playoffs Start Tuesday:
- Warriors will play in Penticton Tuesday and Wednesday for Games 1 and 2, before returning to Royal Lepage Place Friday and Saturday for Games 3 and 4.
- This will be the 4th time West Kelowna and Penticton have met in the playoffs in the last 9 seasons. Penticton has won all 3 series, but these two teams have not met in the 1st round ever.
The in-depth playoff preview will be on the blog Monday afternoon.
Saturday, 28 February 2015
Playoff Scenarios & Game Preview - Feb 28 vs Surrey
57 games and it all comes down to this final one for the West Kelowna Warriors as they will take on the Surrey Eagles tonight at Royal Lepage Place.
The playoff picture is as clear as it can be around the league with the exception of the last spot in the BCHL Interior, which will be decided tonight when the outcome of the Salmon Arm/Penticton and West Kelowna/Surrey games are known.
In last night's action, the Merritt Centennials exploded for 4 goals in the 2nd period en route to a big 5-1 win over the Silverbacks, thus clinching the 3rd spot and a date with Vernon in the 1st round. Salmon Arm gets another opportunity to "win and get in" tonight vs. Penticton.
Here are the scenarios as they set up from a West Kelowna perspective:
The playoff picture is as clear as it can be around the league with the exception of the last spot in the BCHL Interior, which will be decided tonight when the outcome of the Salmon Arm/Penticton and West Kelowna/Surrey games are known.
In last night's action, the Merritt Centennials exploded for 4 goals in the 2nd period en route to a big 5-1 win over the Silverbacks, thus clinching the 3rd spot and a date with Vernon in the 1st round. Salmon Arm gets another opportunity to "win and get in" tonight vs. Penticton.
Here are the scenarios as they set up from a West Kelowna perspective:
- A Warriors win combined with Salmon Arm Loss, Overtime Loss, or Tie --> Warriors clinch 4th
- A Warriors win combined with Salmon Arm Win --> Salmon Arm takes 4th
- A Warriors overtime loss or tie combined with a Salmon Arm regulation time loss --> Warriors are in.
Ultimately those are the basic scenarios for tonight. Salmon Arm gets into the playoffs with a win regardless of when it happens. They need two points as they have the head to head tie-breakers should both teams have the same number of wins. I know the head-to-head tiebreakers are confusing, but here is how they work.
- 1st tiebreaker is Wins, each team would have the same number if they both do the same thing tonight
- 2nd tiebreaker is points accumulated in games between tied teams. This means that although West Kelowna beat Salmon Arm 4 times, and lost 3, that because 2 of the Warriors wins against the Silverbacks were in OT, both teams accumulated 8 points in those games.
- 3rd tiebreaker is goal differential in games between tied teams, and Salmon Arm has that edged out by 3 goals.
The Silverbacks take on the Vees starting at 6 pm in Penticton tonight, so heading to the 3rd period of our game, we should know what has happened at the SOEC, and what needs to happen in the 3rd. For the Warriors, its all about winning tonight and not worrying about what is happening down the road. The media will be looking at it, the fans will be looking at it, but the players and coaching staff need to focus on the 2 points and go from there.
The one interesting note, and its a long shot but something that has crossed my mind is that if Salmon Arm loses in OT or ties, and the Warriors head to OT, something crazy could happen. If both teams earn only a single point then they'd go to those 2nd and 3rd tiebreakers mentioned above, so the Warriors would have to win it outright even if it is in OT. This means that just like some minor hockey tournaments that feature tiebreakers for playoff spots, the Warriors may need to pull their goalie in overtime to give them the best chance of getting the win they need. Fun times ahead.
Anyways that was long-winded but basically what it comes down to tonight.
Here are the stats:
Surrey Eagles - 9-44-1-3
5th in Mainland Division (21 Pts)
HOME - 8-19-1-1
AWAY - 1-25-0-2
Top Scorer
Darius Davidson (96) F
(25 G, 26 A)
GF - 139
GA - 279
PP - 16th - 14.9% (34 for 228)
PK - 14th - 74.6% (185 for 248)
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West Kelowna – 28-21-0-8
T-4th in Interior Division (64 Pts) HOME – 17-9-0-2 ROAD – 11-12-0-6
Top Scorer
Liam Blackburn (96) F
(22 G, 51 A)
GF – 199
GA – 208 PP – 9th - 22.2% (59 for 266) PK – 3rd - 82.3% (191 for 232) |
Head-to-Head Lifetime – West Kelowna is 10-5-1-0 All-time vs Surrey
2013/2014 Head to Head – West Kelowna went 1-2 vs. Surrey
2014/2015 Head to Head - West Kelowna is 0-1 vs. Surrey this season
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Tuesday, 24 February 2015
Game Preview - Feb 24 vs Trail
The Warriors come home after a big win in Trail on Saturday night and will take on the Smoke Eaters again for the 8th time this season. The season series has been an interesting back and forth between these two hockey clubs, with the Warriors holding a 4-2-0-1 edge.
Saturday's game in Trail saw the Warriors playing without 4 regulars, including leading scorer Liam Blackburn, and 20 year olds Jordan Masters, Andy Desautels, and captain Andrew Johnson. At the time of this preview, their status is unknown for tonight's game, but Saturday's indication was that each were day-to-day with the possibility of playing tonight or Saturday vs Surrey.
Jonathan Desbiens had a pair of goals against the Smoke Eaters on Saturday as him and Brayden Gelsinger found their chemistry once again. Jason Cotton was again a big factor and worked hard to create opportunities.
It was the defensive side of the puck that I noticed the most throughout that hockey game. Shot blocks were 20+, maybe even 30+ as every attempt seemed to have a Warrior getting in the way. With a short bench, Rylan Ferster got the match-ups he needed to get and kept Craig Martin and Jake Lucchini off the scoreboard with a neutral-zone trap. Dallas Calvin left the game in the first period for the Smoke Eaters and did not return. He has only played 5 periods out of 21 against West Kelowna due to a bout with Mono, but put up 4 points in that 8-7 OT win over the Warriors February 13th. There will be a definite focus on that line once again tonight.
Here are the stats.
Saturday's game in Trail saw the Warriors playing without 4 regulars, including leading scorer Liam Blackburn, and 20 year olds Jordan Masters, Andy Desautels, and captain Andrew Johnson. At the time of this preview, their status is unknown for tonight's game, but Saturday's indication was that each were day-to-day with the possibility of playing tonight or Saturday vs Surrey.
Jonathan Desbiens had a pair of goals against the Smoke Eaters on Saturday as him and Brayden Gelsinger found their chemistry once again. Jason Cotton was again a big factor and worked hard to create opportunities.
It was the defensive side of the puck that I noticed the most throughout that hockey game. Shot blocks were 20+, maybe even 30+ as every attempt seemed to have a Warrior getting in the way. With a short bench, Rylan Ferster got the match-ups he needed to get and kept Craig Martin and Jake Lucchini off the scoreboard with a neutral-zone trap. Dallas Calvin left the game in the first period for the Smoke Eaters and did not return. He has only played 5 periods out of 21 against West Kelowna due to a bout with Mono, but put up 4 points in that 8-7 OT win over the Warriors February 13th. There will be a definite focus on that line once again tonight.
Here are the stats.
Trail Smoke Eaters - 18-33-0-5
6th in Interior Division (41 Pts)
HOME - 12-14-0-3
AWAY - 6-19-0-2
Top Scorer
Jake Lucchini (95) F
(34 G, 46 A)
GF - 200
GA - 243
PP - 12th - 21.3% (46 for 216)
PK - 11th - 77.3% (170 for 220)
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West Kelowna – 27-21-0-8
T-3rd in Interior Division (62 Pts) HOME – 16-9-0-2 ROAD – 11-12-0-6
Top Scorer
Liam Blackburn (96) F
(22 G, 51 A)
GF – 195
GA – 205 PP – 10th - 22.4% (59 for 264) PK – 3rd - 82.1% (188 for 229) |
Head-to-Head Lifetime – West Kelowna is 42-14-0-6 vs. All-time vs Trail
2013/2014 Head to Head – West Kelowna went 6-1 vs. Trail
2014/2015 Head to Head - West Kelowna is 4-2-0-1 vs. Trail this season
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Saturday, 21 February 2015
Game Preview - Feb 21 @ Trail
The West Kelowna Warriors head to Cominco arena tonight to take on the Smoke Eaters in another pivotal game in the playoff race. With the Silverbacks taking on the Vipers tonight as well, part of our broadcast focus will be on that game, but ultimately it's the Warriors who need to take care of business with a win.
This season season has been a bit crazy, and will probably continue to be tonight in Trail, and Tuesday at RLP. The Warriors are 1-2 at Cominco this season, and need to avoid having a losing record there, for the first time since 09/10.
Special Teams will be an ultimate key in this game, West Kelowna saw their power-play move to 7th in the league with a 4-5 effort last night, and the penalty kill go to 3rd. Trail's PP is 11th, and PK is 12th so the Warriors hot power-play needs to take advantage.
In the interesting stat department, the Warriors PK has a 91.8% efficiency in their last 11 games, while their power-play is at a 30.5% rate since the acquisition of Tyler Kunz. One player doesn't make a team, but this player might make a power-play.
I don't have the power-play numbers from January 2nd from the rest of the teams, but that one has to be tough to top.
Puck drop tonight is at 7:30, tune it at wdcr.ca or watch on Fast Hockey ($) and cheer your Warriors to victory. Tweet me @WestKVoice and let me know you're listening!
Here are the rest of the stats.
This season season has been a bit crazy, and will probably continue to be tonight in Trail, and Tuesday at RLP. The Warriors are 1-2 at Cominco this season, and need to avoid having a losing record there, for the first time since 09/10.
Special Teams will be an ultimate key in this game, West Kelowna saw their power-play move to 7th in the league with a 4-5 effort last night, and the penalty kill go to 3rd. Trail's PP is 11th, and PK is 12th so the Warriors hot power-play needs to take advantage.
In the interesting stat department, the Warriors PK has a 91.8% efficiency in their last 11 games, while their power-play is at a 30.5% rate since the acquisition of Tyler Kunz. One player doesn't make a team, but this player might make a power-play.
I don't have the power-play numbers from January 2nd from the rest of the teams, but that one has to be tough to top.
Puck drop tonight is at 7:30, tune it at wdcr.ca or watch on Fast Hockey ($) and cheer your Warriors to victory. Tweet me @WestKVoice and let me know you're listening!
Here are the rest of the stats.
Trail Smoke Eaters - 18-32-0-5
6th in Interior Division (41 Pts)
HOME - 12-13-0-3
AWAY - 6-19-0-2
Top Scorer
Jake Lucchini (95) F
(34 G, 46 A)
GF - 198
GA - 239
PP - 11th - 21.7% (46 for 212)
PK - 12th - 76.9% (166 for 216)
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West Kelowna – 26-21-0-8
T-3rd in Interior Division (60 Pts) HOME – 16-9-0-2 ROAD – 10-12-0-6
Top Scorer
Liam Blackburn (96) F
(22 G, 51 A)
GF – 191
GA – 203 PP – 7th - 22.7% (59 for 260) PK – 3rd - 81.8% (184 for 225) |
Head-to-Head Lifetime – West Kelowna is 41-14-0-6 vs. All-time vs Trail
2013/2014 Head to Head – West Kelowna went 6-1 vs. Trail
2014/2015 Head to Head - West Kelowna is 3-2-0-1 vs. Trail this season.
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Recap- Warriors vs. Chiefs
The West Kelowna Warriors did what they needed to do, and that was win Friday against Chilliwack. The out of town scoreboard only half went in their favor though, as the Silverbacks won and the Centennials lost, leaving West Kelowna in a 3-way tie for 3rd, but after tie-breakers, out of the playoff picture again.
With the Warriors needing 1 more win than Salmon Arm down the stretch, they didn't get the break they needed as the Silverbacks scored in the final minute against Alberni (10 seconds after the Bulldogs tied it no less) to win 4-3.
-Tyler Kunz got the power-play party started at 8:13 of the first as he hammered a one-timer past Aidan Pelino.
With the Warriors needing 1 more win than Salmon Arm down the stretch, they didn't get the break they needed as the Silverbacks scored in the final minute against Alberni (10 seconds after the Bulldogs tied it no less) to win 4-3.
The focus during the pre-game though was on the Warriors game itself and nothing else, as while they don't control their own destiny, the Warriors aren't going to make it easy on themselves with any losses.7
Looking at the game from a West Kelowna perspective, they did what they needed to do, but at a cost. This time of year you can't avoid the bumps and bruises, but the Warriors seem to hit every bump and find the largest bruises. Losing Andrew Johnson late in the 1st on what was a very scary sequence where he fell at the goal line going full-speed and seemed to hit his neck/head on the end wall.
With Johnson down, the Chiefs brought the puck back up ice, but the Chilliwack coaching staff was yelling at the officials to stop play immediately. I have to commend the staff of the Chiefs for their sportsmanship in that moment. It is the 2nd such moment in the last few games, as a Trail player (I believe it was Bryan Basilico) got play stopped immediately last Friday when Kyle Marino was hit with a puck up high. Good on everyone in those situations. Johnson ended up going off the ice on mostly his own power, with Mike Bois by his side, and would not return.
On the same play, while I was watching Johnson after the play stopped, Jordan Masters and Jake Larsen fought along the end glass at the opposite end. I didn't see what started that, but both players were automatically ejected under the BCHL's 1-fight rule.
Now for the scoring.
-Tyler Kunz got the power-play party started at 8:13 of the first as he hammered a one-timer past Aidan Pelino.
-Luke McColgan would get the Chiefs on the board at 11:25 when he put a rebound past Andy Desautels.
-Chiefs made it 2-1`just 1:22 into the 2nd period when Jordan Kawaguchi got a nice bounce onto his stick to put past Desautels
-The Warriors tied it up at 9:41 thanks to a goal from Jonathan Desbiens in the slot. Rylan Yaremko would make it 3-2 at 15:09 as he tucked in the loose puck after great work from Kyle Marino.
-West Kelowna would make it 4-2 at 18:32 when Brayden Gelsinger raced to steal a puck from Vincent Desharnais, and would slide it through Pelino.
In the final minute of the 2nd period, Tipper Higgins would drive to the Warriors goal and collide with Desautels. Andy Desautels was down for quite some time with Mike Bois checking him out, and essentially would stay in for only 4.5 more seconds, as Scott Patton came in to play the 3rd period. The Warriors bench looked quite empty in that 3rd period, short 2 players and a goaltender for the final 20 minutes.
The Warriors power-play struck twice more in the 3rd as Desbiens got his 2nd of the night from the crease, and Kylar Hope blasted one past Pelino.
The road to the playoffs continues tomorrow in Trail as the Warriors look to snap an 10-game losing streak on the road. Their last win came December 12th in overtime at Cominco when Kristian Blumenschein had the winner. On the out-of-town watch, the Silverbacks host the Vipers.
-Chiefs made it 2-1`just 1:22 into the 2nd period when Jordan Kawaguchi got a nice bounce onto his stick to put past Desautels
-The Warriors tied it up at 9:41 thanks to a goal from Jonathan Desbiens in the slot. Rylan Yaremko would make it 3-2 at 15:09 as he tucked in the loose puck after great work from Kyle Marino.
-West Kelowna would make it 4-2 at 18:32 when Brayden Gelsinger raced to steal a puck from Vincent Desharnais, and would slide it through Pelino.
In the final minute of the 2nd period, Tipper Higgins would drive to the Warriors goal and collide with Desautels. Andy Desautels was down for quite some time with Mike Bois checking him out, and essentially would stay in for only 4.5 more seconds, as Scott Patton came in to play the 3rd period. The Warriors bench looked quite empty in that 3rd period, short 2 players and a goaltender for the final 20 minutes.
The Warriors power-play struck twice more in the 3rd as Desbiens got his 2nd of the night from the crease, and Kylar Hope blasted one past Pelino.
The road to the playoffs continues tomorrow in Trail as the Warriors look to snap an 10-game losing streak on the road. Their last win came December 12th in overtime at Cominco when Kristian Blumenschein had the winner. On the out-of-town watch, the Silverbacks host the Vipers.
Catch the stats preview will be up at 10:30 am.
Friday, 20 February 2015
Game Preview - Feb 20th vs Chilliwack
The West Kelowna Warriors took 3 of 4 points last weekend
against Trail and Nanaimo as they continue their hunt towards the Interior
Division playoffs.
These two teams battled on February 7th in Chilliwack, and it was the Chiefs who came away with the OT win. West Kelowna battled back to tie that hockey game up, and just couldn't bury their chances late in the game for the win, and couldn't get to the net in OT either.
Here are the stats for tonight.
Chilliwack - 33-16-1-3
1st in Mainland Division (70 Pts)
HOME - 21-4-0-1
AWAY - 12-12-0-3
Top Scorer
Jordan Kawaguchi (97) F
(23 G, 27 A)
GF - 191
GA - 169
PP - 13th - 20.1% (49 for 244)
PK - 6th - 78.6% (173 for 220)
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West Kelowna – 25-21-0-8
5th in Interior Division (58 Pts) HOME – 15-9-0-2 ROAD – 10-12-0-6
Top Scorer
Liam Blackburn (96) F
(22 G, 48 A)
GF – 185
GA – 201 PP – 11th - 21.6% (55 for 255) PK – 3rd - 81.4% (179 for 220) |
Head-to-Head Lifetime – West Kelowna is 2-6-2-2 All-time vs. Chilliwack
2013/2014 Head to Head – West Kelowna went 0-1-1-0 vs. Chilliwack
2014/2015 Head to Head - Chilliwack defeated West Kelowna 3-2 in OT on February 7th.
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