Vees 4 - Warriors 3 (OT)

The Warriors dropped their 2nd overtime game in a row on Friday night, as Tyson Jost had 3 goals and Scott Conway got the winner just 13 seconds into the extra frame.

The Warriors had a good solid start to the hockey game, out-shooting the Vees over the first period, and had a couple great chances. There were big rebound available for the Warriors in the opening 20, with Garrett Forster finally finding one and giving West Kelowna a 1-0 lead.

The Vees answered back as Tyson Jost had a shot go off his skate and into the back of the net to tie the game at 1. Jost didn't even know the puck was shot from my angle, and definitely no distinct kicking motion as it hit the outside of the skate.

Jost's 2nd came on a nice cross-crease pass to give the Vees the lead, but the Warriors erased that in a 36 second span late in the 2nd.

Liam Blackburn scored on the power-play with Demico Hannoun off for high sticking, before Kylar Hope went in on a breakaway and beat Zach Driscoll upstairs to make it 3-2.

The Warriors also had a goal disallowed in the period, as the officials determined the puck was directed in purposely off the inner skate blade of Quin Foreman.

Penticton tied the game just 26 seconds into the 3rd period, as Jost's shot through traffic beat Ploszaj.

The key moment in the 3rd was actually a penalty kill for the Warriors, as they killed off a pair of penalties including a 4-minute call to Liam Blackburn for high-sticking.

Getting to overtime was bittersweet for as the Warriors felt they controlled the game 5 on 5 for the most part. A couple bounces the other way and that changes things.

In overtime, Scott Conway scored off the rush as he beat Ploszaj on the glove side. 

It's a quick turn around of sorts for the Warriors, as they'll take on the island leading Powell River Kings on Saturday night. The Kings won in OT against Coquitlam Friday.

Look for the game preview at 11 am here on Battle Cries.

October 9th vs Penticton PREVIEW

The West Kelowna Warriors head south on 97 tonight to take on the Penticton Vees. The Warriors are coming off an overtime loss to the Coquitlam Express, while the Vees knocked off the Trail Smoke Eaters on Wednesday for their 8th straight victory.

A very tough weekend for the Warriors, as their Saturday opponent, the Powell River Kings, have won 7 straight entering Friday's games. West Kelowna will need to replicate the effort from last Saturday's win over Wenatchee.

The Warriors did out-shoot the Express on Wednesday, the 7th time they have been able to do that this season. West Kelowna had 12 scoring chances in the game, while the Express had 10.

Looking at the Penticton Vees, a lot has been made about Tyson Jost and Dante Fabbro, and for good reason. They sit #1 and #3 in team scoring, and #3 and #16 in BCHL scoring. With all eyes on them in the BCHL for the upcoming NHL draft, they are producing.

Stat Pack:

Penticton – 8-1 (1st Interior) HOME – 4-0 ROAD – 4-1 Top Scorers Tyson Jost (6 G, 11 A) Scott Conway (8 G, 8 A) Dante Fabbro (3 G, 9 A) GF – 37 GA – 17 PP – 3rd – 11 for 44 (25%) PK – 3rd – 34 for 39 (87.2%)	West Kelowna – 5-3-0-1 (3rd Interior) HOME – 4-1-0-1 ROAD – 1-2-0-0 Top Scorers Liam Blackburn (4 G, 7 A) Garrett Forster (3 G, 8 A) Jonathan Desbiens (4 G, 6 A) GF – 32 GA – 32 PP – 2nd – 11 for 39 (28.2%) PK – 14th – 38 for 49 (77.6%) Next Game – Saturday October 10th vs Powell River – 7 PM RLP
Head-to-Head Lifetime – West Kelowna is 18-45-0-7 vs Penticton West Kelowna is 9-23-0-2 at the SOEC 2014/2015 Head to Head – West Kelowna went 2-5 against Penticton last year.

Coquitlam 3 - Warriors 2 - OT

The West Kelowna Warriors fell in overtime to Charlie Barrow and the Coquitlam Express last night at Royal Lepage Place.

Barrow scored the tying and winning goals in the hockey game, beating Stephen Heslop 35 seconds into overtime with a shot off the post.

The Warriors allowed the 1st goal of the game for the 6th time this season, as Colton Kerfoot found space above Heslop's shoulder in the 1st period.

West Kelowna scored a pair of goals in the middle frame, as Garrett Forster tied the game at 1, before Quin Foreman made it 2-1 with his 1st BCHL goal.

Rough stuff occurred late in the 2nd period, as Jake Harrison's helmet went flying after a high hit in the corner from Jack Surowiec. Harrison, who did not return, was already engaged on the end boards with a member of the Express when Surowiec laid his check.  Rylan Yaremko took exception, dropping the gloves with Surowiec in a spirited tilt.

Yaremko would get the instigator, while Surowiec was given 2 for a blow to the head, along with fighting majors, misconducts, and game misconducts.

At the same time, Austin McIlmurray was ejected for Abuse of Officials, a call that was made either after a physical or verbal altercation with an official, which I didn't see where that happened, or what went on. Luckily for McIlmurray, it was only a Game Misconduct and not a Gross.

Barrow scored halfway through the 3rd period to tie the game, which sent the game to overtime for the first time this season for West Kelowna. The Warriors out-shot the Express 33-29.

Game Thoughts:

• The line of Lane Gilliss, Quin Foreman, and Reed Gunville was the best line for the Warriors, as pointed out by Shae Naka following the game. Foreman got his first in the BCHL, while Gunville had a pair of opportunities for his 1st as well.  This trio saw a regular shift throughout, and were on the ice with 1:23 remaining in a tie hockey game. Talk about a confidence boost.
• Rylan Yaremko stood up for his 16-year-old teammate Jake Harrison after the 2nd period hit knocked him out of the game. Ideally, you want to make the other team pay while you're on the power play, but Yaremko felt he needed to take matters into his own fists.  It was a situation that was warranted from the contact at first glance, as Harrison's helmet went flying. Pretty sure he didn't even know Jack Surowiec was coming when he was battling on the end wall. Watching it back on video, the angle makes it tough to see what contacted Harrison's head, but that's up to the league to look at now. Hopefully he's okay for this weekend's big games.
• Once again the Warriors had a dominant 2nd period, scoring both goals and out-shooting Coquitlam 19-5 in the frame. Through 9 games, the Warriors have out-shot their opponents 133-69 in the 2nd period.
• You have to think it was a missed opportunity for the Warriors when they couldn't score on Lawson Fenton when he entered the game after Tyger Howat went down with an injury. Give Fenton credit though, he made a couple solid saves, plus his defense definitely got into the lane a lot more once he came in. 17 saves in relief gets him his first BCHL win.

The Warriors have a pair of big hockey games to prepare for this weekend, as they take on the #5 and #20 ranked teams in Canada, and the other 2 teams that went 2-0 at the BCHL Showcase (WK and Wenatchee the others).

Friday night the Warriors visit the SOEC for another round of the division rivalry with the Penticton Vees. Saturday, they return home to take on the Powell River Kings, who are in Coquitlam Friday night.

Catch all the action both nights on WIN or Fast Hockey, with the pre-game shows at 6:45 Friday, and 6:40 on Saturday night.

October 6th vs Coquitlam PREVIEW

The West Kelowna Warriors play their 2nd of 7 Home games in the month of October tonight against the Coquitlam Express.

The Warriors are coming off a big victory, beating Wenatchee by a 4-2 margin and handing the Wild their first ever BCHL loss. The Express meanwhile, are coming off a busy weekend, which saw them go 1-1-1 against Victoria (W), Nanaimo (L), and Cowichan (T).

The trio of Jackson Cressey, Colton Kerfoot and Austin McIlmurray is the line to watch for the Express, as they've scored 64% of the teams goals, and have put up 37 points in the first 9 games.

Cressey is 3rd in league scoring, which is a familiar spot for Express forwards, as Corey Mackin and Brett Supinski ran the table last season, racking up 202 points between the two of them.

The Warriors will be looking to build on the momentum of Saturday's win, while the Express will look to move above .500.

Puck drop is 7 pm tonight, pre-game show on Fast Hockey or www.mixlr.com/bchlwarriors starts at 6:40.

We'll have an interview with alumni Tyler Briggs during the 1st intermission, and a September highlight package in the 2nd intermission. Talk to you tonight

Stats Pack:

Coquitlam Express– 4-4-1-0 HOME – 0-1-1-0 ROAD – 4-3-0-0 (includes Showcase Home/Road) Top Scorers Jackson Cressey (7 G, 9 A) Colton Kerfoot (5 G, 6 A) Austin McIlmurray (4 G, 6 A) GF – 26 GA – 35 PP – 12th - 8 for 50 (16%) PK – 13th – 37 for 47 (78.7%)	West Kelowna – 5-3 (3rd Interior) HOME – 4-1 ROAD – 1-2 (includes Showcase Home/Road) Top Scorers Liam Blackburn (4 G, 6 A) Garrett Forster (2 G, 8 A) Jonathan Desbiens (4 G, 5 A) GF – 30 GA – 29 PP – 2nd – 10 for 37 (27%) PK – 14th – 35 for 45 (77.8%) Next Game – Friday October 9th @ Penticton – 7 PM SOEC
Head-to-Head Lifetime – West Kelowna is 12-4-0-1 vs. Coquitlam All Time West Kelowna is 7-2 vs. Coquitlam at home. 2014/2015 Head to Head – West Kelowna went 3-0 vs. Coquitlam

Warriors 4 - Wenatchee 2

The West Kelowna Warriors got a big 4-2 victory over the previously unbeaten Wenatchee Wild on Saturday night at RLP.

Kyle Marino opened the scoring late in a physical first period, as the hits were flying between the two teams.

Wenatchee got a pair of power-play goals in the second period, as they had the man advantage for 7:41 of the middle frame from 6 Warriors penalties. Included in those minors were a Bench Minor for unsportsmanlike conduct after Kylar Hope took a pair of high sticks, a roughing after the whistle call in which Reed Gunville tried to protect himself from a glove working its way underneath his full cage, and a too many men penalty after miscommunication after a penalty kill.

The Warriors regrouped in the dressing room between periods and after a failed power play, were able to tie the game. Kylar Hope made an excellent move on a defenseman and snapped one blocker side on Garrett Nieto. Just 19 seconds later, Jonathan Desbiens pass to Garrett Forster was in the back of the net before Nieto got halfway across and gave the Warriors the lead.

West Kelowna killed off a Tanner Campbell Penalty, then with Bryan Nelson in the penalty box, Liam Blackburn got a short-handed breakaway goal as he beat Nieto up high.

The Wild had no answer for the Warriors defense in the 3rd period, registering just 1 shot, and that came with 0.6 seconds remaining.

Thoughts and Stats:

• West Kelowna earned this victory. Killing off 9 of 11 penalties in the game, the Warriors kept sticking with it, getting a couple key saves from newly added Stephen Heslop, in a game where they only gave up 5 scoring chances. 2 of those chances were at even strength. Lock. Down. Defense.
• One night after they were able to carry the puck into the zone 42 times (my count in Salmon Arm), the Wild were forced to dump it in a little more as the Warriors continuously held the line. The Wild weren't able to generate the high flying neutral zone play that they had against the 'Backs, and at times looked to struggle in adapting to what the Warriors threw at them.
• The Warriors allowed just 18 shots in the game, (15 by coaches count) and while they only generated 25 themselves, the defensive effort is the most impressive.
• Face-offs were a concern heading into the game, after a 42% performance in Merritt. The centre's responded, going 60% in the circle, with a big night from Brett Mennear as he won 14 of 18 draws.
• West Kelowna delivered 28 hits in the hockey game, while blocking 8 shots. They had 13 scoring chances.

A big week ahead for West Kelowna, as they will take on the Coquitlam Express on Tuesday night at RLP, visit the Penticton Vees Friday (#5 in CJHL Rankings) and host the Powell River Kings Saturday (#20 in CJHL Rankings). A busy month of October has begun.

October 3rd vs Wenatchee PREVIEW

For the first time in BCHL history, the Wenatchee Wild will visit the West Kelowna Warriors at Royal Lepage Place in a game that counts.

The West Kelowna Warriors return to Royal Lepage Place after 2 weeks away, including a 2-0 weekend at the Bauer BCHL Showcase, and a night to forget in Merritt on Wednesday.

There was a trade yesterday, as the Warriors moved Daniel Mannella and Jake Tesarowski to Melville, for the Junior A rights of a 19-year-old goalie and Future Considerations.

West Kelowna will also welcome back Stephen Heslop to the net, as he signed with the Warriors in a related move yesterday. Heslop, if you don’t recall, played 6 games in the regular season, and 3 in the playoffs as an AP, and gave the Warriors a chance to win every single night.

The Wild, who are 5-0-1-0 to start the year, look to continue their BCHL run against the Warriors.

Lead by Chase Perry in net, the Wild have rolled through Prince George, knocked off Langley, and defeated both Vernon and Trail by 1 goal.

Last night, it was a comeback effort TWICE in the 3rd period to tie the Salmon Arm Silverbacks in a highly entertaining game at the Shaw Center.

The Wild play a fast game that is all about puck possession, as they are talent laden up and down the lineup. The majority of the time they make 1 pass through the neutral zone and then carry the puck over the line, forcing teams to stay strong defensively.

This should be a great test for the Warriors group, looking to make amends for a tough night in Merritt on Wednesday. Buckle up, it's going to be a good one.

STATS PACK:

Wenatchee – 5-0-1-0 (1st Mainland) HOME – 1-0 ROAD – 4-0-1-0 (includes Showcase Home/Road) Top Scorers Mike Coyne (1 G, 7 A) Dakota Raabe (3 G, 4 A) Kyle Stephan (3 G, 4 A) Troy Conzo (4 G, 2 A) GF – 28 GA – 11 PP – 11th - 7 for 38 (18.4%) PK – 2nd – 20 for 22 (90.9%)	West Kelowna – 4-3 (3rd Interior) HOME – 3-1 ROAD – 1-2 (includes Showcase Home/Road) Top Scorers Liam Blackburn (3 G, 6 A) Garrett Forster (1 G, 8 A) Jonathan Desbiens (4 G, 4 A) Reed Gunville (0 G, 7 A) GF – 26 GA – 27 PP – 1st - 10 for 33 (30.3%) PK – 13th - 26 for 34 (76.5%) Next Game – Tuesday October 6th Vs. Coquitlam – Royal Lepage Place 7 PM
Head-to-Head Lifetime – This is the 1st ever meeting in the BCHL between the Warriors and the Wild

Merritt 9 - Warriors 1

There's not much that can be said to sugar-coat a drubbing of 9-1 to an Interior Division rival. The Warriors allowed the first 7 goals of the game, including 5 in the first period to Merritt on Wednesday night, which turns out to be the worst margin of defeat in franchise history.

The Warriors allowed the first 2 shots of the game, and 3 of the next 7 as well, as both goaltenders saw time on the ice and bench, as Rylan Ferster made 5 goaltender changes in the game.

In the end, it's one of those games where you hope you can throw it away and not dwell on it again, moving forward to what looks to be a very good Wenatchee squad that comes to RLP on Saturday night.

The Warriors lone goal on Wednesday was a Liam Blackburn power-play goal, which at 17:32 of the 2nd period meant nothing beyond breaking Cole Kehler's shutout.

The final shots on goal registered at 31-30 for Merritt. A .710 save percentage as a team isn't going to win you many (if any) games in the BCHL, or any other league for that matter. Overall, there were some defensive miscues and missed assignments, but you need a save or 6 at some point to keep your team in the game. The Warriors didn't get that last night.

The players were at the United Way breakfast this morning, a reminder of the role they play in the community. Defenseman Bryan Nelson was also first on the scene of a scary head-on collision that closed Hwy 97 in West Kelowna this morning, so when you take that stuff into account, you push hockey from the back of your mind. That might be the best thing.