The West Kelowna Warriors scored five times in the first period en route to a massive 9-4 win over the Trail Smoke Eaters on Friday night at Royal LePage Place, in front of 1248 raucous fans on Westbank First Nation night.
The Warriors penalty kill was fired up early in the hockey game, but the offensive side of things took over, as Brett Mennear scored in his first game back on a shorthanded two-on-one with Kylar Hope.
West Kelowna fired two more quick ones past a startled Bailey MacBurnie, with both of the goals of the pretty variety. First, it was Jonathan Desbiens first of three on the night, finishing off a 3-way passing play into a wide open net, before Kyle Marino was the recipient of a spinning backhand pass from Liam Blackburn to make it 3-0 before the game was nine minutes old.
The Smoke Eaters would get within two goals, but Desbiens second of the night, and a cross-ice finish from Connor Sodergren had the Warriors fans worked up with a five-goal outburst in the opening frame.
Blackburn got a goal of his own with the man advantage early in the middle period, before Trail responded with a pair to make it 6-3.
The Warriors kept their foot on the gas in the later stages of the second, as Quin Foreman went top-shelf from Blackburn, before Desbiens had the ice littered with hats for his third marker of the game.
The teams traded goals in the 3rd, as Reid Gunville added his 4th of the season to make it 9-3, while a power-play marker from the Smoke Eaters made it 9-4.
West Kelowna heads to Salmon Arm tomorrow night to take on the Silverbacks with second in the Interior on the line. The ‘Backs fell 10-5 to Vernon on Friday night.
