PHOTO: Chris Fowler/Pure Life Photography
The West Kelowna Warriors fell short in their final game of the regular season as they dropped a 5-3 decision to the Salmon Arm Silverbacks at the Shaw Centre on Saturday night.
The Silverbacks were first to hit the scoresheet coming just 2:00 into the opening period of play as the Warriors had trouble clearing the puck from their own zone and Elijiah Barriga found the puck and snapped a shot over the blocker shoulder of Warriors netminder Owen Partrick for the 1-0 lead.
That would be the only scoring of the first period as Salmon Arm took a 1-0 lead into the first intermission with the Warriors putting 10 shots toward Silverbacks netminder Nic Tallarico but he turned each one of those shots aside. Owen Partrick made his first BCHL start for the Warriors on Saturday night and made 6 saves on 7 first period shots he faced in the opening twenty minutes.
Salmon Arm extended their lead to two goals at the 12:17 mark of the 2nd period as Connor Sunquist’s knuckle puck from the point found a way past Owen Partrick and slid across the goal line for a 2-0 Silverbacks advantage past the midway point of period number two. Certainly, a goal the Warriors netminder would like to have back.
The Warriors got themselves on the scoresheet at the 16:07 mark of the middle stanza as Michael Ryan rushed in from the neutral zone and through the defense, putting a backhand shot on from the slot and past the glove side of Silverbacks goaltender Nic Tallarico for his 9th goal of the season and cut the deficit to one as the Silverbacks took a 2-1 lead into the third period.
The Warriors saw their 17-year-old netminder make 14 saves on 15 shots in the 2nd period as Partrick stopped 20 of 22 shots through 40 minutes of action while Salmon Arm goaltender Nic Tallarico turned aside 11 of the 12 shots he faced in the middle stanza and 21 of the 22 shots he faced in the game up to that point.
The Silverbacks earned their two-goal advantage back early in the 3rd period at the 47 second mark of the frame as Elijiah Barriga collected his second goal of the game on a rebound on the power play to give the Silverbacks a 3-1 lead.
Just a minute after the Barriga marker, Quin Foreman buried a rebound off a scramble play in front of the crease for his team leading 27th goal of the season and a 3-2 Silverback lead with Foreman’s goal coming at the 1:47 mark of the 3rd period.
The Warriors got to within a goal once more at the 18:31 mark of the 3rd period as Stephen Kleysen buried a loose puck on the glove side of Tallarico on the power play for his 6th goal of the season to cut the deficit to one again as the score read 4-3 for Salmon Arm.
Salmon Arm iced the game with an empty net goal at the 19:02 mark, just 29 seconds after the Foreman marker, as Barriga finished off his hat trick with an empty net goal and secured a 5-3 victory for the Silverbacks over the Warriors.
Owen Partrick picked up his first BCHL start on Saturday night and stopped 22 of 26 shots in his 1st loss of his BCHL career while Nic Tallarico turned aside 36 shots on 39 attempts toward the Silverback goal for the victory.
FINAL SCORE: 5-3 Silverbacks
SHOTS ON GOAL: 39-27 Warriors
PP: Warriors (2/4) Silverbacks (1/3)
3 STARS:
1) Elijiah Barriga (3-0-3)
2) Carson Bolduc (1-2-3)
3) Jake Harrison (0-2-2)
ATTENDANCE: 1226
With the Warriors loss on Saturday, West Kelowna officially clinched fourth place in the Interior Division and will face-off against the Merritt Centennials in the opening round of the BCHL playoffs and will begin with Game #1 starting on Friday, March 3rd at Royal LePage Place. Tickets are available for purchase at the Warriors office or by calling Kim at (250) 769-7051.
