Ethier Leads the Charge as Warriors Top Bandits
The West Kelowna Warriors put together a statement performance, riding a monster night from Natan Ethier to a hard-fought win over the Brooks Bandits.
The Warriors wasted no time getting on the board, striking early in the opening frame. Natan Ethier continued his reputation as a Bandit killer, finishing off a slick play after receiving a pass from the corner from Noah Garthe and Alexandre Lallier to give West Kelowna a quick lead. The Warriors controlled much of the play early, using their speed and puck possession to keep Brooks on their heels.
Just seven minutes later, Ethier was at it again—this time as a playmaker—springing Dylan Krayer on a breakaway. Krayer made no mistake, sliding the puck through the five-hole of Zach Zahara to double the Warriors’ advantage.
Both teams traded power-play goals late in the period. After Brooks found the back of the net with the man advantage, West Kelowna responded when Noah Garthe buried a beautiful setup from Ethier, restoring the two-goal cushion. Despite the Warriors owning much of the puck possession, they headed into the intermission up 3–1.
Brooks came out with urgency in the second period and clawed their way back into the game. The Bandits scored twice to tighten things up, cutting the Warriors’ lead to 3–2 heading into the third and setting the stage for a tense final frame.
Ethier ensured the momentum didn’t swing any further. Early in the third, he struck on the power play, tipping home a shot from Alexandre Lallier to give West Kelowna some breathing room. Ten minutes later, Ethier completed the hat trick in style, wiring a shot top glove on a highlight-reel play to put the Warriors firmly in control.
The Bandits pushed late and made things interesting down the stretch, but Caden Kemkaran-Humble sealed the win with an empty-net goal to cap off the night.
The top line of Natan Ethier, Alexandre Lallier, and Noah Garthe was electric from start to finish, combining for an impressive 12 points in the game. Between the pipes, Bor Glavic was steady in his first start back since the World Junior Competition, turning aside 29 of 33 shots.
Special teams also played a key role, as the Warriors went 2-for-5 on the power play and 2-for-4 on the penalty kill.
West Kelowna will look to build on the momentum next weekend when they hit the road to face the Trail Smokeaters on Friday before returning home to Royal LePage Place on Saturday to take on the Vernon Vipers.
