The West Kelowna Warriors (25-9-7-0) head south to renew the Highway 97 rivalry against the Penticton Vees (29-7-2-2) on Saturday night at the South Okanagan Events Centre.
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Breakdown:
West Kelowna:
Overall Record: 25-9-7-0 (2nd in Interior Conference – 3rd in BCHL)
Home Record: 13-4-4-0
Road Record: 12-5-3-0
Power Play: 27-for-127 (21.3% – 8th in BCHL)
Penalty Kill: 118-for-154 (80.4% – 13th in BCHL)
Penticton:
Overall Record: 29-7-2-2 (1st in Interior Conference – 2nd in BCHL)
Home Record: 18-2-0-0
Road Record: 11-5-2-2
Power Play: 43-for-137 (31.4% – 1st in BCHL)
Penalty Kill: 90-for-114 (78.9% – 8th in BCHL)
Season Series:
Friday, September 22nd @ Royal LePage Place (5-3 Warriors) (BOXSCORE)
Friday, December 15th @ South Okanagan Events Centre (3-2 Vees/OT) (BOXSCORE)
Saturday, December 16th @ Royal LePage Place (6-3 Warriors) (BOXSCORE)
Saturday, February 17th @ South Okanagan Events Centre (6:00 PM)
Friday, March 8th @ Royal LePage Place (7:00 PM)
Friday, March 15th @ Royal LePage Place (7:00 PM)
Sunday, March 31st @ South Okanagan Events Centre (2:00 PM)
Looking Back:
The Warriors come into action on Saturday night after getting back in the win column with a 5-4 triumph over the Salmon Arm Silverbacks on Friday night at Royal LePage Place. Michael Salandra posted a pair of goals while Felix Caron, Cal Hughes and Isaiah Norlin added singles in the winning cause. Rorke Applebee turned aside 14 of the 18 shots thrown his way in his 18th win of the season.
Penticton enters play on Saturday night with a triumphant performance on Friday night of their own, doubling up the Vernon Vipers by a 4-2 score at the South Okanagan Events Centre. Conyr Hellyer, Anselmo Rego, Billy Renfrew and Thomas Pichette each found the back of the net while Andrew Ness made 25 saves on 27 shots in his 12th win of the season.
Warriors Leading Scorers:
Felix Caron (25-26-51)
Michael Salandra (21-22-43)
Isaiah Norlin (11-30-41)
Jack Pridham (16-21-37)
Jackson Kyrkostas (17-16-33
Vees Leading Scorers:
Cal Arnott (22-19-41)
Connor MacPherson (9-27-36)
Billy Renfrew (13-22-35)
Thomas Pichette (12-20-32)
Ryan MacPherson (12-20-32)
Who’s Hot:
West Kelowna:
- Felix Caron – Forward – Terrebonne, Quebec – Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI)
Creeping his way into the top three in league scoring heading into Saturday night’s action, Caron pushed over the 50-point plateau on the season with a goal and an assist in the Warriors win over the Silverbacks on Friday night. The Terrebonne, Quebec native posted that number after a three-point effort in Trail last Saturday and also tied for the league lead in shorthanded goals with his 3rd coming last night.
- Top Five Success
In games against opponents with a winning record this season, the Warriors have definitely played up to the level of their competition and look to carry that into Saturday night’s tilt. West Kelowna holds an impressive 13-2-2-0 against the top four teams in the Interior Conference this season, including a pair of victories against the Vees along with a point from an overtime loss back on December 15th.
Penticton:
- Billy Renfrew – Forward – Fairbanks, Alaska – Northern Michigan University
Following up on a four-assist game against the Prince George Spruce Kings last Saturday night, Renfrew earned the game winning marker in the Vees triumph over the Vernon Vipers on Friday. A commit of Northern Michigan University, Renfrew has posted points in 6 of his last 7 games, registering 4 goals and 8 assists for 12 points in that span including three multi-point games in that stretch.
- Conyr Hellyer – Forward – Okotoks, Alberta – Arizona State University
Returning from an injury that had him sidelined from early December to late January, Hellyer has made his way back in the lineup and contributed immediately. The Arizona State commit has points in five of his six games since returning from injury, collecting a five-game point streak into Saturday night with 3 goals and 2 assists for 5 points in that span.
The Warriors and Vees play the fourth of their seven-game season series tonight at the South Okanagan Events Centre. Puck drop is slated for 6:00 PM with the game being broadcasted live on mixlr.com/bchlwarriors as well as streamed online on FloHockey.
