The West Kelowna Warriors (22-15-4-0) conclude a stretch of seven consecutive games away from home as they take on the Penticton Vees (36-3-0-1) for the final time this regular season on Friday night at the South Okanagan Events Centre.
REGULAR SEASON SCHEDULE VS. PENTICTON
Saturday, October 1st @ Royal LePage Place (10-3 Vees) (BOXSCORE)
Friday, October 28th @ Royal LePage Place (4-1 Vees) (BOXSCORE)
Friday, November 18th @ South Okanagan Events Centre (11-2 Vees) (BOXSCORE)
Saturday, December 3rd @ South Okanagan Events Centre (3-2 Vees/OT) (BOXSCORE)
Friday, December 17th @ Royal LePage Place (6-1 Vees) (BOXSCORE)
Friday, December 30th @ South Okanagan Events Centre (9-2 Vees) (BOXSCORE)
Friday, February 17th @ South Okanagan Events Centre (7:00 PM)
West Kelowna comes into Friday night’s action following a heartbreaking 4-3 loss to the Vernon Vipers on Saturday night at Kal Tire Place, falling in the final second of regulation. Aiden Reeves, Riley Sharun and Rylee Hlusiak each scored in the loss while Justin Katz made 35 saves on 39 shots against in his 8th loss of the season.
The Warriors will look for their first win of the season against the Vees as Penticton has earned victories in each of the last six games of the season set, including a 9-2 game in their favour in the final game of 2022 at the South Okanagan Events Centre. Matt Fusco and Jaiden Moriello each found the back of the net while Angelo Zol turned aside 31 of the 40 shots thrown his way in the loss in goal.
Warriors Leading Scorers:
Jaiden Moriello (19-15-34)
Ben MacDonald (17-16-33)
Rylee Hlusiak (12-21-33)
Isaiah Norlin (3-26-29)
Michael Salandra (11-15-26)
The Warriors will finish their stretch of seven consecutive road games tonight in the South Okanagan and will only have two more road games remaining on the schedule following tonight’s action. West Kelowna has registered a point in 13 of their 24 road games this season and have played the most games away from home in the BC Hockey League this campaign.
With a blue line that has been dealing with a fair share of injuries, Warriors Captain Aiden Reeves has stepped up in playing more minutes and producing from the back end, garnering points in three of his last four contests. The Prince George, BC native earned the first goal of the game for the Warriors on Saturday night and has registered a goal and two assists for three points over that span.
The Penticton Vees come into the game on Friday night following a victory on home ice last Friday in a 5-2 win over the Coquitlam Express at the South Okanagan Events Centre. Ryan Hopkins, Nic DeGraves, Thomas Pichette, Gabriel Guilbault and Brett Moravec each found the back of the net in the winning effort. Luca DiPasquo made 14 saves on 16 shots as he earned his 26th win of the season in between the pipes.
Vees Leading Scorers:
Bradly Nadeau (32-43-75)
Josh Nadeau (24-47-71)
Aydar Suniev (27-35-62)
Brett Moravec (22-18-40)
Dovar Tinling (11-21-32)
Providing offense from the backend this season has been second-year defender Ryan Hopkins, who enters play on Friday with points in each of his last three games. The University of Maine commit has registered a goal and two assists for three points over his last three games and sits 7th amongst defensemen in scoring with his 30 points.
With eight multi-goal games this season, including a hat-trick, forward Aydar Suniev has been a threat to score all season long. A University of Massachusetts-Amherst commit, Suniev has earned points in each of his last three games as well, picking up a goal and four assists for five points in that span. Suniev has had a fair amount of success against the Warriors this season, posting 5 goals and 9 assists for 14 points in just 6 games played against West Kelowna.
The Warriors and Vees meet for the seventh and final time this regular season on Friday night from the South Okanagan Events Centre. Puck drop is slated for 7:00 PM with the game being broadcasted live on AM 1150 as well as streamed online on BCHLTV.ca.
