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GAME PREVIEW: Warriors Going Green On St. Patrick’s Day Against Bucks on Home Ice

The West Kelowna Warriors (26-19-5-0) begin a weekend on home ice for the second straight week as they host the Cranbrook Bucks (34-12-1-2) on St. Patrick’s Day at Royal LePage Place.

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REGULAR SEASON SCHEDULE VS. CRANBROOK

Friday, October 7th @ Western Financial Place (4-3 Bucks/OT) (BOXSCORE)

Friday, December 9th @ Western Financial Place (5-2 Bucks) (BOXSCORE)

Friday, January 27th @ Western Financial Place (3-1 Bucks) (BOXSCORE)

Friday, March 3rd @ Royal LePage Place (7-1 Bucks) (BOXSCORE)

Friday, March 17th @ Royal LePage Place (7:00 PM)

The Warriors enter play on Friday night looking to get back in the win column following a 5-2 loss to the Coquitlam Express on Saturday night at Royal LePage Place. Nic Porchetta and Chris Duclair each found the back of the net while Angelo Zol turned aside 35 of the 40 shots he faced in his 5th loss of the season.

West Kelowna will be looking for their first win against Cranbrook this season after dropping the teams’ last meeting at Royal LePage Place by a 7-1 score. Ben MacDonald tallied the lone Warriors goal on the power play in the game while Cayden Hamming started the game, turning aside 17 of the 22 shots he faced in goal for the loss before being relieved by Angelo Zol as he made 27 saves on 29 shots.

Warriors Leading Scorers:

Jaiden Moriello (23-24-47)

Ben MacDonald (21-23-44)

Rylee Hlusiak (18-24-42)

Isaiah Norlin (4-35-39)

Brennan Nelson (11-23-34)

The Warriors are playing on St. Patrick’s Day for the second consecutive season and the team has a lot of things planned for the night. West Kelowna will be reviving their green jersey from the 2013/14 season tonight and will be made available via auction at the game. Alex Draper will be back at RLP providing the in-game hosting while a $50 Kelly O’Bryan’s gift card is up for grabs to the fan who wears the most green.

Friday marks a milestone for one Warriors player as it will be game #150 for Nic Porchetta, spending the last 20 games in West Kelowna. The Powell River, BC native played the majority of his BC Hockey League career with the Kings before coming to the Warriors, where he has posted 4 goals and 2 assists for 6 points in that span. Over the course of his 149 games prior to 150, Porchetta has amassed 29 goals and 32 assists for 61 points.

West Kelowna will get some help on the blue line for tonight’s game as veteran defender Dylan Brooks is set to make his return to the lineup for the first time since January 25th. The Chilliwack, BC product has missed the last 15 games with an injury and will add his 90 games of experience in the league back into the lineup.

The Cranbrook Bucks enter play following back-to-back wins against Coastal Conference teams, including a 3-2 triumph over the Langley Rivermen on Saturday night at Western Financial Place. Donovan and Julian Frias had singles in the win while Jack Silich netted the game winning marker in the 2nd period. Carter Capton turned aside 35 of the 37 shots thrown his way in his 10th win of the season.

Bucks Leading Scorers:

Jack Silich (23-20-43)

Noah Quinn (19-20-39)

Rhys Bentham (13-25-38)

Nick Peluso (14-23-37)

Donovan Frias (21-15-36)

It has been a very productive last three games for Bucks forward Jack Silich, who entre splay on Friday as the team’s leading scorer with 23 goals and 43 points through his 50 games played this season. The Long Grove, Illinois native has registered points in each of his last three games with two of those contests featuring goals, scoring twice while adding 4 assists for 6 points in that span, including a three-assist game against the Surrey Eagles one week ago in Cranbrook.

Veteran forward Noah Quinn has been providing plenty of offense as of late for the Bucks as well as the Bemidji State University commit recently had a five-game point streak come to a close in the win against the Rivermen on Saturday. The Nelson, BC product has tallied goals in four of his last six games, posting 4 markers and 5 assists for 9 points over his last 6 games including a goal and two assist performance the last time these teams met on March 3rd.

Another Buck that rides a hot hand into Friday night’s contest is Nick Peluso, who has registered points in each of his last four games. The first year BCHLer from Victor, New York has made an impression with 14 goals and 37 points on the campaign while earning a goal and four assists for five points over his last four contests. The Maine University commit has also collected points in five of his last six games, including two two-assist games.

The Warriors and Bucks play the fifth and final game of their five-game season set from Royal LePage Place. Puck drop is slated for 7:00 PM with tickets available for purchase on the Warriors website as well as in-person at the Box Office ahead of tonight’s opening puck drop.

Season tickets for the 2023/24 season are now on sale! Fill out the form (https://form.jotform.com/230535299013251) and secure your seats for another exciting season of Warriors hockey!