PHOTO: Garrett James/BCHL
The West Kelowna Warriors conclude their short two-game season series against the Langley Rivermen on Tuesday night at Royal LePage Place.
Warriors vs. Rivermen 2017/18 Schedule:
Tuesday, September 26th @ George Preston Arena (BOXSCORE)
Tuesday, October 17th @ Royal LePage Place (7:00 PM)
The Warriors enter action on Tuesday playing their 3rd game in 6 days with their latest coming on Sunday afternoon as West Kelowna earned a 4-1 victory over the Island Division’s Nanaimo Clippers at RLP. Michael Ryan, Jake Harrison, Stephen Kleysen and Parm Dhaliwal found the back of the net for the Warriors while Cole Demers was excellent in goal, turning aside 34 of the 35 shots he faced in the game for his 4th victory of the season.
The Warriors and Rivermen haven’t had to wait long to have another crack at each other as their first meeting of the season came just 21 days ago at the George Preston Arena in Langley and saw the Rivermen come away with a 5-2 victory. Parm Dhaliwal and RJ Murphy scored in the Warriors defeat while Nik Amundrud made 23 saves on 28 shots in the loss.
Warriors Leading Scorers:
Jared Marino (5-6-11)
Cavin Tilsley (3-8-11)
Matt Kowalski (5-4-9)
Parm Dhaliwal (3-6-9)
Michael Ryan (2-7-9)
Goals against has been one of the biggest strengths of this Warriors squad as the team sits 4th overall in the BCHL in that department with just 30 given up in 13 games this season, averaging 2.31 goals against per game. The Warriors pair of goaltenders (Nik Amundrud and Cole Demers) have combined for a .930 save percentage in those 13 games.
As it was three weeks ago when these two teams hooked up, special teams will be a big key in tonight’s contest. The Warriors own the league’s 4th ranked man advantage at 22.1% after going 1/4 on Sunday afternoon against Nanaimo while their PK ranks at the top of the BCHL at 91.4% and was perfect on Sunday at 4/4. The Rivermen power play has struggled so far this season, ranking at the bottom of league at 9.5% while the PK for Langley sits at 13th with an 80.3 percentage.
West Kelowna is in the midst of a four-game home stand and own a 4-2 record at Royal LePage Place this season. Going along with that record is the fact that the Warriors have outscored their opposition by a 20-10 margin over the course of their six games on home ice this season. The penalty kill has been a big key for the Warriors at home as they have given up just two power play goals against at RLP this season, which comes out to 92.5%.
The Langley Rivermen come into Tuesday night with a record of 4-2-0-6 this season and have been involved in three straight overtime games. The Riv’ picked up their first win in extra time this season in their last game on Saturday night against the Prince George Spruce Kings. Angus Crookshank had a pair of goals in the game (including the overtime winner) while Sean Gulka, Trevor St. Jean and Devin Leduc added singles in the win with Braedon Fleming stopping 25 of the 29 shots he faced in the victory.
Rivermen Leading Scorers:
Brendan Budy (6-12-18)
Nicholas Ponak (8-4-12)
Carter Stephenson (2-8-10)
Trevor St. Jean (5-4-9)
Sean Gulka (3-5-8)
This Rivermen team is not afraid of going longer than 60 minutes as 7 of their 13 games this season have gone past the regulation mark, more than each of the teams in the Mainland Division combined. Langley hasn’t come away with a win very often in those games either with a record of 1-6 in overtime this season and, as mentioned previously, the Rivermen’s last three games have exceeded three periods and gone to overtime.
The young guns have been doing some of the biggest scoring for the Rivermen so far this season with 17-year-old captain Brendan Budy leading the team, and sits 3rd in the BCHL, with 12 assists and 18 points in his 13 games played, including a pair of goals against the Warriors a few weeks ago. Another 17-year-old is having a strong start to the season in Sean Gulka, who is 5th on his team in scoring, as he has 3 goals and 8 points in 13 games.
Angus Crookshank has returned to the Langley lineup with a vengeance after missing the first 7 games of the year due to an injury. The University of New Hampshire commit has 5 goals and an assist in 5 games back in the lineup including two multi-goal games.
The Warriors and Rivermen drop the puck at 7:00 PM at Royal LePage Place with tickets available at the Warriors office or by calling (250) 769-7051. If you’re unable to make it down to RLP tonight, the game will be broadcast live on the Warriors Internet Network and on pay-per-view at HockeyTV.com with the Voice of the Warriors, Trevor Miller.
The Warriors have introduced a new Fan’tatstic Five ticket package that gives fans a chance to experience five of the most highly anticipated games of the season for just $55.55 with games against the Wenatchee Wild, Penticton Vees, Salmon Arm Silverbacks, Vernon Vipers and Victoria Grizzlies. For more information on these packs and all ticket info, visit the Warriors office or call (250) 769-7051.
