The West Kelowna Warriors (21-10-4-0) begin a stretch of seven games away from home as they head to the East Kootenays to face-off against the Cranbrook Bucks (24-10-1-0) on Friday night at Western Financial Place.
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 (6:00 PM PST)
Friday, March 3rd @ Royal LePage Place (7:00 PM)
Friday, March 17th @ Royal LePage Place (7:00 PM)
West Kelowna comes into Friday night owning a five-game win streak and having not lost a game in 2023 following a come-from-behind 4-3 shootout win over the Merritt Centennials on Wednesday night at Royal LePage Place. Noah Laframboise tallied his 1st BCHL goal while Ben MacDonald and Kailus Green scored in regulation before Rylee Hlusiak scored the shootout winner. Justin Katz started the game, turning aside 10 of the 13 shots he faced before Cayden Hamming stopped all 11 shots in relief, and all three shooters in the shootout, in his 3rd win of the season.
The Warriors will look to reverse their fortune in Cranbrook, having fallen in each of the first two games of the season series against the Bucks with the last game being a 5-2 defeat at Western Financial Place in December. Rylee Hlusiak and Jaiden Moriello each found the back of the net in the loss while Justin Katz started the game, making 14 saves on 18 shots in the defeat before Angelo Zol made 12 saves on 13 shots in relief.
Warriors Leading Scorers:
Jaiden Moriello (19-12-31)
Ben MacDonald (14-14-28)
Rylee Hlusiak (8-19-27)
Isaiah Norlin (3-23-26)
Michael Salandra (10-14-24)
The Warriors were able to add another college commitment to their roster on Friday as one of the newest members of the team solidified his future in collegiate hockey. Defender Landen Hilditch announced his intent to play with the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) Engineers following his Junior hockey career. The Surrey, BC native came to the Warriors following a trade from the Surrey Eagles and has played in 3 games with West Kelowna.
A goal in the 2nd period on Wednesday night has Warriors forward Ben MacDonald with goals in four straight games heading into Friday night’s tilt. The Seattle Kraken prospect sits second on the team with 14 goals this season and has amassed 4 tallies and an assist for 5 points during his four-game scoring streak. The Harvard University commit has goals in five of his last eight games.
West Kelowna begins one of their most difficult stretches of the season with seven games in a row away from home and all but finish their road schedule for the remainder of the season. The Warriors hold a record of 8-6-4-0 while away from Royal LePage Place, collecting points in 12 of their 18 road games so far this season.
The Cranbrook Bucks enter Friday night’s game following a 12-day break between games and defeated the Vernon Vipers by a 5-2 score on Sunday, January 15th before the BCHL’s All-Star Break at Western Financial Place. Noah Quinn notched a hat trick while Donovan Frias and Kellan Hjartarson added singles in the winning effort. Affiliate goaltender Matthew Fleet made 33 saves on 35 shots in his 2nd win of the season.
Bucks Leading Scorers:
Jack Silich (18-12-30)
Rhys Bentham (9-20-29)
Donovan Frias (16-11-27)
Noah Quinn (14-12-26)
Nick Peluso (12-14-26)
Bucks forward Donovan Frias carries a three-game point streak into Friday’s game against the Warriors after representing the franchise at the Top Prospects Game in Penticton last week. The Yale University commit has posted 2 goals and an assist for 3 points during his three-game point streak and has been very productive against the Warriors this season. The Hudson, Massachusetts native has registered 3 goals and 2 assists for 5 points in the two-game season set against West Kelowna this season.
Veteran forward Noah Quinn earned his second hat trick of the season and third career three-goal contest in his 91 games played with the Bucks. The Bemidji State University commit has posted goals in each of his last two games, scoring 6 goals and an assist over a five-game span. The Nelson, BC native has been an effective part of the offense for Head Coach and General Manager Ryan Donald and his team, scoring 41 goals and 44 assists for 85 points over his 91 career games.
The Warriors and Bucks play the third of their five-game season set from Western Financial Place. Puck drop is slated for 7:00 PM MST (6:00 PM PST) with the game broadcasted live on the Warriors Broadcast Network (mixlr.com/bchlwarriors) as well as streamed online on BCHLTV.ca.
