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GAME RECAP: Duclair’s Pair Not Enough As Warriors Fall In OT To Bucks

PHOTO: Tami Quan

CRANBROOK, B.C. – The West Kelowna Warriors just couldn’t find an equalizer, despite two goals from Chris Duclair, as they dropped an overtime decision to the Cranbrook Bucks by a 4-3 score on Friday night at Western Financial Place.

The Warriors and Bucks did not see much scoring com about in a back-and-forth opening period of play that West Kelowna at one point held a 5-1 shot advantage that was scoreless for most of the period, until Chris Duclair potted his first BC Hockey League marker to give the Warriors a 1-0 lead.

Isaiah Norlin did a great job of holding the puck inside of the offensive zone at the right point, sliding the puck to the left side where Ben MacDonald collected at the top of the right face-off circle and zipped a low shot to the front of the net that was deflected by Duclair and got past the blocker side of Bucks goaltender Nathan Airey for a 1-0 advantage coming at the 11:43 mark of the opening frame.

That would be all for the scoring in the opening 20 minutes of action as the Bucks held a slight shots advantage of 8-7 after the first period but Justin Katz was strong in the first frame, making saves on all 8 shots thrown his way while Airey turned aside 6 of the 7 shots fired toward his net.

The Bucks were able to even the score with a sharp angle shot from the bottom of the right face-off circle as the puck slipped through the blocker side of Warriors netminder Justin Katz to make it a 1-1 game at the 5:42 mark of the middle stanza.

West Kelowna received their first power play of the game just over halfway through the 2nd period and at the tail end of the man advantage, Felix Caron was able to get the Warriors ahead for the second time in the game. A scramble at the front of the net saw a shot bounce off the right pad of Airey with Caron at the left face-off circle too slap the puck in for his 2nd of the season at the 12:55 mark of the middle frame to get ahead by a goal.

The Bucks stayed resilient and evened the score just 31 seconds after the go-ahead Warriors marker to tie the game at 2-2. Ethan Sundar dropped a pass for Donovan Frias, who sent a shot past a screened Katz at the 13:26 mark to tie the game at 2 heading into the 3rd period.

For the fourth time in five games to open the season, the Warriors had a multi-goal performance as Duclair netted his second marker of the contest to give the Warriors the lead once again. Nolan Hayes sent a shot through heavy traffic from the top of the right face-off circle that was deflected by Duclair and past the blocker side of Airey at the 6:44 mark of the final regulation period to give the Warriors a 3-2 edge.

Once again, it was the Bucks who had an answer and found a way to even the score and it came in the way of Frias who potted his second goal of the night to tie the game at 3-3. With just two seconds remaining in the power play, Bauer Morrissey sent a shot from the left point that was deflected by Frias past the glove of Katz and forced the 3-3 contest into overtime.

The first time either of the teams have seen any extra periods this season saw Cranbrook have the only shots in the extra frame and it was the Bucks who prevailed with a Nick Peluso marker to win the game. A scramble in front of the Warriors net saw the puck flip to Peluso in the right face-off circle as he punched a shot past a smattering of bodies at the top of the crease to give the Bucks the victory in extra time, 1:42 into the overtime period.

Justin Katz got the start for the Warriors, starting his fifth consecutive game and made 25 saves on 29 shots in his first overtime loss of the season while Nathan Airey made 23 saves on 26 shots to collect his 3rd win of the season.

FINAL SCORE: 4-3 Bucks (OT)

SHOTS ON GOAL: 31-26 Bucks

WARRIORS PP: 1/2

WARRIORS PK: 1/2

3 STARS:

1) Donovan Frias (2-1-3)

2) Chris Duclair (2-0-2)

3) Nick Peluso (1-1-2)

Fortis Energy Player of the Game: Rhys Bentham (0-2-2)

The Warriors (3-1-1-0) continue their two-game Kootenay road trip as they travel to the West Kootenays to battle the Trail Smoke Eaters (2-3-0-0) for the first time this season. Puck drop is slated for 7:00 PM at Cominco Arena with the game being broadcasted live on AM 1150 as well as streamed on BCHLTV.ca with the voice of the Warriors, Trevor Miller.