PHOTO: Tami Quan
WEST KELOWNA, B.C. – A four-point performance from Johannes Løkkeberg highlighted a 6-2 Family Day victory for the West Kelowna Warriors over the Langley Rivermen in front of 1,473 fans at Royal LePage Place on Monday afternoon.
The Warriors could not ask for a better start to the afternoon contest as just 20 seconds into the game, Viggo Nordström struck first blood. Nordström took a Johannes Løkkeberg pass from below the goal line and knuckled a puck off the glove of Rivermen netminder Charlie Tritt for his 5th goal of the season to give the Warriors an early edge.
Rorke Applebee was strong in the opening period, turning away each of the 9 shots thrown his way including a big save at the front of the goal off Ryder McIntosh, who took an Aaron Reierson pass at the top of the crease and kicked from his skate to his stick with Applebee getting square to him at the top of the crease and made a big save to keep the lead intact.
Just after that big save, West Kelowna responded with their second goal of the period as Isaiah Norlin made a move in the right face-off circle to freeze a Langley defender before slipping a pass to the left dot as Jackson Kyrkostas finished the play on the blocker side of Tritt for his 18th goal of the season and a 2-0 Warriors advantage.
In a second period that featured more whistles and icings than scoring chances, West Kelowna came inches away from tying the game at the tail end of the 2nd period. Michael Salandra got the puck in the right face-off circle and moved to his backhand before forcing the puck on net as Tritt steered it away with his stick and forced the puck away from the goal and allowed Langley to come down the ice and get within a marker.
Following a great save by Applebee on Dalton MacGillivray in front, Reierson took a Warriors turnover and snapped a shot over the blocker shoulder of Applebee from the right face-off circle and cut the lead in half at the 17:18 mark of the middle frame to make the score 2-1 in favour of the Warriors into the 3rd period.
The Warriors put their foot on the gas in the final period, scoring four times in the final twenty minutes of play beginning with a one-time drive from the top of the left face-off circle from Felix Caron, set up by Isaiah Norlin for his 100th career BCHL point on Caron’s 26th goal of the season on a 4-on-3 power play just 1:47 into the 3rd period to give the Warriors a 3-1 lead.
Just under three minutes later, Johannes Løkkeberg ripped a shot from the right face-off circle over the shoulders of Tritt for his 10th goal of the season before Oskar Komarov got Langley within a goal again at 8:52 followed by the Warriors closing the scoring in the game courtesy of a pair of goals from Trent Wilson.
His first came at 10:07, redirecting a puck from the blue line off a Dylan Brooks shot before Wilson added his second of the game and 15th of the season with 45 seconds remaining in the game on a power play to solidify a 6-2 victory for the Warriors.
Rorke Applebee collected his 17th win of the season, turning aside 24 of the 26 shots thrown his way while Charlie Tritt made 21 saves on 27 shots in his 8th loss of the season.
FINAL SCORE: 6-2 Warriors
SHOTS ON GOAL: 27-26 Warriors
WARRIORS PP: 2/4
WARRIORS PK: 4/4
3 STARS:
1) Johannes Løkkeberg (1-3-4)
2) Isaiah Norlin (0-3-3)
3) Rorke Applebee (24 saves on 26 shots)
Fortis Energy Player of the Game: Trey Ausmus (0-1-1)
ATTENDANCE: 1,473
The Warriors (26-10-7-0) will hit the road for their third weekend on the road in February as they visit the Lower Mainland as they take on the BCHL’s best in the Surrey Eagles (32-5-2-0) on Friday night. Puck drop is slated for 7:00 PM from the South Surrey Arena with the game being broadcasted live on AM 1150 as well as streamed online on FloHockey.
