PHOTO: Tami Quan
WEST KELOWNA, B.C. – Trent Wilson and Cal Hughes each collected four points while Jack Pridham scored a hat trick as the West Kelowna Warriors opened their 2024 BCHL Playoffs in emphatic fashion with an 8-2 victory over the Cranbrook Bucks on Friday night at Royal LePage Place.
In front of a vociferous crowd of 1,168 at RLP, the Warriors collected three goals in the opening period of play including the first of three on the night from Pridham, who knocked down a puck in mid air and steered it past the glove side of Bucks goaltender Braedyn McIntosh to get the scoring going at 8:26 of the opening period.
Johannes Løkkeberg added to the lead at 13:40 with a stellar end-to-end rush, starting in his own zone before flipping a shot through the blocker side of McIntosh before Sean Keohane capped off the opening period scoring at 15:18 of the frame that lead to the Warriors taking a 3-0 advantage after the opening 20 minutes.
Cranbrook had their best sequence of the game in one-goal 2nd period and registered the only marker of the period with Jacob Fletcher squeezing a shot past Rorke Applebee in the Warriors net and a great chance early in the 3rd period that glanced off the stick of Julian Frias in front and kickstarted a five-goal final period for the home side.
Two more strikes from Pridham to begin and close the 3rd period left him with a hat-trick in his first career BCHL playoff game while the power play burned an undisciplined Bucks team for three 3rd period markers on the man advantage and four total in the game to finish 4-for-6 while up a man.
Cal Hughes, Trent Wilson and Pridham scored the power play markers in the period while Owen Drury tallied while at 5-on-5, scoring shortly after Wilson’s goal in a stretch of two goals in 24 seconds to solidify the score in West Kelowna’s favour.
It was four points on the night for Wilson, a new career high with a goal and three assists while Hughes also earned a four-point effort with a goal and three assists as well. Jackson Kyrkostas ended the night with a pair of assists to complete a multi-point game as well.
Rorke Applebee was solid in goal for the Warriors, steering away 24 of the 26 shots thrown his way for his first career BCHL playoff victory while Braedyn McIntosh turned aside 30 if the 38 shots he faced in suffering the defeat.
FINAL SCORE: 8-2 Warriors
SHOTS ON GOAL: 38-26 Warriors
WARRIORS PP: 4/6
WARRIORS PK: 3/4
3 STARS:
1) Cal Hughes (1-3-4)
2) Trent Wilson (1-3-4)
3) Jack Pridham (3-0-3)
Fortis Energy Player of the Game: Landen Hilditch (0-1-1)
ATTENDANCE: 1,168
The Warriors hold a 1-0 lead in their best-of-seven Interior Conference Quarter Final series against the Bucks and will play Game 2 on Saturday night at Royal LePage Place. Puck drop is slated for 7:00 PM at RLP with tickets available for purchase on the Warriors website as well as in-person at the Box Office, open one hour before the opening puck drop.
