PHOTO: Tami Quan
WEST KELOWNA, B.C. – The West Kelowna Warriors used a three-point night from Johannes Løkkeberg and 32 saves from Rorke Applebee to earn a season-opening 5-3 victory over the Penticton Vees on Friday night at Royal LePage Place.
The Warriors never trailed throughout the night and earned their first lead of the game at the 9:51 mark of the opening period courtesy of veteran forward Michael Salandra. Viggo Nordström raced down the right side and centered a pass to the front of the net where Salandra chopped the puck past the blocker side of Vees goaltender Andrew Ness to give the Warriors their first goal of the season and a 1-0 lead.
Rorke Applebee turned aside each of the 11 shots thrown his way in the opening period before the Vees tied the game in the 2nd frame as Simon Meier evened the score. Connor MacPherson passed from below the goal line and spotted Meier in the right face-off circle as he snapped a shot past the blocker side of Applebee to get the game on even terms at the 6:13 mark of the 2nd period.
The Warriors re-took the lead once again at the 12:34 mark of the middle frame on a power play, the first of the game for either side. Nordström spotted Felix Caron in the right face-off circle as his shot was stopped by Ness before Løkkeberg planted himself in front and buried it through the Vees netminder for his first BC Hockey League goal and a 2-1 advantage.
Five goals in the 3rd period highlighted the game with Cal Arnott getting the Vees on even terms once more with his marker at 2:44 of the final period. Arnott flipped a shot from the end boards over the shoulders of Applebee to make the game 2-2 before the Warriors took their third lead of the game and it was the Norwegian forward once again.
Løkkeberg took the puck on the on the right wing and skated behind the net before coming out in the left face-off dot and spinning to zip a shot over the shoulders of Ness for his second strike of the game at the 6:11 mark to give West Kelowna the advantage.
It was the Vees again who came back and tied the game as Billy Renfrew knocked a puck out of the air in front of the Warriors goal, which appeared to be over the cross bar, but the goal stood and counted for a 3-3 tie with under 10 minutes remaining in the game.
The fourth and final lead of the night for the Warriors helped them pull off the victory and it came from Trent Wilson, who buried his first goal as a Warrior to give West Kelowna a 4-3 lead. Wilson took a pass from Cal Hughes down the right side and stopped at the top of the face-off circle before letting a shot go past the blocker side of Ness at the 10:24 mark of the period for a one-goal advantage.
Applebee continued to shine in his 3rd period effort, making 5 saves on 7 shots to help his team to victory before Cal Hughes added an empty netter for the victory. Applebee turned aside 32 of the 35 shots he faced on the night in his 1st BCHL triumph while Andrew Ness stopped 21 of the 25 shots thrown his way in the losing effort.
FINAL SCORE: 5-3 Warriors
SHOTS ON GOAL: 35-26 Vees
WARRIORS PP: 1/1
WARRIORS PK: 0/1
3 STARS:
1) Johannes Løkkeberg (2-1-3)
2) Simon Meier (1-1-2)
3) Rorke Applebee (32 saves on 35 shots)
Fortis Energy Player of the Game: Trey Ausmus (0-1-1)
Attendance: 1,268
The Warriors (1-0-0-0) return to action with their first road trip of the 2023/24 season and make a trek to the West Kootenays to take on the Trail Smoke Eaters (0-0-1-0) on Saturday night. Puck drop is slated for 7:00 PM from Cominco Arena with the game broadcast available on AM 1150 as well as FloHockey.
