PHOTO: Tami Quan
WEST KELOWNA, B.C. – The West Kelowna Warriors came all the way back, trailing 3-0 in the 2nd period to defeat the Merritt Centennials by a 4-3 score in a shootout on Wednesday night at Royal LePage Place.
The game struggled to find pace early on as both teams tried to get back into game action following the BCHL’s All-Star Break but the Warriors were presented with the game’s best chance to score in the opening part of action at the tail end of a power play as Michael Salandra just missed an open goal.
The puck was worked down below the goal line as Jaiden Moriello slid a pass across to the glove side of Centennials goaltender Johnny Hicks as Salandra had an open net in front of him before having the puck skip over his stick and behind the goal to keep the game scoreless.
Merritt would capitalize on an opportunity of their own at the 8:56 mark to open the scoring in the hockey game and provide the lone goal of the opening period. Christian Lowe was sent on a breakaway from the blueline as he walked in and missed the net high to the glove side of Warriors goaltender Justin Katz before the puck banked off the end wall and was knocked out of the air and into the net from Jaxson Murray to give Merritt a 1-0 advantage.
The second period featured five goals and a three-goal comeback effort from the home side but it was Merritt to push their lead to 2-0 5:50 into the 2nd frame with Ryan Spinale giving the visitors a 2-0 advantage. Spinale made his way into the offensive zone and got to the right face-off circle before snapping a shot past the glove side of Katz to push Merritt ahead by a two-goal margin.
Jaxson Murray added his second of the game at the 8:31 mark of the middle frame courtesy of a power play. Spinale got the puck to Murray on the right side as he moved into the right face-off circle and zipped a shot past the glove side of Katz, which saw his night come to a close following that marker as Cayden Hamming came in a 3-0 game.
The Warriors got a spark from the goaltending change and from the blueline as 17-year-old Noah Laframboise buried his 1st BC Hockey League goal at the 9:54 mark to put the Warriors on the scoresheet. Laframboise took a pass from Chris Duclair at the right point and walked to the middle before firing a shot past the glove side of Hicks to get West Kelowna within a pair of goals.
West Kelowna was able to get the game within a goal and came courtesy of Ben MacDonald, who scored in his fourth straight game, to get the game within a marker. Dylan Brooks had his point shot deflected off the stick of MacDonald in front, who tallied his 14th goal of the season at the 12:44 mark of the middle frame.
The Warriors completed the comeback effort and knotted the game up at 3-3 with Kailus Green tying the game with just under a minute remaining in the 2nd period. Another play developed at the front of the net as Green deflected a point shot from Aiden Reeves at the side of the net for his 8th goal of the season and got the Warriors back on even terms at 3-3 heading into the final regulation period.
The 3rd period saw just 12 shots combined between the two teams with West Kelowna generating just 5 shots on goal in the final regulation frame as the two teams made their way into overtime. Carter Schmidt and Brennan Nelson each found posts on consecutive sequences as the game was destined for a shootout, deadlocked at 3-3.
Cayden Hamming turned aside each of the three shooters he faced in the shootout before Rylee Hlusiak provided the winning goal, delaying past Hicks for a shot on the glove side to help West Kelowna come all the way back and defeat the Centennials 4-3.
Hamming turned aside all 11 shots he faced in relief in his 3rd win of the season while Justin Katz started the game, making 10 saves on 13 shots. Johnny Hicks made 38 saves on 41 shots and stopped 2 of the 3 shooters faced in the shootout in his 5th overtime loss of the season.
FINAL SCORE: 4-3 Warriors (SO)
SHOTS ON GOAL: 41-24 Warriors
WARRIORS PP: 0/4
WARRIORS PK: 3/4
3 STARS:
1) Aiden Reeves (0-2-2)
2) Jaxson Murray (2-0-2)
3) Ben MacDonald (1-0-1)
Fortis Energy Player of the Game: Riley Sharun (0-1-1)
Attendance: 966
The Warriors (21-10-4-0) hit the road for the first of a seven-game stretch away from home as they head to the East Kootenays to battle the Interior Conference’s second place team in the Cranbrook Bucks (24-10-1-0) on Friday night. Puck drop is slated for 6:00 PM PST at Western Financial Place with the game being broadcasted live on the Warriors Broadcast Network (mixlr.com/bchlwarriors) as well as streamed online on BCHLTV.ca.
