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GAME RECAP: Warriors Shut Out For First Time This Season In 4-0 Defeat To Vees

PHOTO: Tami Quan

PENTICTON, B.C. – The West Kelowna Warriors were shutout for the first time this season as they dropped a 4-0 decision to the Penticton Vees on Saturday night at the South Okanagan Events Centre.

The Warriors had a fantastic start to the game and did not surrender a shot to the Vees in the opening ten and a half minutes while West Kelowna could only register a pair of shots on goal in that time in a timid start between two teams who had not played against each other since December.

A penalty from the Warriors resulted in the game’s first power play and provided the Vees with their first goal of the game as Callum Arnott found a soft spot on the left side of the ice and was fed from Cade Littler at the side of the goal as Arnott chipped the pass over the glove side of Rorke Applebee to strike first.

Despite hitting a cross bar in the opening period, the Warriors found themselves down a goal into the 2nd period where they would outshoot Penticton by an 11-5 margin but again it was the Vees who were the opportunistic bunch and jumped ahead by a 2-0 score at 13:02 of the 2nd period.

Following two power plays that were not able to convert for the Warriors, Penticton came back the other way and saw a shot from Daniel Buchbinder get redirected at the front of the goal by Thomas Pichette that went through the legs of Applebee to double the Vees advantage.

The second Vees power play of the game resulted in a 3-0 lead for the home team on a second chance at the side of the net. James Fischer had his slot shot stopped at the front of the net before the puck spilled to the glove side and Ryan MacPherson finished off the play at the 17:49 mark with another power play marker and a three-goal lead into the final period.

Littler found the back of the net moments into the 3rd period to push the Vees further ahead as just 1:10 into the 3rd period, the Vees forward gathered the puck in front and finished past the glove side of Applebee.

The Warriors received one more power play before the game was out but were not able to push anything past Will Ingemann in the Vees net, who collected his 5th shutout of the season with a 21-save effort, good for his 18th win of the season. Rorke Applebee suffered his 6th loss of the season with 19 saves on 23 shots

FINAL SCORE: 4-0 Vees

SHOTS ON GOAL: 23-21 Vees

WARRIORS PP: 0/3

WARRIORS PK: 0/2

3 STARS:

1) Cade Littler (1-1-2)

2) Will Ingemann (21-save shutout)

3) Conyr Hellyer (0-2-2)

Fortis Energy Player of the Game: Max Heise (0-1-1)

Attendance: 3,437

The Warriors (25-10-7-0) will return home for a Family Day matinee as they take on the Langley Rivermen (13-25-5-0) on Monday afternoon at Royal LePage Place. Puck drop is slated for 2:30 PM with tickets available for purchase online on the Warriors website as well as in-person at the Box Office, open one hour ahead of the game.