PHOTO: Tami Quan
WEST KELOWNA, B.C. – Trent Wilson scored the game winning goal just 16 seconds into overtime as the West Kelowna Warriors took a 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven Interior Conference Quarter Final series against the Cranbrook Bucks with a 4-3 victory in Game 2 on Saturday night at Royal LePage Place.
After falling in Game 1 in a big way by an 8-2 score, the Bucks came out with a purpose in the opening period and got ahead in the game and in the shot department and took a 1-0 lead in the opening period in a controversial manner.
Jordan Murray sent a shot from the right side to the net that Rorke Applebee kicked aside with his right pad before the rebound came loose and was poked in by Jack Silich as Applebee was sent to the ice by Jacob Fletcher and was unable to get to his left side to make a save. After a brief conference, the referees signaled a good goal to give Cranbrook the 1-0 edge at 7:46 of the opening period.
The worst was not over for the Warriors as Applebee played one shift after the goal and left the game with an injury that forced Matthew DellaRusso into action, who turned away each of the four shots he faced in action in the period and seemed to spark a light in the Warriors, who outshot the Bucks 11-2 to close the period and tied the game at 12:54 of the period.
Jack Pridham, collecting his fourth goal in four periods, laced a wrist shot from the top of the left face-off circle that slipped past the glove side of Bucks goaltender Carter Capton for his 4th of the playoffs and evened the score heading into the 2nd period.
A Warriors power play helped the home side take their first lead of the game at the 5:21 mark of the 2nd period and came again from, guess who, Pridham who buried his 5th goal of the playoffs for a 2-1 lead. Pridham took an Isaiah Norlin pass from the right wing and fired a one-time shot past the blocker side of Capton to give West Kelowna a 2-1 advantage.
The Bucks continued to fight and get the game back to even terms at the 9:09 mark of the period with Patrick Murphy getting the visitors back to level. Murphy found the puck in the slot and sent a shot over the glove side of DellaRusso to push the game to 2-2. After a 5-on-3 penalty kill for the Warriors and a scoreless remainder of the frame, the 3rd period saw the two teams deadlocked at a pair of goals.
Early in the 3rd period, the Warriors broke the deadline shortly following a power play opportunity as Jack Farrell raced to hold a puck in at the midpoint and sent a pass to the right face-off circle where Cal Hughes ripped a shot through the five-hole and off the right leg of Capton for his 2nd goal of the playoffs and a 3-2 Warriors advantage.
In a tight game that was fit to be tied all throughout, the Bucks had a late answer with Shane Baker redirected a puck through the legs of DellaRusso from the slot on a Kaslo Ferner pass to even the score at 3-3 and force overtime for the first time in the series.
Leading the league with 17 overtimes played in the regular season, the Warriors made quick work of this overtime period, scoring just 16 seconds into the frame to earn a Game 2 win and a 2-0 series lead.
Trent Wilson went hard to the goal and deflected a pass from the right wing corner from Pridham that went up over the blocker shoulder of Capton for his 2nd goal of the playoffs and early into the extra period, the Warriors collected the Game 2 victory.
Rorke Applebee turned aside 8 of the 9 shots thrown his way before Matthew DellaRusso replaced him in goal, denying 20 of the 22 shots he faced in his 1st career playoff win while Carter Capton turned aside 25 of the 29 shots he saw, suffering his first loss of the playoffs.
FINAL SCORE: 4-3 Warriors (OT)
SHOTS ON GOAL: 31-29 Bucks
WARRIORS PP: 1/3
WARRIORS PK: 4/4
3 STARS:
1) Jack Pridham (2-1-3)
2) Matthew DellaRusso (20 saves on 22 shots)
3) Patrick Murphy (1-0-1)
Fortis Energy Player of the Game: Johannes Løkkeberg (0-0-0)
ATTENDANCE: 1,129
The Warriors head to the East Kootenays with a 2-0 series lead and take on the Bucks in Game 3 of their Interior Conference Quarter Final series at Western Financial Place on Tuesday night. Puck drop is set for 6:00 PM PST with the game being broadcasted live on AM 1150 as well as streamed online on FloHockey.
