PHOTO: Garrett James/BCHL
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DECEMBER 12th, 2017
WEST KELOWNA, B.C. – The West Kelowna Warriors Junior ‘A’ Hockey Club is pleased to announce that defenseman Jake Harrison (’99) has committed to the University of Michigan Tech Huskies for the 2019/20 season.
Harrison, 18, is a veteran of 141 regular season BCHL games, tallying 15 goals and 69 points during his two and a half seasons in the league to go along with 142 penalty minutes.
The West Kelowna, BC native has plenty of playoff experience as well, getting into 39 total playoff games between the BC Hockey League, Western Canada Cup and RBC Cup, scoring 3 goals and 13 points to go along with 12 penalty minutes.
“Jake has been a great player here from day one,” commented Warriors head coach and general manager Rylan Ferster, “He played key minutes for us when we won the RBC Cup and that hasn’t changed over the last two seasons. His competitive nature is what makes him special.”
The Huskies play out of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Michigan Tech is led by head coach Joe Shawhan, who is in his first season with the Huskies. Michigan Tech is familiar with the BCHL, boasting 13 total alumni from the league.
In other news, the Warriors announced on Tuesday afternoon that the team has added defenseman Cody Paivarinta (’98) to their roster from the Western Hockey League (WHL).
Paivarinta, 19, has 95 career WHL games under his belt, registering 2 goals and 9 points along with 77 penalty minutes in that span with the Prince Albert Raiders. The 6’6”, 192-pound defender is no stranger to playing hockey in British Columbia as the Abbotsford, BC played in 29 games between the Nelson Leafs and Richmond Sockeyes in the Junior ‘B’ circuit where he amassed 3 goals and 7 points along with 39 penalty minutes.
“Adding another defenseman like Cody gives us more size on the back end,” said Ferster, “He skates really well and has a good stick.”
The Warriors would like to congratulate Jake on the achievement and welcome Cody and his family to the Warriors and the city of West Kelowna.
The Warriors are back in action with a big game on Friday as they host the Penticton Vees in the annual Teddy Bear Toss. Fans are encouraged to bring a new or gently used stuffed animal to the game to toss on the ice after the Warriors first goal. The game will also be broadcasted live on Shaw TV Okanagan with tickets available for the game online at wkw.goticketpro.com, at the Warriors office, by calling (250) 769-7051 or at the box office ahead of the opening face-off, which is slated for 7:00 PM from Royal LePage Place.
