PHOTO: Tami Quan
WEST KELOWNA, B.C. – For the second consecutive season, the West Kelowna Warriors will meet the Vernon Vipers in the opening round of the BC Hockey League Playoffs, powered by Shaw, that will begin on Friday, March 31st at Royal LePage Place.
The Warriors, who finished the regular season as the 3rd seed in the Interior Conference with a 28-20-6-0 record, will take on the #6 seed in the Conference in the Vipers, who concluded the season holding a 27-21-2-4 record in a jam-packed Interior Conference that came down to the final day of the BCHL regular season to decide.
West Kelowna came through with two big wins in the final weekend of regular season action to clinch the 3rd place position, posting a 14-0 triumph over the Merritt Centennials on Friday night before edging out the Salmon Arm Silverbacks by a 4-3 score in a shootout on Saturday in the Shuswap to get to 3rd place. Salmon Arm dropped a 3-1 score line in Penticton to the Vees on Sunday afternoon to solidify a 3rd place finish for the second straight season for the Warriors.
Vernon was one of the hottest teams down the stretch of the regular season, winning 6 of their last 7 games to get into 6th place in the Interior Conference, besting the Wenatchee Wild by one point and finishing just two points behind the Warriors heading into the postseason.
This will mark the second straight season the two teams will lock horns in the playoffs as they opened the 2022 postseason with a matchup in the Interior Conference Quarter Finals. After the Vipers took Game #1, the Warriors won four straight contests and came away victorious in a 4-1 series win. 2023 will mark the 5th playoff meeting between the two franchises with Vernon coming away with playoff victories over West Kelowna in 2007, 2011 and 2014.
Here is the full schedule for the Warriors Interior Conference Quarter Finals series against the Vipers:
Game #1: Friday, March 31st @ Royal LePage Place (7:00 PM)
Game #2: Saturday, April 1st @ Royal LePage Place (7:00 PM)
Game #3: Tuesday, April 4th @ Kal Tire Place (7:00 PM)
Game #4: Wednesday, April 5th @ Kal Tire Place (7:00 PM)
*Game #5: Friday, April 7th @ Royal LePage Place (7:00 PM)
*Game #6: Sunday, April 9th @ Kal Tire Place (5:00 PM)
*Game #7: Tuesday, April 11th @ Royal LePage Place (7:00 PM)
*-If Necessary
Playoff tickets are set to go on sale on Tuesday, March 28th at 9 AM. Fans are encouraged to buy tickets early to avoid game day lineups. Tickets can be purchased on the Warriors website as well as in-person at the Warriors Office, located at 2768 Warriors Place, as well as at the Box Office ahead of the opening puck drop.
