Photo Credit Tami Quan Photography
October 26th, 2018
WEST KELOWNA B.C. – The West Kelowna Warriors host their Thompson rivals the Salmon Arm Silverbacks this evening.
Silverbacks VS Warriors Schedule:
Sept 28th VS Salmon Arm 7:00pm 5-3 WIN
Sept 29th @ Salmon Arm 7:00pm 4-1 LOSS
Oct 5th @ Salmon Arm 7:00pm 5-2 LOSS
Oct 26th VS Salmon Arm 7:00pm
Feb 1st @ Salmon Arm 7:00pm
Feb 2nd VS Salmon Arm 7:00pm
For the fourth time, the Silverbacks and Warriors go head to head. The past two games have been forgetful for the Warriors unable to pick up points in either of them. Goaltenders Brock Baier and Connor Hopkins were bombarded with shots on goal, and the Silverbacks rookie star power up front took over the games.
The Warriors are coming off the most exciting weekend of hockey they’ve had all season picking up victories against Interior division rivals the Penticton Vees and Trail Smoke Eaters. This evening they have another inter-division test with the Salmon Arm Silverbacks coming to town. The Warriors currently are riding a couple hot players right now. Mike Hardman played one of his best weekends as a member of the West Kelowna Warriors scoring five points in only two games played and Max Bulawka has scored 8 points in his past 6 games. Bulawka, 18, has seen a massive improvement in his game this season already surpassing his 2017-18 point total only 9 games into the 2018-19 season. Head Coach and General Manager Geoff Grimwood has seen an improvement in both Hardman and Bulawka’s game since placing them together on a line with Willie Reim. The new trio will need to keep creating some offense once again this evening.
The Salmon Arm Silverbacks have experienced a seesaw month of October winning and losing a couple with great performances from stars up front. One of them is the Calgary native Nick Unruh. Unruh, 18, scored 5 goals in only two games played last weekend for the Silverbacks ensuring two victories against the Alberni Valley Bulldogs and Vernon Vipers. The last time the Silverbacks and Warriors met it was the rookies up front that stole the show. Teams around the BCHL are now showing respect to General Manager Brooks Christensen for constructing a group he can develop, maintain and have success with over the next 2-3 years. This is a Silverbacks squad that does not solely rely on their star power up front, their depth can easily take over a game as well. The Warriors encountered that first hand during their last meeting October 5th. Rookies Tyson Gayfer, John Little, and Aiden Jenner are all Silverbacks rookies to watch tonight.
Catch tonight’s game on Mixlr and Hockey TV. Warriors Director of Broadcasting and Media Relations Chase Johnston is back on the mic with a pregame show 10 minutes before puck drop. Just a reminder that tickets are still available for this evenings match up. Visit the Warriors website and select single game tickets for more details.
