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PREVIEW: THE TRIPLE HEADER CONCLUDES TONIGHT IN SALMON ARM

Photo Credit: Lorne White(Kelowna Now)

October 5th, 2018

WEST KELOWNA B.C. –  The conclusion of the triple header ends in Salmon Arm 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

Oct 26th VS Salmon Arm 7:00pm

Feb 1st @ Salmon Arm 7:00pm

Feb 2nd VS Salmon Arm 7:00pm

The West Kelowna Warriors head to the Shaw Centre in Salmon Arm for the conclusion of a triple header versus the Silverbacks. The Warriors split the home at home series winning the first game 5-3 and then losing the following night in Salmon Arm by a score of 4-1. The weekend was highlighted by a spectacular offensive performance by Warriors forward Willie Reim. Reim, 19, fell just short of being named BCHL Player of the Week after scoring four goals, and two assists against the Silverbacks last weekend.

The Warriors came into last weeks game with the BCHL’s number one powerplay, but also came in with the leagues worst penalty kill. The Warriors power play has fallen short after last week dropping them to third in the league. The good news for Geoff Grimwoods’s club is their penalty kill has looked great and the Warriors are no longer in the worst penalty killers in the BCHL. Willie Reim’s offensive wave what’s been the Warriors have riding since the BCHL showcase with a total of 13 points in only 8 games played, however one player has silently produced offensively on the back end, Wyatt Head. Head, 19, is the leading scorer among BCHL defensemen with 10 points in 9 games played. With these stats come great news for players like Reim and Head but don’t necessarily translate to wins. The Warriors will need to get some scoring from their depth forwards to not only pick up a victory tonight but also succeed long term this season.

The Salmon Arm Silverbacks ended the four game winning streak last Saturday night with a 4-1 victory. The Silverbacks did a great job last week neutralizing that Warriors penalty kill, only allowing one powerplay goal all weekend. The architect of this Silverbacks team Brooks Christensen seems to have built the best club the city of Salmon Arm has seen in years. It’s built by some great veterans up front and some promising rookies they can hold on to for a couple years. Two weeks ago the BCHL named forward Justin Wilson as an honorable mention for player of the week and he hasn’t slowed down since. Wilson, 20, picked up four points in two games versus the Warriors last weekend. The veteran line of Matthew Verboon, Noah Wakeford, and Justin Wilson are the trio to look for this evening.  One depth forward that has taken his game to the next level has been rookie Tyson Gayfer. Gayfer, 18, scored twice last Saturday night including the game winning goal that was scored short handed. A simple key for a Silverbacks victory tonight is that they just need to keep up the momentum coming off last weeks game., they were able to not only get production out of their top forwards, but also get multi point games out of depth forwards.


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. Director of Game Day Operations Mike Schell will be joining Chase in the broadcast booth providing color this evening. Just a reminder that tickets are still available for Sundays matinee with the Victory Royals heading to Royal LePage Place. Visit the Warriors website and select single game tickets for more details.