Photo Credit: Kyle Robinson Photography
December 11th, 2018
WEST KELOWNA B.C. – The West Kelowna Warriors(19-14-0-1) host the Coquitlam Express(18-13-1-0) Tuesday night.
WARRIORS VS EXPRESS REGULAR SEASON:
Dec 11th @ West Kelowna 7pm
Jan 7th @ Coquitlam 7pm
The Warriors are coming off a tough 2-1 victory in Vernon last Saturday night. Goaltending had to be sharp for the Warriors and it was the future Yale Bulldog Connor Hopkins stopped 33 of 34 shots, including numerous big saves late in the final frame. Lucas Cullen was able to score both goals for the Warriors and was named 1st star of the hockey game.
Tonight the Warriors head back home to host the Coquitlam Express who are experiencing a bit of a renaissance year. The past two seasons they could only muster 11 wins in 2016-17 and 15 wins in 2017-18. We’re only into December and the Express have already surpassed their season totals and are currently sitting at 18 wins. Most credit goes to the new and improved coaching staff led by Head Coach and General Manager Jason Fortier. Fortier joined the Express in early 2018 and has quickly turned the Express back into a winning team. Warriors assistant coach Matt Miller is very aware of the recent success of the Express,
“I think Jason has come in and done a great job of recruiting and getting that program back to one of the better programs in our league. I think people forget that only 5 years ago they won our entire league and they had some great players come through here. The biggest change I see with them this year compared to the last couple years, they seem to play faster and use their speed to beat you, plus they’re one of the hardest working teams in the league.”
The Warriors know this is a tough test, it’s a club they’re not familiar with, and coastal division teams only come to visit Royal LePage Place once a season. Warriors coaching staff is focusing on playing their game, and not focusing on little details from the other club. The Express are sitting in third place in the Coastal Division with 37 points and the Warriors are sitting in fourth place with 39 points.
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 tonight’s home game versus the Cents. Visit the Warriors website and select single game tickets for more details.
