Photo Credit: Garrett James
February 16th, 2019
WEST KELOWNA B.C. – The West Kelowna Warriors(27-26-0-1) host the Vernon Vipers(24-20-7-3) Saturday night.
WARRIORS VS VIPERS REGULAR SEASON SCHEDULE:
Sept 14th @ Vernon LOSS 4-3
Nov 16th @ West Kelowna LOSS 6-3
Dec 8th @ Vernon WIN 2-1
Jan 4th @ Vernon LOSS 4-3
Jan 18th @ West Kelowna LOSS 1-0
Feb 16th @ West Kelowna
The Warriors headed home after another tough 5-2 road loss Thursday at the hands of the Prince George Spruce Kings. It was a game where the Warriors were dominated in the shots on goal category with goaltender Connor Hopkins facing 45 pucks. The Warriors had two chances this week to leapfrog the Vernon Vipers in the BC Interior Division standings but failed to after two straight road losses. Both of the losses were due to the Warriors not playing a full 60 minutes. Although the Spruce Kings are considered one of the top teams in the BCHL, Warriors Assistant Coach Matt Miller says the team is capable of better. “I believe the Spruce Kings are definitely one of the best coached teams in the league and play a very good game in their own rink. But also on the flip side we need to find a way to generate more.”
Tonight the Warriors can still pass the Vipers in the standings by doing it the hard way. The Vipers travel to West Kelowna for the final time this season hoping to not only win and stay in the hunt for the 4th place position in the BC Interior Division standings but sweep the Warriors in Royal LePage Place and win the season series 5-1. The last time these two teams met the Vipers played an absolute perfect defensive game not allowing any major scoring chances and maintaining puck possession in the attacking zone. The Vipers would hold on to win by a score of 1-0. “Saturday night is going to be similar of what we saw out of Prince George on Thursday, they will shut you down and make you earn everything” said Miller. “If we move our feet and use our speed and skill to force them out of their comfort zone, we will be successful”.
The Warriors are currently sitting in 6th place in the Interior Division with 55 points. 1 point behind the Vernon Vipers and 3 points ahead of the Trail Smoke Eaters. The Vernon Vipers are currently sitting in 5th in the Interior Division, one point behind the Salmon Arm Silverbacks, and 1 point ahead of the West Kelowna Warriors.
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 matchup versus the Vernon Vipers. Visit the Warriors website and select single game tickets for more details.
