Photo Credit: Tami Quan Photography
December 21st, 2019
WEST KELOWNA, B.C. – The West Kelowna Warriors(6-23-5-2) look to split the two-game set versus Merritt Centennials(10-22-1-3) Saturday night.
Warriors vs. Centennials 2019/20 Regular Season Schedule:
Friday, September 20th @ Nicola Valley Memorial Arena (7:00 PM) LOSS 4-2
Saturday, October 19th @ Royal LePage Place (6:00 PM) LOSS 5-2
Friday, December 20th @ Royal LePage Place (7:00 PM) LOSS 6-2
Saturday, December 21st @ Nicola Valley Memorial Arena (7:00 PM)
Friday, January 10th @ Nicola Valley Memorial Arena (7:00 PM)
Saturday, January 11th @ Royal LePage Place (6:00 PM)
The Warriors needed a victory to get within one point of the Merritt Centennials Friday night, but Cents goaltender Ryan Winter had other plans. Winter made a handful of goal saving stops in the first two periods, then once the Centennials extended the lead late in the second, the Warriors ran out of gas. The game didn’t start well for the Warriors with Johnny Derrick allowing three goals off six shots to start the game. The Warriors would come back in the first keeping the game close, but in the end chasing the entire game didn’t help the Warriors out at all.
Centennials win games by scoring in bunches and rely on great goaltending. They got both of those Friday night. The Centennials also scored twice on the powerplay and added a shorthanded goal late, giving them some confidence on special teams where they rank last in the BCHL in both the penalty kill and power play. Everything Head Coach and General Manager Derek Sweet-Coulter wanted his team to do, they executed on. Tonight the Warriors need to make sure they get a lead early, and goaltending needs to be better early on.
This evening’s game will be broadcast on both HockeyTV and the Warriors Mixlr Network. Puck drop at 7:00pm from the Nicola Valley Memorial Arena in Merritt. For tickets to any upcoming home game visit tickets.westkelownawarriors.ca for details and packages.
