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RECAP: WARRIORS COMEBACK TO BEAT VIPERS IN SHOOTOUT

Photo: #30 Roman Basran came into the game as an emergency backup for the West Kelowna Warriors and stood tall not allowing a single goal after the first period. 

Photo Credit: Lisa Mazurek Photography

October 23rd 2020 

VERNON, B.C – The West Kelowna Warriors were able to erase a 2 goal deficit and skate to a 4-3 shootout win over the Vernon Vipers.

Meeting up for the third time in the Okanagan Cup, the West Kelowna Warriors looked to continue their winning ways against the Vernon Vipers. In a first period that was dominated by special teams, the Warriors would get the start they were hoping for. Just 2 minutes Nick Ardanaz would cash in on an early powerplay to give the Warriors a 1-0 lead. Controlling the play through the first half of the period, things looked promising for the Warriors until  Will Arquiett was awarded a penalty shot. Arquiett would capitalize on his chance and draw the game even at 1-1. The Vipers would then make good on their powerplay chances, adding two goals with the man advantage with under two minutes to go in the frame. Hunter Donohoe and Nicholas Remissong would bulge the twine for the home team and the Vipers would head to the first intermission scoring three unanswered with a 3-1 lead.

Un-phased by the late attack, West Kelowna would respond with two of their own early in the second. Felix Trudeau was able to bring the Warriors within one with a harmless looking tip that would beat Vipers goaltender Roan Clarke. Matthew Stienburg would follow up with a howitzer of a shot exactly three minutes later to bring the teams back to square.

A scoreless third period would still provide as much excitement as the two periods that preceded it. Both teams would exchange scoring chances, the Warriors were able to kill off a 5 minute penalty assessed to Trudeau, and the physical play stayed present throughout the third. 

A fast paced overtime would give each team a chance to end things before the shootout. John Evans would leave the zone with speed on a breakaway opportunity, a strong back checking effort from the Vipers was successful in foiling his chance but came at the cost of the games second penalty shot being awarded. Evans would be denied by the left pad of Clarke and the rest of the overtime period would continue. A late chance by the Vipers was turned away by the Warriors’ emergency backup Roman Basran. The Kelowna Rockets goaltending tandem of Basran and Cole Schwebius are on loan this weekend from the Kelowna Rockets of the WHL. The two are expected to be with the Warriors for just this weekend as West Kelowna expects their regular netminders to be ready for their weekend set with Salmon Arm November 6th and 7th.

In the shootout, Basran would turn away two of the three shots he faced. Stienburg and Elan Bar Lev Wise would score back to back and secure the win for West Kelowna. Both of these teams will get back to action tomorrow night with a 7:00pm puck drop from Royal Lepage Place in West Kelowna. The game will be broadcast on both HockeyTV and the Warriors Mixlr Network as well as the Shaw Spotlight Channel. A reminder to Warriors fans that Wings will have the game televised.