Warriors coach Rylan Ferster calls the Penticton Vees as skilled a team as he has ever seen in the BC Hockey League.
Mario Lucia, a 2nd round selection of the Minnesota Wild in the 2011 Entry Draft, is at the top of the skill chart.
Lucia had a goal and four assists Friday leading the visiting Vees to an 8-3 win over the Westside Warriors before nearly 1,100 fans at Royal LePage Place.
The Vees used the league's top power-play and a nervous Warriors netminder in posting the lopsided victory.
Penticton struck for three power-play goals, two during a four goal first period outburst in posting the lopsided win.
They also took advantage of netminder Darren Hogg who was pressed into service after Warriors number one goaltender Steven Racine suffered a concussion when he took a shot off his mask earlier the week in practice.
Hogg, a regular with the Junior ‘B’ Osoyoos Coyotes got the call Thursday and didn't meet his new mates until the pre-game skate Friday.
"It's a tough thing to ask a young guy to come in and certainly against a high flying team like Penticton and ask him to win a game for us," says Ferster.
"We couldn't get back into it. Every time we got into it they seemed to get another one. It's unfortunate but I certainly liked our guys compete level. I don't think we gave up at all, we worked to the end and I think we have to be proud of our guys for that."
Travis St. Denis and Connor Reilly each had a pair of goals for the Vees with Mike Reilly, Garrett Hendrickson and Cody Depourcq adding singles.
Shawn Hocchausen, Reid Simmonds and Garrett Skrbich all scored their second of the season in a losing cause for the Warriors.
Despite trailing by four after one the Warriors battled back in the second cutting into the deficit on three different occasions. They had a chance to cut the margin to two late in the second and early in the
third on the power-play but were unable to beat Vees netminder Michael Garteig.
Simmonds, Hocchausen and captain Izaak Berglund all returned to the line-up after suffering early season injuries.
Berglund, who suffered a concussion two ago says he felt good on the ice.
He says the Warriors gave the Vees far too many chances.
"They got some power-plays and they capitalized and when you give them chances they're going to score," says Berglund.
"Unfortunately we gave them too many chances and they bared down and scored on them. I don't think we played our best in the first but it's just one night out of 60."
Despite the score the Vees only outshot Westside 31-29.
The Warriors, losers of three of their last four, try to bounce back Saturday when they host the Salmon Arm Silverbacks.
