The West Kelowna Warriors and Chilliwack Chiefs played one of the most exciting games of the 2015/2016 BCHL season, yet neither team came away with a victory, as the two squads skated to a 3-3 tie on Saturday night.
The Chiefs scored three power-play goals on the night, including the opening goal as Vimal Sukamaran found space between the circles and beat Matthew Greenfield to put the Chiefs up 1-0.
A crazy play off the end boards almost lead to the Warriors tying the game up, as Rylan Yaremko thought he had poked a puck over the line that caromed off the end glass and back in front. The officials got together to determine that there was no conclusive evidence, so the game remained 1-0 Chiefs. Shots ended up 11-5 for Chilliwack in the first.
West Kelowna tied the game up early in the second as a high energy play from Kylar Hope set-up Brett Mennear for a smooth finish on a two on one. Then, it was Hope with the marker on the power play, beating Aidan Pelino with a one-timer that snuck through the Chiefs netminder.
Jordan Kawaguchi tied the game back up at two with another goal on the man advantage, sending the teams to the locker room tied after 40 minutes. Shots were 19-18 Chiefs after two.
The Warriors took the lead while short-handed in the third period, as Mennear’s second goal of the night went upstairs on Pelino, once again giving West Kelowna the lead.
Big checks littered the third period, as the two big physical teams finished every check in the final frame. It came to a head at 11:36 when Liam Blackburn snapped, engaging Linden Hora in a spirited scrap on the sidewall. Blackburn drew the extra penalty for roughing, which lead to the fight.
The Chiefs Connor McCarthy was the recipient of the last Chief’s goal on that power play, after great work from Kawaguchi, got the puck out front for McCarthy to beat a sprawling Greenfield.
Overtime solved nothing, but not for lack of trying as Kyle Marino missed a great chance in front, and Pelino shut the door on all five Warriors shots during 3-on-3. Final Shots were 31-29 West Kelowna.
McCarthy was named third star for his tying goal and strong defensive play, while Hope won the coin flip over Mennear to take first star honours with a goal and two assists.
West Kelowna welcomes Trail on Tuesday night for the final home game until February 13th, as the Warriors play seven straight on the road after Tuesday.
