The West Kelowna Warriors scored three goals in the first period then put the pedal down in the second before putting it on cruise control in the third for an 8-1 victory over the Trail Smoke Eaters on Tuesday night.
Jake Harrison opened the scoring with a blast from the circle, joining the rush off the bench and sending the crowd into a frenzy just 7:40 into the first.
Just four minutes later, Jonathan Desbiens would poke a puck over the line through the legs of Bailey MacBurnie to open the game up to a 2-0 lead, before Brett Mennear’s deft deflection of a Harrison point shot gave the Warriors a 3-0 lead.
A bad turnover gave the Smokies life late in the frame, as Harlan Orr beat Matthew Greenfield past the glove hand with 1:19 remaining.
A pair of power-play goals highlighted a frantic second period for West Kelowna, as Kylar Hope and Mennear both scored with the man-advantage. Mennear’s second of the night sparked a three goal in one minute, thirty-nine second outburst for the Warriors, delighting the Warriors faithful.
Nick Rutigliano beat Linden Marshall from the point, who replaced MacBurnie after the first, then Kyle Marino got on the sheet just 31 seconds later.
Bryan Basilico scored on the power play just 43 seconds into the third to give the Warriors their final tally, and an 8-1 win.
Shane Farkas made his BCHL debut and finished the game in goal for Greenfield, making 17 saves in the final period. The 16-year-old Farkas plays at Okanagan Hockey Academy in Penticton.
The Warriors embark on a 7-game road trip starting Friday night in Cowichan Valley. They’ll take on the Capitals (7:00 pm Friday), Powell River Kings (7:15 PM Saturday), and Chilliwack Chiefs (5:00 pm Sunday) this weekend, before another three games the following weekend.
Catch all the road action live on www.mixlr.com/bchlwarriors with Warriors Voice Kyle Anderson. Pre-Game show’s start 20 minutes prior to puck drop.
