Warriors Defeat Merritt

The Warriors overcame another weak start and rode an unofficial hat-trick from Alex Grieve to defeat the Merritt Centennials 7-5 in front of 1,302 BCHL fans at Royal LePage Place on Thursday night. The Westside defence looked to be sleeping early, and terrible lapses led to starting goaltender Kevin Jebson giving up three soft goals in the first 2:30 to put the team into an early hole. Jebson, just acquired by the Warriors in a trade with the Alberni Valley Bulldogs, was rattled after letting in the first one with 21 seconds played, and was pulled in favour of Garrett Beckwith before the end of the frame. Grieve ended the night with two goals and an assist. Kyle Singleton, Brett Howe, Jordan Gagne, Garrett Watson and Brett Lyon also scored for Westside. Jebson played 17:01, allowing four goals on eight shots.
?We didn?t give him the home start he needed, or deserved,? Grieve said of Jebson. ?We have to respect every team in this league and play a whole 60 minutes.?
Beckwith made 34 saves on 35 shots. Jordan Grant had two goals and two assists for Merritt. Jordan Zalba, Cameron Brodie and Dustin Johnson each added singles. Harrison May faced 22 shots in the loss. Coach Mark Howell wasn?t happy with his team?s first period.