The West Kelowna Warriors continued their strong run, picking up a 5-3 victory over the Powell River Kings Monday night in a game that featured momentum swings but ultimately showcased the Warriors’ depth and composure.
West Kelowna came out flying in the opening frame, controlling play early and capitalizing on their opportunities. It was Natan Éthier who opened the scoring at 6:05, finishing off a strong sequence with help from Alexandre Lallier and Caden Kemkaran-Humble. Just 40 seconds later, the Warriors struck again on the power play as Kelsen Podworny buried his seventh of the season to give West Kelowna a quick 2-0 advantage.
The Kings responded early in the second period, taking advantage of a carry-over power play as Ryan Hedley cut the lead to one just 22 seconds in. Powell River kept pushing, and goals from Max Bleicher and Eliot Compton midway through the frame suddenly flipped the game to a 3-2 Kings lead.
But the Warriors answered immediately.
Éthier continued his strong night, netting his second of the game less than a minute later to tie things up. Then, just under two minutes after that, Philip Hagen restored the Warriors lead, finishing off a setup from Olivier Chan and Podworny to make it 4-3.
From there, West Kelowna tightened things up. The Warriors outshot the Kings 19-9 in the second period alone and continued to dictate play through the third, limiting Powell River to just five shots in the final frame.
With the Kings pressing late, Hagen sealed the game with an empty-net goal—his second of the night—to lock in the 5-3 final.
In goal, Bor Glavič made 14 saves to earn the win, while Devin Peck turned aside 30 shots in a busy performance for Powell River.
West Kelowna’s power play went 1-for-4 on the night and proved to be an early difference-maker, while their ability to respond after surrendering the lead highlighted the group’s resilience.
The win pushes the Warriors’ streak to four straight as they continue to build momentum heading into the final stretch of the season. This was also the Warriors 40th win of the season the first time in Franchise history reaching the 40 game win column. The Warriors also clinched the Interior Conference with tonight’s win securing home ice for the first 3 rounds of the playoffs. The Warriors will cap off the regular season on the road in Alberta Friday and Saturday where they look for their first ever regular season title.
