The West Kelowna Warriors kept their momentum rolling Saturday night, extending their winning streak to four games with a hard-fought 3–2 victory over the Salmon Arm Silverbacks.
Salmon Arm struck first, capitalizing early as Landon Mackie finished off a rush to give the Silverbacks a 1–0 lead. Despite the early setback, the Warriors controlled much of the play, generating consistent pressure and zone time. Their efforts paid off on the power play when Ruslan Jamaldinov buried a shot from the slot for his 19th of the season, tying the game at one heading into the first intermission.
The Silverbacks regained the lead in the second period, once again off the rush, with Mackie netting his second of the night. But the Warriors refused to back down. Max Dinneen answered with a strong drive to the net from the corner, finishing off a determined individual effort to even the score at 2–2 heading into the third.
In the final frame, it was Blake Burke continuing his hot streak, breaking in alone and snapping a shot top corner past Dirracolo for the game-winning goal. The Warriors tightened things up defensively from there, securing the win behind a solid performance from Bor Glavic, who turned aside 25 of 27 shots on the night.
Special teams played a key role, with West Kelowna going 1-for-5 on the power play while remaining perfect on the penalty kill, shutting down both Salmon Arm opportunities.
Dinneen earned first star honors with a goal and an assist, while Mackie was named second star with his two-goal performance. Jamaldinov picked up third star recognition, contributing a goal and an assist in the win.
The Warriors will look to keep the streak alive as they return home tomorrow night to host the Sherwood Park Crusaders for Faith Night and Brendan Ritchie Night. Puck drop is set for 7:00 PM at Royal LePage Place—come out and support your Warriors as they continue their strong run.
