The West Kelowna Warriors continued their strong run of form Sunday afternoon, skating to a convincing 4–1 victory over the Nanaimo Clippers at Frank Crane Arena.
West Kelowna wasted little time establishing control, capitalizing on an early power play to open the scoring. Ruslan Jamaldinov notched his 25th of the season at 10:03 of the first period, finishing off a well-worked setup from Olivier Chan and Natan Éthier to give the Warriors a 1–0 lead.
Just under three minutes later, the Warriors struck again—this time while down a man. Dylan Krayer turned a penalty kill into offence, burying a shorthanded marker at 13:00 to double the lead and swing momentum firmly in West Kelowna’s favour. The Warriors carried that 2–0 advantage into the intermission, backed by steady goaltending from Angelo Zol.
The second period saw a tighter battle, but West Kelowna continued to dictate play late in the frame. With just over two minutes remaining, Ian Crowley added an insurance goal, finishing off a feed from Krayer and Éthier to extend the lead to 3–0 heading into the third.
Nanaimo showed some pushback early in the final period, getting on the board shorthanded as Miller Kay beat Zol at 5:25 to cut the deficit to two. However, the Warriors quickly responded. At 9:21, Blake Burke restored the three-goal cushion, converting off a setup from Philip Hagen and Jamaldinov to effectively put the game out of reach.
Tempers flared late in the contest with a series of penalties and misconducts on both sides, but the Warriors remained composed to close out the 4–1 win.
Between the pipes, Angelo Zol was outstanding, turning aside 33 of 34 shots to earn first star honours and backstop the victory. The Warriors and Clippers finished with 34 shots apiece, but West Kelowna’s ability to capitalize on special teams—including a power play goal and a shorthanded marker—proved to be the difference.
Jamaldinov (1G, 1A) and Éthier (2A) led the way offensively, while Krayer contributed a goal and an assist in a strong all-around performance.
With the win, the Warriors continue to build momentum down the stretch, showcasing depth scoring, strong special teams, and reliable goaltending in another complete road effort. The Warriors look for an Island sweep tomorrow in Powell River, puck drop at 7pm catch the game on FloHockey.
