Oct. 9, 2009
Warriors win 4-3 in overtime thriller against Prince George
West Kelowna, B.C. ? Grayson Downing, black and blue from blocking shots moments earlier, scored on a nifty individual effort in overtime to give the Westside Warriors a thrilling 4-3 victory over the Prince George Spruce Kings in B.C. Hockey Hockey League action at Royal LePage Place Friday night.
The Warriors had just finished killing a penalty when Downing came off the bench, grabbed the puck near the boards in the Prince George zone, made a great move to get into the high slot and fired a puck off the post and in to end the game in dramatic fashion.
“I tried to go high but I kind of fanned on it but it went in so I'll take it,” said Downing.
Prince George had a great opportunity to win late in the third period and early in overtime with the man advantage, but Downing made two key shot blocks ? one off the arm and another off the leg and he winced after both of them ? to keep the game tied.
Prince George had the man advantage after referee Andrew Guest gave Max French an interference penalty away from the play in the Prince George zone when French got tied up with Kings captain Sam Muchalla with 1:26 remaining in the third.
The win gives the Warriors a 7-3 record on the season and 4-1 on this home stand.
The Warriors scored the only goal of the third period, a nice deflection by Tyler Krause off a Joel Woznikoski point shot. Prince George players and coaches were trying to make the case Krause high-sticked the puck, but the goal stood. Kyle Singleton and Scott MacDonald also scored for the Warriors and Kevin Jebson picked up the victory in goal, making 21 saves.
The Kings? top line of Muchalla, Brooks Robinson and Jeff Earnest seemingly never left the ice. Unofficially, they were on the ice for more than 40 minutes, unheard of for forwards, even in junior hockey. Muchalla, Zac Rasmussen and Kyle Manlow scored for the Kings. Alex Wright took the loss in goal after making 22 saves.
The Warriors had to do without their top scorer for most of the contest. Cam Reid was ejected late in the first period for a hit from behind.
The Warriors continue this home stand with a game against the Cowichan Valley Capitals, on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. at Royal Le Page Place.
For tickets, call Select Your Tickets at 250-762-5050 or go to westsidewarriors.ca. You can also purchase tickets at the Select Your Ticket outlets, at the Warriors office and at the box office starting one hour prior to game time.
Summary PERIOD 1 |
| Prince George Spruce Kings at 3:07 – Sam Muchalla from Brooks Robinson and Brad Bourke |
| Westside Warriors at 14:47 – Scott MacDonald from Trevor Bailey and Joel Woznikoski |
| PERIOD 2 |
| Prince George Spruce Kings at 3:40 – Kyle Manlow from Jeremy Wiebe |
| Westside Warriors at 5:22 – Kyle Singleton from Brendan Ellis and Joel Woznikoski |
| Prince George Spruce Kings at 15:09 – Zac Rasmussen from Wes McLeod and RJay Berra |
| PERIOD 3 |
| Westside Warriors at 4:04 – Tyler Krause from Joel Woznikoski and Spencer Humphries |
| OVERTIME PERIOD 1 |
| Westside Warriors at 1:11 – Grayson Downing from Scott MacDonald |
Shots on goal
Prince George 7-6-7-2-24
Westside 6-8-11-1-26
Power Plays
Prince George 0 for 6
Westside 0 for 5
Three stars:
1. Joel Woznikoski 2. Sam Muchalla 3. Kyle Singleton
Next for the Warriors:
The Warriors host the Cowichan Valley Capitals at Royal LePage Place on Sunday (2:30 p.m.). Don?t wait in line for tickets, call Select Your Tickets at 250-762-5050 or go to westsidewarriors.ca. You can also purchase tickets at the Select Your Ticket outlets, at the Warriors office and at the box office starting one hour prior to game time.
