Photo: #5 Charles-Alexis Legault looks to extend his stellar play in Week 4 of the Okanagan Cup
Photo Credit: Tami Quan Photography
October 16th, 2020
WEST KELOWNA, B.C. – The West Kelowna Warriors(3-2-0-1) begin week four of the Okanagan Cup with another two game tilt versus the Penticton Vees(6-0).
Last week, the Warriors were caught off guard versus a much better Salmon Arm Silverbacks team. The Silverbacks came into the weekend set allowing 15 goals in only two games. Last week the Warriors got a much different team in the Silverbacks who took the first of the two game set by a score of 5-4. The Warriors would bounce back with a 3-2 victory in Salmon Arm to conclude the weekend. Warriors Assistant Coach Ayrton Nikkel was happy with the adjustments his team made defensively in the second game, “The D core was much better at using their partner, not trying to beat guys one on one and we won the game on defense blocking some shots later”.
This weekend the Warriors once again play another weekend set versus the Penticton Vees, a team that got the best of the Warriors with very close victories. The first was a 3-2 regulation victory in the SOEC with the Warriors dominating the third period, then game two was a 3-2 shootout loss for the Warriors inside Royal LePage Place. Both games the Warriors played well, even with some new players like Pat Lawn, Connor Joyce and Matt Stienburg playing their first night of competitive hockey in over 8 months.
The Vees looked like they haven’t missed a beat since their weekend series with the Warriors after slaying the Vernon Vipers in back to back games. The Vees outscored the Vipers 8-1 in the two games combined and got more production out of their top players, including blue liner Jack Bar who showed off his offensive side scoring one goal and one assist in Saturday nights victory over the Vernon Vipers. The Warriors played the Vees well 2 weeks ago but they will need to compete at their highest level for the duration of the game. “We need to clean up and play a full 60 minutes”, stated Assistant Coach Ayrton Nikkel. “It seems like a cliche but it means a lot when you are playing a team like the Vees”.
This evening’s game will be broadcast on both HockeyTV and the Warriors Mixlr Network. Puck drop at 7:00pm from Royal LePage Place in West Kelowna. Saturday’s game will be a 6:00pm puck drop from the South Okanagan Events Centre in Penticton. Saturday’s game will also be broadcast on the Shaw Spotlight channel. A reminder that no fans will be allowed in either building. HockeyTV has a sale that ends this evening where you get $80 off a subscription. Use coupon code BCHLWARRIORS20 at hockeytv.com/subscriptions.
