A roundup of junior hockey results from the Okanagan and area.
The Kelowna Rockets will be looking for a much different result in Game two, after being shutout by the Prince George Cougars in their second round series opener on Friday.
The hometown Cougars got their fans roaring late in the opening frame, after Rockets netminder Jari Kykkanen let out a rebound chance that landed right in front of the net, where Ephram McNutt fired the puck into the back of the net.
With the Rockets on a powerplay early in the second period, defenseman Caden Price stopped a Cougars clearing attempt by jumping in the air, and corralling the puck with his glove, however, he mishandled the puck. That error led to Cougars forward Terik Parascak going in on a shorthanded breakaway where he made good of his opportunity to give PG a 2-0 advantage.
Just over a minute and a half into the final stanza, the Cougars took a 3-0 lead thanks to a goal from Keaton Dowhaniuk, then several minutes later, Borya Valis made it 4-0 which would stand as the final score from the CN Centre.
Kelowna went 0-for-3 with the man advantage, while Prince George was 0-for-1.
Prince George heavily outshot Kelowna 33-21 and lead the best-of-seven series 1-0.
Game 2 gets underway on Saturday at 6 p.m.
Friday’s results
- Saskatoon 4, Red Deer 1 (Saskatoon leads series 1-0)
- Swift Current 7, Moose Jaw 2 (Swift Current leads series 1-0)
- Portland 8, Everett 2 (Portland leads series 1-0)
Saturday’s games
- Kelowna at Prince George
- Everett at Portland
- Swift Current at Moose Jaw
The West Kelowna Warriors had another glorious opportunity to close out their round one best-of-seven series, but the Cranbrook Bucks staved off elimination again.
The Warriors stormed out to a commanding 3-0 lead in the series, but the Bucks have now squeaked out back-to-back wins.
Their most recent victory came in West Kelowna, where the only option was to win or have their season come to an end. West Kelowna needs just one more win to advance, while Cranbrook needs to win games six and seven if they are to move on.
On Friday, the Warriors came so close to pushing the game to overtime. With the Bucks leading 6-5 and time about to expire, West Kelowna’s Trent Wilson thought he scored the game-tying goal, but it was quickly waived off by the officials, and the Bucks celebrated their victory as Warrior fans watched in shock.
Aside from Game 1 where the score was 8-2 for West Kelowna, all games have been one-goal games.
The Warriors were 2-for-3 on the powerplay on Friday while the Bucks powerplay went one-for-three.
Cranbrook had the upper hand in the shots department, outshooting West Kelowna 34-30.
Both teams will faceoff for Game 6 on Sunday in Cranbrook at 4 p.m.
The Salmon Arm Silverbacks are now just one win away from punching their ticket to the second round after knocking off the Merritt Centennials Friday night.
The first and only goal of Game 5 came with just under five minutes remaining in the opening period, when Salmon Arm’s Jonah Aegerter tucked in his first goal of the 2024 playoffs on the powerplay.
Silverbacks netminder Eli Pulver wasn’t overly busy on this occasion, but he stayed rock solid, stopping all 17 shots he faced.
Centennials netminder Andrew Ballantyne kept his team in it right to the very end, as he turned aside 36 of 37 shots throw his way.
Salmon Arm has a chance to advance to round 2 when the two teams do battle in Game 6 on Saturday in Merritt. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m.
The Vernon Vipers are heading to round two of the BCHL Playoffs, after eliminating the Trail Smoke Eaters Friday.
In Game 5, the Vipers’ mission was simple – win.
They only needed one more win to advance to the next round, while Trail couldn’t afford to lose another game or they would be sent packing.
The Vipers led 2-1 and 4-2 after the first and second periods. They would add two more in the third to defeat the Smoke Eaters 6-2. Vernon’s Owen Kim and Hank Cleaves both had big nights for their club, tallying two goals each, while Luke Bibby and Carson McGinley had the others.
Trail outshot Vernon 40-39.
It is still unknown who the Vipers will face in the Interior Conference semi-final.
Friday’s results
- Coquitlam 2, Alberni Valley 1 (Coquitlam leads series 3-2)
- Victoria 3, Nanaimo 0 (Victoria wins series 4-1)
- Surrey 5, Cowichan Valley 2 (Surrey wins series 4-1)
Saturday’s games
- Spruce Grove at Okotoks (Okotoks leads series 2-0)
- Salmon Arm at Merritt (Salmon Arm leads series 3-2)
- Alberni Valley at Coquitlam (Coquitlam leads series 3-2)
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