UPDATE: West Kelowna Warriors owner Kim Dobranski has issued a statement to Global Okanagan disputing some of the details of the story about the early days of the 2018/19 season.
“Each organization is independent and run their affairs as they see fit,” Dobranski said in the email. “The league and the commissioner, whom is actually an indirect employee of mine via the BCHL board of Governors for which I sit on as an owner, has no authority to step in, control, operate, negotiate, impose or involve themselves in any organization.”
The full statement issued by Dobranski can be seen below.
ORIGINAL STORY:
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Turmoil. In a word, that sums up the West Kelowna Warriors’ start to the season.
Let’s review . . . see if you can follow along.
Rylan Ferster steps down as the head coach just days before training camp.
New owner Kim Dobranski takes over and names assistant coach Geoff Grimwood as the new bench-boss.
Two weeks, later Dobranski fires Grimwood.
The players protest and don’t show up for practice.
Dobranski then re-hires Grimwood in a small scandal now known as “GrimmerGate.”
Then the BCHL steps in and helps oversee day-to-day operations.
“It was a little more chaotic than I think we wanted. It took us a little bit to figure everything out,” said Warriors captain Cavin Tilsley.
Now some 20 games into the season, the Warriors seem to have done just that.
“At the end of the day, our team came together and stuck together and I think that’s really important. I think that has contributed to where we are right now,” said Tilsely.
And where they are right now is sitting atop of the BCHL’s Interior Division, having won . . .
“Seven in a row right now. So obviously what we are doing is working,” said Tilsley.
The Warriors are scoring by committee, splitting the goaltending load and using their depth to their advantage.
But they are also taking the winning streak in stride, being careful not to get ahead of themselves,
“You know what? It’s really one at a time for us. It’s a cliché, but it’s really how we look at it,” said Grimwood.
And in the traditionally tight Interior Division, where only five points currently separate the top six teams, that’s key because . . .
“You win a couple of games and you hold steady, lose a couple and you drop right down to the bottom,” said Grimwood.
The Warriors, who have battled bank from the brink, will continue to . . .
“Push forward no matter what we have in terms of ups and downs, keep playing and hopefully we keep winning,” said Tilsley
West Kelowna is back in action on Saturday at 7 p.m., when they take on the Surrey Eagles at Royal LePage Place.
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