A round-up of results of junior hockey teams in the Okanagan and area.
WESTERN HOCKEY LEAGUE
Everett 3, Kelowna 2
At Everett, Kelowna opened a three-game roadtrip on Friday night with a patchwork lineup and a narrow loss.
The Rockets took on the Silvertips without eight regular players, and will be again shorthanded for back-to-back games in Portland on Saturday and Sunday.
Both Everett and Portland are nationally ranked teams, at eighth and third, respectively. Kelowna, which will host the 2020 Memorial Cup in May, is not nationally ranked.
On Friday, Gage Goncalves, with two goals, and Michael Gut scored for Everett (27-11-2-1, 57 points), which led 2-1 heading into the third period. Dustin Wolf stopped 25 of 27 shots for the Silvertips.
Jake Lee, who opened the scoring at 10:27 of the first period, and Jonas Peterek, who made it 2-2 at 7:04 of the third, replied for Kelowna (21-18-1-2, 45 points). Cole Schwebius stopped 33 of 36 shots for the Rockets.
Following a 1-0 Kelowna lead after the first period, Everett tied the game when Goncalves scored at 4:58 of the second. At 15:38, the Silvertips took a 2-1 lead when Gut tallied his eighth of the season.
In the third, after Peterek levelled the score at 2-2, Goncalves netted what stood up as the game winner at 9:04. The Rockets pulled Schwebius late in the third, but did not score.
Kelowna was 1-for-5 on the power play while Everett was 1-for-4.
Missing Friday’s game at Angel of the Winds Arena in Everett were:
- Nolan Foote (undisclosed lower-body injury, week to week)
- Kyle Topping (undisclosed lower-body injury, one week)
- Liam Kindree (broken collarbone, 10 weeks)
- Sean Comrie (undisclosed upper-body injury, two weeks)
- Mark Liwiski (undisclosed upper-body injury, day to day)
- Trevor Wong (undisclosed lower-body injury, day to day)
- Roman Basran (undisclosed, day to day)
- Kaedan Korczak (first game of three-game suspension)
To fill the roster holes, the Rockets have called up affiliated players Rilen Kovacevic, Dylan Wightman, Jarod Newell, Noah Dorey and Cole Tisdale.
The Rockets have now lost four games in a row, and face even a tougher test in Portland (31-6-2-3, 67 points). The Winterhawks are the top team in the Western Conference and are 9-0-1-0 in their past 10 games.
Further, Portland has one of the best goalies in the CHL: Joel Hofer, who backstopped Canada to gold at the recent 2020 World Junior Hockey Championship. He leads the WHL with a 2.00 goals-against average and record of 22-4-2-1.
On Friday, Portland scored three times in the third in posting a 5-3 road win over Spokane (22-15-4-1). Hofer was named the game’s second star for a 39-save effort.
In other WHL action, the B.C. Division-leading Kamloops Blazers (28-11-2-1, 59 points) smashed the struggling Tri-City Americans 12-3.
Tri-City (14-22-4-1, 33 points) was outshot 49-20. Only two of 18 Blazers failed to register a point in the blowout. Ryan Hughes led Kamloops with a goal and four assists.
B.C. HOCKEY LEAGUE
Penticton 9, Merritt 1
At Penticton, David Silye had a three-point night, with a goal and two assists, as the Vees won in a highly balanced and home-ice laugher over Merritt on Friday night.
Jay O’Brien, with two goals, Danny Wight, Jackson Niedermayer, Tristan Amonte, Jack Barnes, Liam Malmquist and Darwin Lakoduk also scored for Penticton (34-11-1-1), which broke open a 1-1 game with six goals in the second period.
Evan Benwell, who scored at 13:23 of the first to make it 1-1, replied for Merritt (10-30-1-3).
Carl Stankowski stopped 28 of 29 shots for the Vees. For the Centennials, starter Tanner Marshall stopped 26 of 33 shots through 40 minutes. In the third, Bryce Garcia turned aside 11 of 13 shots.
Merritt was 0-for-7 on the power play while Penticton was 1-for-5.
Trail 5, Vernon 1
At Trail, Kent Johnson scored twice for the Smoke Eaters in a four-goal decision over the Vipers.
Michael Colella, Philippe Lapointe and Carson Briere also scored for Trail (28-14-2-1), which led 2-1 and 3-1 at the period breaks.
Landon Fuller, who made it 1-1 at 17:36 of the first with a power-play goal, had the lone goal for Vernon (23-18-2-1).
Logan Terness stopped 23 of 24 shots for the Smokies, with Keegan Karki facing 27 shots and stopping 22 for the Vipers.
Trail was 0-for-2 on the power play while Vernon was 1-for-6.
Surrey 7, West Kelowna 3
At West Kelowna, the Warriors-three game winning streak came to a crashing halt on Friday night.
Brandon Santa Juana, Kenny Riddett, Owen Nolan, Gabe Schovanek, Hudson schandor, Cristophe Tellier and Wyatt Schlaht scored for Surrey (18-20-2-4), which burst out of the starting gate with three goals in the first 10 minutes.
Replying for West Kelowna (10-26-5-2), which had a goal in each period, were Drew Vieten, Nicolas Ardanaz and Tyler Cristall. The Warriors trailed 3-1 and 5-2 at the period breaks.
Reece Klassen stopped 26 of 29 shots for the Eagles. For the Warriors, starter Johnny Derrick played 46 minutes, stopping 20 of 26 shots, before giving way to Riley Morgan, who was 6 of 7 in relief.
Surrey was 2-for-3 on the power play while West Kelowna was 1-for-2.
Saturday’s Games
- Salmon Arm (23-18-1-1) at Penticton (34-11-1-1), 6 p.m.
- Cowichan Valley (29-12-4-1) at West Kelowna (10-26-5-2), 6 p.m.
Sunday’s Game
- Salmon Arm at Vernon (23-18-2-1), 2 p.m.
KOOTENAY INTERNATIONAL JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE
Friday’s Results
- Chase 3, Columbia Valley 1
- Princeton 5, 100 Mile House 1
- Golden 7, Grand Forks 4
- Kamloops 5, Revelstoke 3
- Summerland 5, Osoyoos 3
Saturday’s Games
- Grand Forks (12-24-0-0-2) at Creston Valley (15-15-0-0-5), 6:30 p.m.
- Summerland (17-17-0-0-4) at Kelowna (25-10-2-0-0), 7 p.m.
- Columbia Valley (18-14-2-0-4) at Sicamous (12-23-10-0), 7 p.m.
- Nelson (21-11-0-0-6) at Princeton (19-13-1-0-3), 7 p.m.
- North Okanagan (10-21-1-0-5) at Revelstoke (27-5-1-0-2), 7 p.m.
- 100 Mile House (16-17-2-0-0) at Osoyoos (7-26-1-0-2) 7:35 p.m.