A round-up of results from junior hockey teams in the Okanagan and area.
WESTERN HOCKEY LEAGUE
Portland 7, Kelowna 3
At Kelowna, Portland showcased speed, skill and scoring in spades on Friday night, as the Winterhawks smashed the Rockets 7-3.
Seth Jarvis, with two goals and an assist, Jaydon Dureau, Robbie Fromm-Delorme, Gabe Klassen, Mason Mannek and Johnny Ludvig scored for Portland (36-7-3-4), which led 3-2 and 5-3 at the period breaks.
Jarvis scored at 4:54 of the first period, while fans were still getting settled, with Dureau making it 2-0 at 7:04. Then at 9:59, Jarvis netted his second of the night to make it 3-0.
That goal elicited groans from the fans at Prospera Place, who then knew they were facing a long night, and likely a long weekend as well, with Kelowna hosting Portland again on Saturday night.
Kaedan Korczak, Ethan Ernst and Conner McDonald replied for Kelowna (23-24-1-2), which couldn’t keep up with Portland’s quick start, quicker pace and ruthless efficiency.
The Winterhawks, who have the league’s best record, broke out of their own zone with ease and never had much trouble with Kelowna, barring the last few minutes of the first period, when the Rockets rallied from that early 3-0 deficit with two net-scramble goals to make it 3-2.
In the second, Portland pushed the pace, scoring twice in the first eight minutes of the frame for a 5-2 lead. They also limited Kelowna to just one shot in the first 10 minutes.
McDonald made it 5-3 with Kelowna’s second shot of the second period at 11:49, but in the third, Portland added two more, at 12:11 and 14:11, to seal the win.
Joel Hofer, 19, who backstopped Canada to gold at the 2020 World Junior Hockey Championship, stopped 17 of 20 shots for Portland. The Winterhawks are 7-1-1-1 in their past 10 games.
Roman Basran started for Kelowna, but was quickly pulled after surrendering three goals on four shots. Cole Schwebius was 25 of 29 in relief.
Portland was 2-for-6 on the power play while Kelowna was 0-for-2.
Unlike some of the teams Portland has iced in past seasons, the Winterhawks don’t have a star-powered squad, but they’re arguably one of the most complete squads in recent years.
A press-pack piece noted that Portland became the first WHL team this season to capture a playoff spot, which they did on Feb. 4. That piece also noted that Prince Albert did the same last season, on Feb. 5, en route to winning the WHL championship.
Meanwhile, Kelowna has lost four in a row and have been outscored 23-7. Further, since Dec. 7, the Rockets have just one regulation-time win in their last 24 games (1 win, 4 overtime wins, 3 shootout wins, 16 losses).
That regulation-time win was 7-3 against Tri-City (15-29-4-1) on Jan. 5.
B.C. HOCKEY LEAGUE
Penticton 3, Salmon Arm 2 (OT)
At Penticton, the Vees needed overtime to defeat the Silverbacks despite handily outshooting their nearby rivals.
Danny Weight, with the winner at 1:12 of overtime, Lukas Sillinger and Jay O’Brien scored for Penticton (40-11-1-1), which outshot the Silverbacks 36-18.
The Vees, who lead the Interior Division with 82 points, 11 more than second-place Trail (33-14-2-2), have now won nine straight games.
Logan Shaw, who opened the scoring at 2:10 of the first period, and William Poirer, who made it 2-2 at 15:57 of the third, replied for Salmon Arm (27-20-4-1).
Yaniv Perets stopped 16 shots for the Vees, with Ethan Langenegger turning aside 33 shots for the Silverbacks.
Penticton was 0-for-2 on the power play while Salmon Arm was 1-for-3.
Trail 5, West Kelowna 4
At Trail, the Smoke Eaters scored three times in the final 11 minutes to defeat the Warriors.
Kent Johnson, with a hat trick, and Philippe Lapointe, with two goals, scored for Trail (33-14-2-2), which trailed 2-0 and 3-1 at the period breaks.
In the third, though, Johnson netted his second of the night at 7:38 to make it 3-2. West Kelowna replied at 8:06, with Johnson scoring at 9:53 to draw Trail within one at 4-3.
Lapointe then scored back-to-back markers for Trail, lighting the lamp at 16:58 to make it 4-4, then at 18:29 to give the Smokies the lead.
Elan Bar Lev Wise, with two goals, Holden Kodak and Colby Elmer replied for West Kelowna (14-30-5-3).
Logan Terness stopped 31 of 35 shots for Trail, with Riley Morgan stopping 26 of 31 shots for the Warriors.
Trail was 0-for-3 on the power play while West Kelowna was 0-for-1.
Nanaimo 3, Vernon 2
At Vernon, Josh Kagan scored twice for Nanaimo as the Clippers held off the Vipers.
Liam Ryan also scored for Nanaimo (31-16-2-2), which led 2-1 and 3-1 at the period breaks despite being outshot 23-15 after 40 minutes and 28-21 overall.
Matt Kowalski, who opened the scoring just 57 seconds into the game, and Connor Marritt, who closed the scoring at 6:40 of the third, replied for Vernon (27-22-2-1).
Jordan Naylor stopped 26 of 28 shots for the Clippers, with Reilly Herbst stopping 18 of 21 shots for the Vipers.
Nanaimo was 0-for-3 on the power play while Vernon was 1-for-4.
Saturday’s Games
- No games scheduled for Okanagan and area teams.
Sunday’s Games
- West Kelowna (14-30-5-3) at Penticton (40-11-1-1), 2 p.m.
- Trail (33-14-2-2) at Vernon (27-22-2-1), 2 p.m.
KOOTENAY INTERNATIONAL JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE
Friday’s Results
- Kelowna 9, Creston Valley 3
- 100 Mile House 7, Sicamous 3
- Kimberley 7, Grand Forks 1
- Summerland 6, Princeton 5
- Revelstoke 4, North Okanagan 1
- Chase 6, Osoyoos 2
Saturday’s Games
- Kelowna (27-11-2-0-2) at Columbia Valley (22-16-2-0-4), 6 p.m.
- North Okanagan (12-23-1-0-5) at Revelstoke (35-5-1-0-3), 7 p.m.
- Chase (26-15-1-0-2) at Summerland (21-19-0-0-4), 7:30 p.m.
Sunday’s Games
- Kelowna at Golden (17-24-1-0-2), 1 p.m.
- Princeton (24-14-1-0-5) at North Okanagan, 1 p.m.
- Grand Forks (13-27-1-0-3) at Beaver Valley (27-10-2-0-4), 2 p.m.
- Kamloops (19-24-0-0-1) at Sicamous (14-28-1-0-1, 7 p.m.
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