WESTERN HOCKEY LEAGUE
Colton Dach scored twice for Kelowna as the Rockets handed the Blazers their first loss of the season on Friday night.
Max Graham and Elias Carmichael also scored for Kelowna (2-1-0-0), which led 1-0 after the first period and 2-0 after 40 minutes.
Josh Pillar and Viktor Persson, with back-to-back goals in a two-and-a-half-minute span early in the third, replied for Kamloops (4-1-0-0).
Colby Knight, in his first start for Kelowna after being acquired from the Edmonton Oil Kings earlier in the week, stopped 29 shots for the Rockets. Dylan Garand turned aside 23 of 26 shots for the Blazers.
Kelowna was 1-for-2 on the power play, while Kamloops was 0-4.
Dach opened the scoring at 7:47 of the first period, with Graham making it 2-0 just 36 seconds into the second.
In the third, Pillar made it 2-1 at 2:56, with Persson levelling the score with a shorthanded marker at 5:33.
However, Dach restored Kelowna’s lead with a power-play goal at 12:13, with Carmichael closing out the scoring with an empty-net goal at 19:20.
The game was Kelowna’s home opener. It was also the Rockets’ first regular-season game in front of the Prospera Place faithful since March 2020 when the league shut down all activity because of COVID-19.
Last season, the league played a pod format without any fans in attendance.
The attendance for Friday’s game was capped at 50 per cent capacity, with a crowd of 3,400.
Friday’s Results
- Everett 5, Seattle 4
- Spokane 3, Tri-City 0
- Edmonton 4, Lethbridge 0
- Moose Jaw 4, Prince Albert 1
- Winnipeg 4, Regina 2
- Saskatoon 2, Medicine Hat 0
- Red Deer 8, Calgary 1
Saturday’s Games
- Calgary at Red Deer, noon
- Swift Current at Brandon, 6 p.m.
- Saskatoon at Moose jaw, 6 p.m.
- Medicine Hat at Prince Albert, 6 p.m.
- Tri-City at Portland, 6 p.m.
- Seattle at Everett, 6:05 p.m.
- Victoria at Prince George, 7 p.m.
- Kamloops at Vancouver, 7 p.m.
- Regina at Winnipeg, 7 p.m.
Sunday’s Games
- Victoria at Prince George, 2 p.m.
- Red Deer at Edmonton, 3 p.m.
- Swift Current at Winnipeg, 4 p.m.
B.C. HOCKEY LEAGUE
At Cranbrook, it was scoring by committee for West Kelowna as the Warriors rolled past the Bucks.
Zach Reim, Alexi Van Houtte-Cachero, Elan Bar Lev Wise and Tyler Cristall scored for West Kelowna (3-0-0-0-0) — with all four goals coming in the second period, and the last three happening in an incredible 29-second span.
After Cranbrook opened the scoring early in the first period, Reim levelled the score at 11:54 of the second. Van Houtte-Cachero pushed West Kelowna into the lead at 16:23, with Bar Lev Wise making it 3-1 at 16:36 and Cristall closing out the scoring at 16:52.
Noah Quinn scored the lone goal for Cranbrook (1-2-0-0-0).
West Kelowna outshot Cranbrook 41-37. Johnny Derrick stopped 36 shots for the Warriors, with Nathan Airey turning aside 37 shots.
West Kelowna was 0-for-4 on the power play, with Cranbrook going 0-for-2.
Penticton 4, Trail 3
At Penticton, Luc Wilson scored the game-winning goal in overtime as the Vees edged the visiting Smoke Eaters in a back-and-forth contest.
Stefano Bottini, Bradley Nadeau and Josh Nadeau scored in regulation time for Penticton (3-0-0-0-0), which led 2-1 after the first period, but trailed 3-2 early in the third.
Teddy Lagerback, Garrett Valk and Zach Michaelis scored for Trail (1-2-1-0-0), which was outshot 54-28, including 16-2 in the middle frame, but pushed the undefeated Vees.
Kaeden Lane made 25 saves for Penticton, with Evan Fradette stopping 50 shots for the Smoke Eaters.
Penticton was 0-for-5 on the power play while Trail was 0-for-6.
The game was played before a South Okanagan Events Centre crowd of 2,486.
Salmon Arm 4, Vernon 2
At Salmon Arm, Simon Tassy tallied a hat trick, including the game-opening goal just 87 seconds after the opening faceoff, in leading the Silverbacks over the Vipers.
Brandon Santa Juana also scored for Salmon Arm (2-0-0-0-0), which led 3-1 after 40 minutes. The game was tied 1-1 after the first period.
JoJo Tanaka-Campbell had the lone goal for Vernon (0-2-0-0-0), with his goal coming at 5:25 to make it 1-1.
Owen Say stopped 20 of 22 shots for the Silverbacks, with Roan Clarke turning aside 27 of 31 shots for the Vipers.
Salmon Arm didn’t have a power play while Vernon was 0-for-1.
Friday’s Results
- Victoria 3, Alberni Valley 2 (OT)
- Chilliwack 5, Coquitlam 2
- Nanaimo 8, Powell River 1
- Prince George 6, Merritt 3
Saturday’s Games
- Salmon Arm at Vernon, 6 p.m.
- West Kelowna at Cranbrook, 6 p.m.
- Victoria at Cowichan Valley, 7 p.m.
- Powell River at Nanaimo, 7 p.m.
- Merritt at Prince George, 7 p.m.
- Wenatchee at Trail, 7 p.m.
- Chilliwack at Langley, 7:15 p.m.
- Coquitlam at Surrey, 7:15 p.m.
Sunday’s Games
- Langley at Surrey, 4 p.m.
- Cowichan Valley at Alberni Valey, 6 p.m.
KOOTENAY INTERNATIONAL JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE
Friday’s Results
- Fernie 1, Kimberley 0
- Columbia Valley 4, Creston Valley 3
- Kelowna 3, Kamloops 1
- Revelstoke 3, Princeton 0
- Chase 3, 100 Mile House 1
- Golden 3, Grand Forks 1
- Beaver Valley 8, Castlegar 4
- North Okanagan 3, Osoyoos 2
Saturday’s Games
- Fernie at Columbia Valley 6 p.m.
- Beaver Valley at Kimberley, 6 p.m.
- Golden at Nelson, 7 p.m.
- Kelowna at 100 Mile House, 7 p.m.
- Kamloops at Princeton, 7 p.m.
- Chase at Summerland, 7:30 p.m.
- Revelstoke at Osoyoos, 7:35 p.m.
Sunday’s Game
- Summerland at North Okanagan, 12:45 p.m.
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