Read below a round-up of junior hockey results from the Okanagan and area.
WESTERN HOCKEY LEAGUE
Two days after scoring an overtime victory to keep their playoffs alive, the Kelowna Rockets were erased from the WHL’s postseason on Friday night in overtime.
At Kent, Wash., six-foot-nine forward Matthew Rempe scored the game and series-clinching goal for Seattle as the Thunderbirds beat the Rockets 4-3.
Rempe’s marker, his second of the night and third of the playoffs, gave Seattle a 4-1 series victory over Kelowna. The T-Birds handily won the first three games, with the Rockets scoring a 3-2 overtime victory in Game 4 on Wednesday.
Jared Davidson and Jordan Gustafson also scored for Seattle, which led 3-1 halfway through the third period, only to have Kelowna level the score with two goals in 10 seconds during the 12-minute mark.
Nolan Flamand, who opened the game’s scoring at 5:09 of the second, Jake Lee, at 12:24 of the third, and Gabriel Szturc, at 12:34 of the third, scored for Kelowna.
Rempe, from Calgary, netted the game winner 1:20 in overtime — a wrist shot from the right faceoff circle during a two-on-one. Rockets goaltender Talyn Boyko got a piece of the shot, but the puck skipped off and went in.
Boyko finished with 40 saves on 44 shots. For Seattle, Thomas Milic stopped 18 of 21 shots.
Kelowna was 1-for-3 on the power play while Seattle was 0-for-2.
In other WHL first-round playoff action from Friday night, Logan Stankoven scored a natural hat trick, with a goal in every period, as the Kamloops Blazers blanked the Spokane Chiefs 3-0 to sweep the series 4-0.
Kamloops outshot Spokane 45-20. During the series, the Blazers outscored the Chiefs 23-3 and posted two shutout wins.
Elsewhere, the Vancouver Giants levelled their series with the Everett Silvertips at 2-2 following a wild 11-6 home-ice win.
https://whl.ca/gamecentre/1018487/boxscore
Zack Ostapchuk had a six-point night with two goals and four assists for Vancouver, while Jacob Wright had four points for Everett with a hat trick and an assist.
Friday results
- Moose Jaw 6, Saskatoon 3
- (Moose Jaw wins series 4-1)
- Red Deer 3, Brandon 1
- (Red Deer leads series 3-2)
- Winnipeg 8, Prince Albert 2
- (Winnipeg wins series 4-1)
- Vancouver 11, Everett 6
- (Series tied 2-2)
- Kamloops 3, Spokane 0
- (Kamloops wins series 4-0)
Saturday’s games (all times PT)
- Vancouver at Everett, 6:05 p.m.
Sunday’s games
- Red Deer at Brandon, 3 p.m.
B.C. HOCKEY LEAGUE
The Penticton Vees showed on Friday night why they’re seen as the top team in this season’s BCHL playoffs.
In Game 1 of the Interior Conference final, the Vees pummeled West Kelowna 8-1, outshooting the Warriors 43-22.
Following a scoreless first period, the Vees opened the goal floodgates in the second, torching the Warriors six times before the frame ended, including two in the first two minutes.
Jackson Nieuwendyk, with a hat trick, Thomas Pichette, with two goals, Luc Wilson, Bradly Nadeau and Josh Nadeau scored for Penticton.
John Evans, with his eighth goal of the playoffs at 9:00 of the second to make it 3-1, replied for West Kelowna.
Kaeden Lane stopped 21 of 22 shots for Penticton. For West Kelowna, starter Johnny Derrick turned aside 19 of 25 shots before being pulled late in the second. Justin Katz stopped 16 of 18 shots in relief.
Both teams were 0-for-4 on the power play. Notably, the Vees netted a pair of shorthanded goals, with Evans’ marker for West Kelowna also coming while his team was shorthanded.
Attendance at the South Okanagan Events Centre was 3,711.
Game 2 of the best-of-seven series between the Vees and Warriors goes Saturday night in Penticton at 7 p.m., with Games 3 and 4 set for West Kelowna on Monday and Wednesday.
Penticton advanced to the Interior final by dispatching Trail 4-1 in the first round, then Prince George 4-0 in the second round.
West Kelowna advanced to the Interior final by dumping Vernon 4-1 in the first round, then defeating Salmon Arm 4-1 in the second round.
The Vees finished with the league’s best regular-season record, with 43 wins and 89 points. Salmon Arm had the second-best record with 36 wins and 78 points.
Meanwhile, West Kelowna had the league’s third-best record with 37 wins and 75 points.
In other BCHL action, the Nanaimo Clippers blanked the Langley Rivermen 4-0 on Friday night to take a 1-0 lead in the Coastal Conference final.
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