A roundup of junior hockey results from the Okanagan and area.
WESTERN HOCKEY LEAGUE
An old sports adage proved truthful yet again on Friday night: 2-0 is the worst lead in hockey.
In Seattle, the Kelowna Rockets squandered a 2-0 lead in a 3-2 loss to the Thunderbirds in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series.
Dylan Guenther netted two goals for Seattle and Reid Schaefer scored another; the team trailed 1-0 after the first period and 2-1 eight minutes into the second.
Guenther made it 2-1 just before the second period ended, burying a rebound, then levelled the score at 3:22 of the third, roofing a cross-ice feed from the bottom of the left faceoff circle.
Two minutes later, Schaefer got the game-winner at 5:53, jamming in a shot from atop the crease on the power play.
Jackson DeSouza, with a shot from the blue-line that went top shelf, glove-side, and Caden Price, with a power-play goal from the high slot, replied for Kelowna. The Rockets were outshot 39-25.
Thomas Milic, who backstopped Canada to gold at the world juniors, turned aside 23 shots for the T-Birds. Jari Kykkanen stopped 36 shots for the Rockets.
Both teams were 1-for-3 on the power play.
The two teams resume their best-of-seven series in Kent, Wash., on Saturday night with Game 2. Kelowna will host Game 3 and Game 4 on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Elsewhere on Friday night, Kamloops blasted Vancouver 8-0, as the Blazers took a 1-0 series lead in outshooting the Giants 53-15.
Captain Logan Stankoven had a hat trick and two assists while Olen Zellweger had four assists. The attendance was 4,851 – below their season average of 4,902 and the Sandman Centre’s sellout capacity of 5,464.
And in Saskatoon, a crowd of 10,265 came out to watch Connor Bedard show.
The phenom from North Vancouver had two goals and an assist as sixth-seeded Regina stunned the third-seeded Blades 6-1.
This is Bedard’s third season in the WHL, and likely his last, yet Friday’s game was his first playoff appearance. Regina failed to make the playoffs last year, while the 2020-21 season was shortened and had no playoffs.
Friday’s results
- Regina 6, Saskatoon 1
- Moose Jaw 2, Lethbridge 1
- Red Deer 3, Calgary 0
- Winnipeg 5, Medicine Hat 3
- Portland 4, Everett 3
- Tri-City 6, Prince George 4
- Kamloops 8, Vancouver 0
Saturday’s games (all times PT)
- Medicine Hat at Winnipeg, 4:05 p.m.
- Lethbridge at Moose Jaw, 6 p.m.
- Calgary at Red Deer, 6 p.m.
- Everett at Portland, 6 p.m.
- Tri-City at Prince George, 6 p.m.
- Kelowna at Seattle, 6:05 p.m.
- Vancouver at Kamloops, 7 p.m.
Sunday’s game (all times PT)
- Regina at Saskatoon, 3 p.m.
B.C. HOCKEY LEAGUE
In Penticton, the defending league champions opened the playoffs on a strong note by dismantling the Smoke Eaters Friday night.
Bradly Nadeau, with four goals, Brett Moravec, Dovar Tinling and Spencer Smith scored for Penticton, which led 3-1 and 5-2 at the period breaks and outshot Trail 45-19 in this lopsided one-versus-eight matchup.
Adam Marshall, midway through the first to make it 2-1, and Ethan Mann, early in the second to make it 3-2, replied for Trail.
Luca Di Pasquo stopped 17 shots for the Vees, with Teagan Kendrick making 37 saves for the Smoke Eaters.
Penticton was 1-for-3 on the power play while Trail was 1-for-2.
The two teams will play Game 2 in Penticton Saturday night.
Not surprisingly, these two Okanagan rivals continued their season-long tradition of close games, with the Warriors coming out on top and taking a 1-0 playoff series lead Friday night.
At West Kelowna, Christopher Duclair scored what stood up as the winning goal early in the third as the Warriors edged the Vipers.
Just two points separated West Kelowna (28-20-6-0, 62 points) and Vernon (27-21-2-4, 60 points) during the regular season. And in five regular-season games, four were decided by one goal and all four had the same score: 4-3.
Brennan Nelson, Jaiden Moriello and Nic Porchetta also scored for West Kelowna, which led 3-2 after two periods following a 1-1 tie after 20 minutes.
Lee Parks, Griffen Barr and Hank Cleaves replied for Vernon, which outshot West Kelowna 28-23.
Cayden Hamming made 25 saves for the Warriors, with Roan Clarke turning aside 18 shots for the Vipers. West Kelowna was 1-for-3 on the power play while Vernon was 1-for-4.
The Warriors host Game 2 Saturday night.
At Salmon Arm, Isaac Lambert scored the game-winning goal early in the third period as the Silverbacks won Game 1 Friday night.
Ethan Ullrick also scored for Salmon Arm, which will host Game 2 Saturday night. John Herrington replied for Prince George midway through the second to make it 1-1.
Both teams were 0-for-3 on the power play, with both squads also firing 35 shots on net.
Matthew Tovell made 35 saves for the Silverbacks, with Jordan Fairlie stopping 33 shots for the Spruce Kings.
Friday’s results
- Cranbrook 3, Wenatchee 1
- Alberni Valley 7, Victoria 5
- Chilliwack 4, Coquitlam 1
- Nanaimo 4, Langley 0
- Surrey 4, Powell River 0
Saturday’s games (all times PT)
- Prince George at Salmon Arm, 6 p.m.
- Powell River at Surrey, 6 p.m.
- Wenatchee at Cranbrook, 6 p.m.
- Victoria at Alberni Valley, 7 p.m.
- Chilliwack at Coquitlam, 7 p.m.
- Langley at Nanaimo, 7 p.m.
- Trail at Penticton, 7 p.m.
- Vernon at West Kelowna, 7 p.m.
Sunday’s games
- No games scheduled
KOOTENAY INTERNATIONAL JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE
PLAYOFFS: LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP
Friday’s results
- Princeton 6, Kimberley 3
- (Princeton leads series 1-0)
Saturday’s game (all times PT)
- Kimberley at Princeton, 7 p.m.
Sunday’s games
- No games scheduled
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