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All went according to plan for the host West Kelowna Warriors early in Saturday’s B.C. Hockey League game against the Wenatchee Wild.
The final 56 minutes . . . not so much.
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Goals by rookie Brandon Dent just 45 seconds into the game and defenceman Spencer Hora less than three minutes later staked the Warriors to a quick 2-0 lead.
But the expected momentum failed to materialize as the Wild took advantage of miscues in the Warriors’ end to score the next three goals and establish a lead they would never relinquish in a 5-4 victory.
Nick Cafarelli turned one of many coughed-up pucks into the first Wenatchee goal at 18:17 of a first period that saw the Wild hold the territorial edge and outshoot the Wild 16-11.
The Wild wave resumed in the second period as they churned out a pair of goals — by Tyler Young (8:04) and Brett Chorske (16:57) — and fired 11 shots at Warriors goaltender Brock Baier.
While Calgary native, Austin Chorney, put the Warriors back into a tie late in the second period off a pass from Lucas Cullen, the Warriors couldn’t find the magic they had in the early stages of the game.
Wenatchee, coming off a 3-1 win against the Merritt Centennials on Friday, made it 4-2 just 2:19 into the third on Cafarelli’s second of the night while Tanner Main notched the winner with four minutes remaining with a shot from the point through traffic.
Cullen, a Kelowna minor hockey product and chosen the second star of the game for his relentless pursuit of the puck and three points on the night, got the Warriors back to within one but that’s as close as they would come.
Overall, the Wild outshot the Warriors 41-29 in handing the hosts their second straight loss on home ice to start the 2019-20 season. They had dropped a 4-2 decision to the Vernon Vipers on Friday at Royal LePage Place.
The Warriors are right back at it today beginning at 2 p.m. in Salmon Arm as they take on the itching-to-go Silverbacks, who will be playing their season opener.
Expected to ice a full lineup, the Silverbacks will be meeting a Warriors team missing injured captain and defenceman Jake Harrison, veteran forward Parm Dhaliwal and Garrett Ewart. Ryan Novecosky, who missed Saturday’s game due to a two-game suspension, is expected back for today’s game at the Shaw Centre.
Brandon West, the Warriors’ head coach and general manager, will be looking for the same kind of start against the Silverbacks as his team had on Saturday, but with a more dedicated follow-up.
“We’re going to have to manage the game much better than we did on Saturday. We need everyone to chip in in our own end to take the pressure off our overworked defence.”
Photo Gallery (65 photos) on KelownaNowSports Facebook page
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