The West Kelowna Warriors prevailed 4-1 over the Vernon Vipers in their return to B.C. Hockey League action Friday night.
The Warriors struck early after an errant Vipers pass deflected off forward Elan Bar-lev Wise and past goaltender Kobe Grant just 10 seconds into the game. The Snakes responded 14 minutes later with a 5-on-3 powerplay goal from Ryan Shostak.
The forward’s goal would be the only one to beat Warriors goaltender Johnny Derrick, who stopped 29 of 30 pucks sent his way. Second-period goals from Felix Trudeau and Deegan Mofford put the Warriors 3-1. The first came from a lovely set-up by Charles Alexis Legault, while Mofford jammed home a rebound to extend the lead.
Trudeau capped off his night with an empty-netter in the game’s final seconds.
The teams are part of the two-month Okanagan Cup along with the Penticton Vees and the Salmon Arm Silverbacks. The tournament will see the four teams play six sets of back-to-back games until the weekend of Nov. 7, followed by a weekend of semi-final action and a championship game on Nov. 14.
The Vipers don’t have to wait long for a shot at redemption as the teams take to the ice Saturday night at 6 p.m. at Vernon’s Kal Tire Place.
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