The West Kelowna Warriors great start led to a 3-0 shutout win over the host Alberni Valley Bulldogs on Thursday night.
After two rough starts in a row on Vancouver Island that lead to losses against Victoria and Nanaimo earlier this week, the Warriors got on the board early after Tyler Cristall beat Luke Pearson to make it 1-0 in the first period.
As it turned out, that was all the scoring they needed, but the Warriors were not done.
The new look line of Levi Stauber, Ryan Upson and Holden Kodak went to work with Upson finding Stauber, who made no mistake beating Pearson to give the Warriors a 2-0 lead after one period.
In the second frame the Bulldogs came out strong with a couple quick scoring chances but Johnny Derrick stood tall keeping it 2-0.
The Warriors got back on track and Jacob Brockman fired from the point and Deegan Mofford collected the rebound to give the Warriors a 3-0 lead after two periods.
READ MORE: West Kelowna Warriors look to snap losing streak against Port Alberni
The Warriors got into penalty trouble late in the second and the Bulldogs started the third with a two-man advantage.
The turning point of the night was the Warriors killing off that advantage after stellar play from Carter Wilke, who iced the puck twice.
The Warriors relied on Derrick the rest of the way, keeping Port Alberni scoreless.
He made 25 saves, giving the Warriors a much needed two points in the BCHL standings.
The win put the Warriors three points back of Victoria Grizzlies and only one point back behind Prince George Spruce Kings.
The Warriors next game is Saturday, Feb. 1, against the Spruce Kings. Puck drop 6 p.m., at Royal LePage Place in West Kelowna.
The game will be streamed on Hockey TV and will be broadcast on the Warriors radio network on Mixlr.
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