Sunday 6 March 2016

Game 2 vs SA RECAP

The West Kelowna Warriors got strong goaltending from Matthew Greenfield and an overtime goal from Kylar Hope as they evened up their round one series with Salmon Arm at a game apiece with a 2-1 victory on Saturday night.

This game had a different feeling from the beginning, as there was more flow, better passing, and some great goaltending. The two masked men were each out to prove that last night was an anomaly, and they did so throughout the hockey game.

While the shot totals were a lot less than last night, the quality of opportunities felt like they were much higher. There were less scrambles in front of the goals, and a few more chances from the rush. It will be interesting to see how the scoring chances break down when the video is analyzed.

Jonathan Desbiens got the Warriors on the board but it was Quin Foreman's play that stood out tonight. Foreman fed Desbiens for the finish on a 2 on 1, as the smooth skaters found their way into the offensive zone and got the crowd behind West Kelowna in the opening frame.

Jump to the third period for the next goal, and its a tying goal from Ross Heidt, his second of the series as he converted a one-timer from the circle just as a Warriors penalty had expired, meaning the Salmon Arm PP technically did not score tonight.

Once again through 60 minutes the game was deadlocked, but that was due to the goaltenders. Throughout the night, each netminder made some big saves, including Angus Redmond with a pair of spectacular saves back to back in the second period. Matthew Greenfield made a big glove save as well in the third, plus a solid save through a screen in overtime.

Speaking of overtime, the Warriors did nothing on 1:04 of power play time to begin the frame, and to have the Silverbacks get a full two minute advantage had the faithful collectively holding their breath. A huge round of applause went up as the Warriors killed it off and just a minute later Kylar Hope picked up the puck and brought it in over the Silverbacks line, firing one towards the goal. His initial shot hit a defenseman, but Hope wasted no time firing it once again and beating Redmond to the glove side, as the Warriors poured over the boards to celebrate the victory.


Game Thoughts (from the box)

  • Complete reversal from last nights 3 hours, 40 minute struggle to find a winner with all the whistles and stoppages and that fun stuff. Tonight's game on the game clock was five or so minutes shorter, but played in just under three hours. Good speed, good passing, and some great end to end flow occurred throughout the night and was definitely fun to watch. 
  • Matthew Greenfield felt he owed his teammates from last night as they scored five but didn't win. He made up for it with some great play tonight, but a big tip of the cap to Angus Redmond as well. Each night the game came down to one goal, but this time the Warriors were on the winning side of things. Redmond was the storyline for Salmon Arm, and probably deserving of the second star.
  • Quin Foreman got some more ice time tonight and he was impressive. I like the way he battles on the wall and just seems to always find loose pucks. He picked up an assist on Desbiens goal in the first, and was good all night. I see why Dartmouth has committed to him already.
  • Special Teams were important tonight once again, and overall in this series its the Penalty Kill numbers you talk about. West Kelowna was 7/7 on the PK tonight, and 10/11 in the series, while the Silverbacks killed off 8/9 in the first two games. West Kelowna had the shot blocks working tonight on the PK and helped Greenfield out throughout the night.
  • Game 3 on Monday will more than likely be another great game in this series, as the Silverbacks fans are always loud and passionate and will be supporting their team with pride at the Shaw Centre. Look for a Game 3 Preview Monday mid-day. 

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