(Photo Credit: Greystoke Photography)
After a strong start by the Merritt Centennials, the West Kelowna Warriors just couldn't bring it back.
On Friday night, the Warriors faced their third time in four games of being down 3-0 in the first period. The scoring opened up at 6:53 in the first with a goal from Michael Ederer. This was soon followed by a power-play goal by John Schiavo to make it 2-0 in the first 13 minutes, with Warriors starting goalie Andy Desautels being replaced with Stephen Heslop.
The Warriors' luck didn't change, however, with Colin Granny getting yet another goal in nearly the same spot for a 3-0 lead. Fighting back, Josh Bly used a wrister with an assist from Hunter Zandee to get West Kelowna on the board for a 3-1 first period.
(Photo Credit: Greystoke Photography)
The Warriors kept up their energy early in the second with Jonathan Desbiens snapping in a goal to make it 3-2. That's where the Centennials began to pull away, however, starting with Liam Blackburn getting a stick to the neck area. Blackburn stayed on the bench for the rest of the second and then returned in the third.
The Centennials kept tight control of play, with Rhett Wilcox increasing their lead at 17:06 in the second for 4-2. The third was a tight battle, with the Warriors getting in some tough plays before the game turned for the Centennials halfway through. Merritt then scored three times, with two goals from Stephan Seeger and one from Josh Kobelka for a 7-2 lead.
(Photo Credit: Greystoke Photography)
Tensions were running high at 6-2, with Brayden Gelsinger trying to start a fight with Wilcox. Wilcox wasn't having it, and after Gelsinger dropped the gloves, he got four minutes for roughing and a misconduct. Wilcox sat for tw, and the Warriors had a last redeeming goal in the final ten seconds to make it 7-3.
The Centennials and the Warriors will match up again on Saturday night in West Kelowna, with the Warriors aiming to end a five-game losing streak. Currently, the Warriors are two points above Salmon Arm for the final playoff spot.
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