Jonathan Desbiens scored his 10th goal of the season in the final minute of overtime as the West Kelowna Warriors edged the host Salmon Arm Silverbacks 5-4 in B.C. Hockey League play on Friday.
The Warriors’ Liam Blackburn won a faceoff inside the Salmon Arm zone and got the puck to Desbiens, who wired home a quick wrister past the Silverbacks’ Angus Redmond.
It was a roller-coaster win for the Warriors, who trailed 2-1 after the first period and led 4-2 going into the third at the Shaw Centre in Salmon Arm. A pair of powerplay goals, by Nick Hutchison and Colton Thibault, pulled the Silverbacks even in the final frame.
Warriors' homegrown defenceman, Jake Harrison, scored his third goal of the season to open the game’s scoring on a PP, but Mitch Newsome and Hutchison, with his first of two goals, put the hosts in the lead after 20 minutes.
The Warriors controlled the middle period, with Kyle Marino, Kylar Hope and Brett Mennear scoring unanswered goals, the latter two both coming while West Kelowna was killing penalties.
Keelan Williams, playing in his first game for the Warriors since being acquired from the Camrose Kodiaks of the Alberta Junior Hockey League, claimed the goaltending win, stopping 31 of 35 shots. Redmond faced 36 West Kelowna shots.
The win improved the Warriors’ third-place record in the Interior Division to 10-5-0-2 and moved them to within three points of the Silverbacks. They’re three points up on the Vernon Vipers, who have played two more games.
The Warriors and Silverbacks will meet again on Saturday, this time at Royal LePage Place in West Kelowna (7 p.m.) where fans wearing a costume will be admitted free. Candy will be handed out to the children attending.
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