West Kelowna Warriors outshoot visiting Smoke Eaters

WEST KELOWNA – Fifteen goals on 74 shots. That's what the final number comes down to when looking at the Trail Smoke Eaters 8-7 overtime win over the West Kelowna Warriors on Friday, Feb. 13.

The Warriors, who sit in fifth place and are trying to track down either Salmon Arm or Merritt, started strong as Jason Cotton scored just 18 seconds into the game.

There wasn't any other scoring in a rather tame first period until Tyler Kunz redirected a puck past Smoke Eaters goalie Brett Clark at 17:58 to make it 2-0.

Early on in the second period it looked like the wheels had come off for the Warriors, allowing four goals in 5:32 on just seven shots.

Craig Martin scored a pair, while Harlan Orr, and Jake Lucchini added the others.

The Warriors would pull themselves within one on a beauty from Rylan Yaremko late in the frame as he went top shelf off the rush for his seond of the season.

Then the fun started.

Trail would score 12 seconds into the third period when Lucchini picked up his second goal of the night.

Kylar Hope and Brett Mennear scored 56 seconds apart for West Kelowna to tie the game up at five each. The Mennear goal banked in from a pass in the corner while Clark was trying to move Josh Bly away from the front of the goal.

The Smoke Eaters picked up a power-play marker at 10:31 courtesy of Ryan Swanson, before Andrew Johnson tied it at six all on a beautiful three-on-two with Tanner Campbell and Jonathan Desbiens.

Trail wouldn't go away as they made it 7-6 just 55 seconds after the Johnson goal, before Cotton got his second of the night with Scott Patton on the bench at 18:52.

Overtime wouldn't take long, as Dallas Calvin of the Smoke Eaters worked in on the right side and beat Patton for the game winner just 39 seconds in.

With the overtime loss, the Warriors sit two points behind both the Silverbacks and the Centennials. They will entertain the Nanaimo Clippers, who lost 4-2 to Penticton Friday, on Sunday, Feb. 15 at 2:30 p.m at Royal LePage Place.