Warriors see split result in first two games of pre-season

The pre-campaign began in earnest on Friday night at Kal Tire Place in Vernon, as the Warriors found themselves in what seemed like a bit of a defensive duel for the first 15 minutes or so, before Luciano Bruno opened the scoring in the dying minutes of the opening frame.  The story of Friday's game was the immediate chemistry of Bruno, Dylan Krayer, and Frankie D'Ancona, as the line ended up connecting on three of West Kelowna's four goals on Friday.  Krayer finished the night with a goal and two assists, Bruno a goal and an assist, and two assists for D'Ancona.  Between the pipes was Ayo Ogini, out of Surrey.  In his first taste of BCHL (preseason) action, Ogini was perfect, stopping all 30 shots in a 4-0 Warriors victory.

Saturday's matchup in Cranbrook was not the same ideal outing that the Warriors saw in Vernon.  The Bucks, coming off of a 12-2 loss on Wednesday night, came into the game against the Warriors with something to prove.  Cranbrook was able to take advantage of the tired bus legs on the Warriors, find their way to the "nitty-gritty" areas, and capitalized on their chances, taking down West Kelowna 6-3.  In his return to the Warriors lineup, 2024 NHL Draft Pick Jack Pridham picked up where he left off in the playoffs, registering a hat trick, with all three goals coming in the second period.  Between the pipes, it was the first time in a Warriors jersey for Zack Ferris, who stopped 31 of the 35 shots he faced in his preseason debut.  Ferris had a much better outing than the stats will show, as he was victim to some sloppy defensive zone coverage in the second period, leading to three Cranbrook goals.

The Warriors now return home for the remainder of the preseason, welcoming the Penticton Vees to Royal LePage Place on Friday night at 7:00, and then wrapping up the exhibition schedule with a 2:30 matinee against the Salmon Arm Silverbacks.