Warriors blitz Express at Showcase

CHILLIWACK — The West Kelowna Warriors opened their Bauer BCHL Showcase with an offensive outburst as they tallied seven goals in a 7-2 victory over the Coquitlam Express on Wednesday night at Prospera Centre.

Despite the score line, the Express opened the scoring. Left alone in front of the net, Josh Wildauer put in a blocker side shot on Warriors netminder Nik Amundrud at 7:56 of the Àrst period. That would be the only time the Express had the lead.

The Warriors started their seven-unanswered goal stretch when Matt Kowalski scored a beauty that tied the game at the 17:11. The 18-year-old forward sped down right wing, dangled through a defender’s legs, then sniped over the gloveside shoulder of Express goaltender Reid Cooper. It was his Àfth goal of the season.

West Kelowna grabbed its Àrst lead at 1:59 of the second when Stephen Kleysen’s shot from the left point found its way through trafÀc and beat Cooper on the glove side.

Willie Reim found the back of the net for his Àrst BCHL goal at 9:48, as he Ànished off a passing play between Jordan Todd and Max Bulawka, with Reim Ànishing off the play on the glove side to make it 3-1.

The Warriors pushed their lead to 4-1 at 14:36 of the middle stanza stemming from two terriÀc passes and capped off by Chase Stevenson. Parm Dhaliwal tipped the puck free to an open Kowalski, who then sauced the puck to the slot for a skating Stevenson to tuck in for his second goal of the season and a three-goal lead for West Kelowna.

Three more goals were added in the third for the Warriors, starting with Max Bulawka’s Àrst BCHL tally, as he tipped in a Michael Ryan shot from right wing for a 5-1 lead at 3:12.

Matt Campese also potted his Àrst goal of the season in this game, as he banged away a loose puck off a scramble on the power play, scoring at 5:54 to push the Warriors’ lead to 6-1.

Jared Marino capped the scoring for West Kelowna at 10:19, as his shot from the edge of the left face-off circle found the back of the net for his second goal of the season.

Haydn Delorme scored his Àrst BCHL goal for Coquitlam off a Warriors turnover at 15:24 to close out the scoring.

Amundrud stopped 32 of 34 shots for West Kelowna, while Cooper stopped 45 of 52 shots for Coquitlam.

Shots on goal: 52-34 for West Kelowna. Power play: West Kelowna, 2-for-3; Coquitlam, 0-for-3. 3 Stars: 1. Parm Dhaliwal (0g, 3a) 2. Matt Kowalski (1g 1a) 3. Matthew Campese (1g, 1a) Fortis Energy Player of the Game: Jared Marino (1g, 1a)

The Warriors (3-1-0-0) Ànished their portion of the Bauer BCHL Showcase on Thursday evening as they took on the Cowichan Valley Capitals.