The West Kelowna Warriors are two wins away from locking up the Fred Page Cup B.C. Hockey League championship.
The doubled the Chilliwack Chiefs 6-3 Saturday night in Chilliwack to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven league championship series.
Jonathan Desbiens scored two goals, including the gamewinner 8:35 into the third period, and also picked up an assist to lead the Warriors. They can wrap up the series at home if they win Game 3 and 4 Monday and Tuesday in West Kelowna.
Prince George minor hockey products Jake LeBrun and Liam Blackburn were both prominent on the scoresheet Saturday. LeBrun helped set up Desbiens' first goal of the game on a Warriors power play, 6:18 into the second period, then scored his third of the playoffs later in the period on another West Kelowna power play.
"This is real exciting stuff, it's definitely pretty surreal right now," said LeBrun.
"We just battled back and we were doing the right things. We're a big strong team and we're quick too, so it's hard to handle us down low if we're cycling the puck and we just did that all game and they couldn't handle it."
Blackburn picked up three assists to leave him with 21 points in 20 playoff games, tied with teammate Kyler Hope, two points behind Nanaimo's Sheldon Rempal for the BCHL playoff scoring lead. Hope also had three assists Saturday.
Chiefs' sniper Jordan Kawaguchi opened the scoring with the only goal of the first period, on a Chilliwack power play, and the teams were tied 3-3 after 40 minutes. With Connor McCarthy of the Chiefs serving a kneeing penalty, Desbiens took a pass from Blackburn and buried the puck past Aidan Pelino to give the Warriors the lead. Brett Mennear and Kyle Marino ended the suspense with two empty-net goals.
"We got a better start I think tonight and just chipped away -- it was more of a playoff game, finally, since that last round we had, that round-robin, which sort of got both teams away from rivalry hockey," said Blackburn, who has committed to a full-ride scholarship to attend the University of New Hampshire in the NCAA Division 1 next fall.
"Our team is built for seven-game series. We're big and strong and we've got some skill so we usually look to just wear teams down as the series goes on."
All but two players on the Warrior roster are 19 or older.
Nicholas Rutigliano also found the net for the Warriors. Aaron McNeill and Ryan Forbes were the other Chilliwack goalscorers. West Kelowna's power play went 3-for-6, while the Chiefs were 1-for-3.
Blackburn plays left wing on a line with Garrett Forster and Quinn Foreman. In his third BCHL season, Blackburn finished with 27 goals and 74 points in 58 regular season games.
"We have a couple guys who are hot, scoring lots of goals right now and you sort of just put the puck on their sticks and they do their thing right now," said Blackburn. "I've always been lined up with good guys and luckily they're finishing on most of them. We have lots of confidence going back home now."
The Warriors posted a 20-7-1-1 home record during the regular season and are 6-3 in their home rink in the playoffs.
West Kelowna goalie Matthew Greenfield made 23 saves as the Warriors outshot Chilliwack 33-26. The Warriors won Game 1 of the series 2-0 Friday in Chilliwack.
LeBrun joined the Warriors at the Jan. 10 trade deadline in a deal with the Prince George Spruce Kings. The Kings sent 20-year-old forwards LeBrun and Bryan Basilico to the Warriors for 18-year forward Tanner Campbell and future considerations. At the time, LeBrun was still recovering from an injury he suffered in mid-November.
"I can't give enough thanks to that (Spruce Kings) organization for giving me this opportunity," said LeBrun, who plays on a line with Jared Marino and Reed Gunville. "With my broken collar bone, if I hadn't gotten traded I probably would have retired right then and there. This is something I didn't see in my future at the time and it's pretty awesome to be here. We have a great group of guys and it feels like a family, everyone is close and they took me in right away.
"We're a really deep team with four good lines that can go so I'm not playing as big of a role as I did in P.G., but we're winning."
LeBrun returned to the ice with the Warriors in mid-February.
"Jake has been a great add-on for us, with his size and his shot, put him on the power play and he's scored a few key goals for us and thrown a lot of big hits, he's been a good role player for us," said Blackburn.
If Game 5 is needed it would be played Friday in Chiliwack, with Game 6 set for Saturday in West Kelowna and a seventh game, if needed, next Sunday in Chilliwack.
The BCHL champion will advance to the Crescent Point Energy Western Canada Cup in Estevan, Sask., April 29-May 8. The five-team-tournament will include the league champions from B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba and the host Estevan Bruins.
The two finalists will advance to the RBC Cup national championship tournament in Lloydminster, Sask., May 14-22.
