Peachland is the only B.C. community to sport an unblemished record in the B.C. Hockey League.
The Warriors donned peach-coloured Peachland Warriors uniforms is what team president Chris Laurie expects to be a yearly event Saturday night in West Kelowna.
They didn't disappoint. Before 1,216 fans, their largest crowd of the season, the Warriors played a complete 60-minute game, beating the visiting Prince George Spruce Kings 5-0 in a key four pointer with huge playoff ramifications.
Justin Katz, seeing his first action in two weeks, turned away all 36 shots he faced, earning his fourth win in a row and second goose egg of the season to lead the Warriors to the victory.
Katz was particularly sharp in the second period, making three huge pad saves from in close when the Warriors were clinging to a 1-0 lead and the Spruce Kings were carrying much of play.
The 17-year-old has seen action in 18 of the team's 46 games, playing backup to Johnny Derrick, but has given the team a chance to win almost every time he has been called upon, including games with playoff implications like Saturday’s.
“We know he can play. We see him practice every day, we see the way he prepares, and we're happy he's with us,” said Warriors head coach Simon Ferguson.
“He competes and battles in the net every time he's in there. He's beaten Salmon Arm, Penticton and Prince George, the three top teams in our division. We have a real formidable backup who is pushing for more.”
John Evans and Tyler Rubin drove the offence on a night when Ferguson said the veterans really stepped up in a big way.
Evans had a goal and two assists while Rubin chipped in with three assists while also logging a lot of minutes on the back end.
But, it was Peachland resident Chase Dafoe who honoured his adopted hometown with what would prove to be the game winner just shy of the midway point of the first period.
Dafoe wristed home a one-timer from the left faceoff circle on a pretty three-way passing play with Rubin and Evans.
After the Spruce Kings peppered Katz with shot after shot during a 19-shot onslaught in the middle frame, captain Elan Bar-Lev-Wise, on a late power play stemmed the tide and gave the Warriors some breathing room tipping home a perfect back door pass from Tyson Jugnauth with less than two minutes to go in the period.
Evans 13th just 63 seconds into the third on a delayed penalty with Katz on the bench for an extra attacker upped the lead to three before late goals from Tyler Cristall and Christophe Farmer on another power play sealed the victory.
The Warriors were two for three with the man advantage although Evans goal, with an extra man on the ice, was just as good as a power play marker.
“Over the course of the season there are times when you are hard on your leadership, and you have to give credit to that leadership because I thought they stepped up,” said Ferguson.
“You saw it with our changes and the offensive zone. Unselfish plays, and doing things that contribute to winning and contribute to your personal and individual success.”
The win Saturday, the Warriors second in as many nights, keeps them ahead of the Spruce Kings in winning percentage, which the league is using to determine overall standings.
So, despite being two points behind the Spruce Kings (25-24-3-8-0, 610 winning percentage), the Warriors (29-16-1-0-0, .641), who have played four fewer games, hold onto third place in the Interior Division with a better winning percentage.
Prince George failed to gain a point in a three-game roadtrip which started Wednesday in Vernon with a 2-0 loss to the Vipers. The Spruce Kings also lost 3-2 to the Penticton Vees on Friday and have now lost seven straight games.
The Kings have four games left in the season, all at home. They’ll host Vernon on Friday and West Kelowna on Saturday at Rolling Mix Concrete Arena.
with files from The Citizen
