Jack Pridham scored a hat trick while Trent Wilson and Cal Hughes each had four points as the West Kelowna Warriors opened the BCHL Playoffs with an 8-2 win over the Cranbrook Bucks at Royal LePage Place on Friday, April 5.
The Warriors lead the best-of-seven series 1-0.
Wilson, Hughes, Johannes Løkkeberg, Sean Keohane and Owen Drury also scored for West Kelowna, who entered the playoffs as winners of five out of its last six regular games.
Warriors goaltender Rorke Applebee made 24 saves to record his first career playoff win.
His counterpart, Braedyn McIntosh, stopped 30 shots for Cranbrook in the loss. Jacob Fletcher and Bryce Sookro found the back of the net for the Bucks.
Pridham opened the game’s scoring at 8:26 of the first period, before scoring again early in the middle frame and completing his hat trick late in the third period on the power play.
West Kelowna scored four times with the man advantage, with Cranbrook recording a total of 33 penalty minutes in the series’ first game.
Wilson and Hughes both had a goal and three assists. The latter’s four-point effort marked a career-high.
Jackson Kyrkostas recorded two assists, becoming the fourth Warrior on Friday to have a multi-point night.
West Kelowna officials said a total of 1,168 people attended the series’ first game at Royal LePage Place.
Game No. 2 goes Saturday, before the series shifts to Cranbrook next week. Puck drop is at 7 p.m.