07-26-2012, 03:34 PM
Hey there hockey fans. Today we will be looking at the matchup between the top two hockey teams in the NWJHL, the Kelowna Knights (5-1-1) and the Vancouver Whalers (6-1) who battled it out last night in Kelowna in the first meeting of the season between these two clubs.
The Knights came into the game winners of their last 2 and have only 1 regulation loss in their first 7 games this season.
Before the Knights could get to the Whalers, first they had a game to play against the Montreal Impact (2-4-1) who came into the game last in the east, and 5th overall in the standings.
The last time these two teams met earlier in the season the Impact pulled out a shootout victory over Kelowna 2-1, so the Knights were looking to give a little payback.
![[Image: 142488709_display_image.jpg?1334212152]](http://cdn.bleacherreport.net/images_root/slides/photos/002/123/941/142488709_display_image.jpg?1334212152)
The Impact came into the game fresh off a 2-1 shootout loss the night before on home ice to the Detroit Falcons, they came into this one looking for some payback.
![[Image: facing_off.jpg]](http://dira.ficlaundering.com/ds/hockey/facing_off.jpg)
Emotions were running high early in this one, as just after the drop of the puck, Shanye Steele and Christopher Raymond dropped the gloves in a very spirited tilt, which ended in a draw.
The rest of the game saw hard hitting very defensive minded hockey, as neither team was willing to give the other any space or scoring chances. Kelowna scored a goal early in the 2nd period, while Montreal got that 1 back just under 2 minutes into the 3rd. The teams went into the overtime session, which both are very familiar with already in this young season. The Knights managed to get the better of the Impact this night as Markus Backlund scored his 6th of the season from Dappoba Alinksky just 56 seconds into the overtime.
![[Image: 1156479.jpg]](http://www.demotix.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/large_610x456_scaled/1100-9/photos/1156479.jpg)
The big game against the Whalers was next, the battle for top spot at stake. Both teams playing some awesome hockey, both with just one regulation loss this season. This game had a lot of hype.
It was a sellout crowd, packed house that was very loud. The game did not disappoint, fast paced, hard hitting, great goaltending. Both teams in the end combined for 78 shots.
![[Image: Seth-Griffith-Scores-Memorial-Cup-AB.jpg]](http://www.cksn.ca/files/2012/05/Seth-Griffith-Scores-Memorial-Cup-AB.jpg)
The Knights Jen Phoenix scored the games first goal, also her first of the season midway through the 1st period. Then on the powerplay early in the 2nd period Dappoba Alinksky (2) scored the games second goal
with assists from Wes Mucyk, Cris Lakes putting the Knights up 2-0.
It remained at that score till early in the 3rd where the Whalers exploded for 5 goals. The Knights managed to get just 1, giving the Whalers the victory 5-3.
![[Image: KnightsLose2.jpg]](http://media.zenfs.com/en/blogs/sptcajuniorhockeyexperts/KnightsLose2.jpg)
This was a great hockey game. Kelowna suffers their first regulation loss since their 1st game of the season. How will they respond? Will the Knights bounce back in their next game against the Chicago Hitmen and keep up with the Whalers to battle for top spot.
The answer is no, since that defeat the Knights have lost 2 more games, 1 was an overtime loss which at least gave them a single point. They now sit tied for 2nd place with a 6-3-2 record, losers of 3 in a row. This all coming after a 3 game winning streak and an awesome run which saw them go 7 straight games without a loss in regulation. Kelowna needs to find a way to rebound and quick, the Whalers continue to win and create distance between themselves and the rest of the league, not to mention the teams that were once below the Knights have caught up.
This team from Kelowna had better find a way to turn things around and fast or this thing could get a lot worse very quickly.
The Knights came into the game winners of their last 2 and have only 1 regulation loss in their first 7 games this season.
Before the Knights could get to the Whalers, first they had a game to play against the Montreal Impact (2-4-1) who came into the game last in the east, and 5th overall in the standings.
The last time these two teams met earlier in the season the Impact pulled out a shootout victory over Kelowna 2-1, so the Knights were looking to give a little payback.
The Impact came into the game fresh off a 2-1 shootout loss the night before on home ice to the Detroit Falcons, they came into this one looking for some payback.
Emotions were running high early in this one, as just after the drop of the puck, Shanye Steele and Christopher Raymond dropped the gloves in a very spirited tilt, which ended in a draw.
The rest of the game saw hard hitting very defensive minded hockey, as neither team was willing to give the other any space or scoring chances. Kelowna scored a goal early in the 2nd period, while Montreal got that 1 back just under 2 minutes into the 3rd. The teams went into the overtime session, which both are very familiar with already in this young season. The Knights managed to get the better of the Impact this night as Markus Backlund scored his 6th of the season from Dappoba Alinksky just 56 seconds into the overtime.
The big game against the Whalers was next, the battle for top spot at stake. Both teams playing some awesome hockey, both with just one regulation loss this season. This game had a lot of hype.
It was a sellout crowd, packed house that was very loud. The game did not disappoint, fast paced, hard hitting, great goaltending. Both teams in the end combined for 78 shots.
The Knights Jen Phoenix scored the games first goal, also her first of the season midway through the 1st period. Then on the powerplay early in the 2nd period Dappoba Alinksky (2) scored the games second goal
with assists from Wes Mucyk, Cris Lakes putting the Knights up 2-0.
It remained at that score till early in the 3rd where the Whalers exploded for 5 goals. The Knights managed to get just 1, giving the Whalers the victory 5-3.
This was a great hockey game. Kelowna suffers their first regulation loss since their 1st game of the season. How will they respond? Will the Knights bounce back in their next game against the Chicago Hitmen and keep up with the Whalers to battle for top spot.
The answer is no, since that defeat the Knights have lost 2 more games, 1 was an overtime loss which at least gave them a single point. They now sit tied for 2nd place with a 6-3-2 record, losers of 3 in a row. This all coming after a 3 game winning streak and an awesome run which saw them go 7 straight games without a loss in regulation. Kelowna needs to find a way to rebound and quick, the Whalers continue to win and create distance between themselves and the rest of the league, not to mention the teams that were once below the Knights have caught up.
This team from Kelowna had better find a way to turn things around and fast or this thing could get a lot worse very quickly.