Knights Complete Season Recap
Game Summaries, Top Performers, and more
|
![]() Moderators S30, S31, S39 Challenge Cup Champion
Kelowna ended preseason looking like a team on the rise. Some line adjustments turned the team around, and brought them success in the second half of preseason. The team’s rookies looked good as well, giving them reason to be optimistic about the season. Going into the regular season, the Knights had their eye on a third Four Star Cup in four years.
Early in the regular season, the Knights looked shaky at times. Losing streaks mixed in with some winning streaks, there was not a lot of consistency early on. The general managers were not going to take these early results lying down. They made a trade to pick up Richard D’amour to bolster the defense, and to relieve the team from having to rely too heavily on rookie defenders. Next, Stacker Pentecost fell to them on waivers, adding a significant offensive presence to the defense, and further relieving pressure on the inexperience rookies on defense. In addition to these moves, they also made quite a few line adjustments over the course of the season until they got the results they were looking for. First, we’ll take a quick look at each game, to get an idea of how the season progressed. The game summaries will primarily break down scoring, and any other important details relevant to each game, and that game’s significance to the season. This will be followed by a list of the top performers this season, as well as rookie evaluations, and finally, season 25 roster outlook for the Knights. There is a lot of information to follow. If you’re looking for something specific, remember, ctrl+f is your friend! Game Summaries Game 1 - DET vs KEL For the opening game of the season, as well as the Knights’ home opener, they faced off against season 24 Four Star Cup winners, the Detroit Falcons. The Knights looked strong in this game, with three of their five goals coming from the first line. Adam Abodobe picking up two goals, Hugh Johnson had two assists, and Randy Randleman added one goal and one assist. Rookie Ivan Koroviev got his first goal, and Reginald Howard added another. Igor Ogordnikov was strong in net, letting in just two of the Falcons’ 33 total shots. Bjorn Knutsen and Barney Tuzis scored for the Falcons. The final score was 5-2, Kelowna. Result: W Record: 1-0-0 Game 2 - KEL vs STL For their second game of the season, the Knights traveled to St Louis to face the Scarecrows. The first period of this game was dominated by penalties and power play goals. The Knights struck first with a power play goal by Tom Berkis. The Scarecrows would end the period with the lead, adding two power play goals of their own, one by Nick Leier, and one by Derek Underscore. In the third, the Knights tied it up with an early goal from Ryan Woito, but St Louis would answer. John Wick scored the go-ahead goal at 3:45 in the third, and the Scarecrows would hold on for the win. Ogorodnikov saved 18 of 21 shots for the Knights, while Segei Kozar saved 24 of 26 for the Scarecrows. Result: L Record: 1-1-0 Game 3 - DET vs KEL In game 3, Detroit came back to Kelowna, and they were not happy with how the previous match up had gone. Detroit opened the game by scoring five unanswered goals in the first period. Martushev, Gow, Mack, Salabanzi, and Knutsen all had goals. Ogorodnikov would get replaced by Berlin in the Knights goal. The Knights weren’t going to go down without a fight. In the second, they responded with four of their own goals. The third period began with a couple of quick fights 40 seconds in. Something got under Abodobe’s skin, and he dropped the gloves with Martushev. The two of them fought to a draw. At the same time, Randleman fought, and beat, Brandon Girard. Abodobe would be ejected from the game. A bunch of other penalties were handed out among the scuffle that took place. The rest of the period saw two more goals for the Falcons, as the Knights were unable to respond. Tuzis got his second goal of the season, while Knutsen got his fifth. Kelowna loses, 7-4 Result: L Record: 1-2-0 Game 4 - KEL vs STL For the fourth game of the season, the Knights were back in St Louis. The Scarecrows started the scoring with a power play goal by Derek Underscore at 5:30 in the first period. They would make it 2-0 with a goal by Curtis Crawford eight minutes later. Less than 30 seconds later, Kristjan Vilhjalmsson would get his first of the season, bringing the Knights within one goal. The second period of this game was sloppy for both teams, and would result in no goals for either side. In the third, rookie defense woman Maria Maximova fought Winston Windsor to a draw three minutes in. Shortly thereafter, the Scarecrows would go on the power play, and extend their lead to two. A late power play goal for Kelowna would draw them back to within one, but they would not be able to get a game tying goal. Ogorodnikov played well. Facing 40 shots in this game and letting in 3. Result: L Record: 1-3-0 Game 5 - PGF vs KEL This was the first meeting of the season between these two evenly matched teams. Knights’ rookie center, Nikolaus Scholz, got his first goal just two and a half minutes into the first period. At 16:04, Tom Berkis and Shea Robinson squared off, but the fight would end in a draw, and with Robinson being ejected. Rick Chleb would score a shorthanded goal for the Firebirds to round out the period. In the second period, Kelowna controlled most of the action. They scored early in the period, Dr Timeturner Whooves stuck one by Cobb. At the end of the period, Abodobe got his third of the season, putting the Knights ahead 3-1. In the third, Prince George would get a power play goal with five minutes remaining. They couldn’t get another to tie the game up, and the Knights take the game, 3-2. Ogorodnikov stopped 16 of 18 for the Knights, while Kyle Cobb stopped 22 of 25 for the Firebirds. Result: W Record 2-3-0 Game 6 - KEL vs MTL The Knights met the Montreal Impact for the first time in the season. The first period saw the Knights outshoot the Impact 10-2, but neither team was able to get on the scoreboard. The first half of the second period was more of the same. Shae O’Ferghall put the Impact ahead with his third of the season. Buster Killington would make it 2-0 for the Impact a minute and a half later. Two minutes later, Adam Abodobe would answer for the Knights. Then, late in the period, the Knights would take advantage of two power play opportunities. Abodobe got his second of the night, and Randleman got a goal with 17 seconds remaining in the period, putting the Knights ahead 3-2. In the third, the Knights continued to dominate the shot totals, but Montreal would even up the score with a power play goal from Vladimir Lidstrom. The game would go to overtime. Kelowna led shots through three periods, 32-8. In overtime, neither team would be able to bury a game winner, so the game went to a shootout. Evandrus Jesster would score for Montreal on the shootout, beating Ogorodnikov on his glove side, giving them the victory. This was a tough loss for Kelowna. Earnest Ciarelli played well in net for Montreal, stopping 32 of 35, while Ogorodnikov struggled stopping just five of eight. Result: OTL Record: 2-3-1 Game 7 - KEL vs PGF Kelowna faced off against Prince George for the second time in the season, this time in Prince George. Kelowna started the game with two early penalties, but the Firebirds weren’t able to capitalize. At 11:20, Prince George took the lead, with a goal from Leon Webb. They would extend that lead to two, when Sum Ting Wong scored at 14:41. The Knights would cut that lead to one off of a goal by Whooves. In the second period, the Firebirds stifled the Knights attack. A double minor for roughing by Tom Berkis set Prince George up for their third goal of the game, scored by Hunter Bob. In the third, the Knights were able to generate some offense, but to no avail. The Firebirds would add a fourth goal, courtesy of Mirko Antonio Scuderi. The final score was 4-1, Prince George. The Knights could not beat Kyle Prince, who saved 23 of 24 shots on the evening. Result: L Record: 2-4-1 Game 8 - VAN vs KEL Another first time meeting between two teams this season, as Vancouver came to Kelowna. The first period was almost all Kelowna. The Knights took an early lead off of a Ryan Woito power play goal. They would score twice more before Vancouver would answer. Peklo Palffy scored, then Randy Randleman got his fourth of the season. Vancouver would take advantage of a bad pass on the Kelowna power play and Patrikov Bure would score a shorthanded goal. The Knights outshot the Whalers 22-5 in the first. The second period would see the offense shift in favor of Vancouver. They were only able to pick up one goal off of it, when Zack Hoover got his fifth of the season. The Whalers outshot the Knights in the second, 14-3. Early in the third, it looked like Vancouver was going to carry the momentum they generated in the second. They scored early in the period. Beau Ballard scored his second of the season, evening the score at 3-3. Kelowna would jump back out in front with a power play goal by standout rookie center, Kristjan Vilhjalmsson. Kelowna sealed the deal with an empty net goal with 30 seconds remaining in the game. Final score, 5-3, Kelowna. Result: W Record: 3-4-1 Game 9 - MTL vs KEL In Kelowna’s ninth game of the season they welcomed Montreal into Prospera Place. The Knights got off to a red hot start, scoring just 38 seconds after the puck dropped. They scored a second time just 28 seconds later. The goals came from Whooves and Vilhjalmsson, respectively. Montreal would survive the early offensive push from Kelowna, and slow the game down to a more manageable pace. The Impact picked up a goal of their own by Evandrus Jesster at the end of the period. Kelowna led shots in the first, 19-8. Kelowna continued to pressure Montreal in the second. Randy Randleman scored a power play goal to put the Knights up 3-1. Reginald Howard would make the score 4-1 with his second of the season. Montreal’s Buster Killington added a late goal for Montreal to put them within two. This period also saw Roman Morenov ejected from the game for unsportsmanlike conduct after he appeared to say something to one of the refs. In the third, the Knights offense slowed down considerably. Buster Killington scored his second of the night on a Montreal power play to put them within one. They couldn’t get a fourth goal to even the game up before the final whistle. Final score, 4-3, Kelowna. Result: W Record: 4-4-1 Game 10 - KEL vs PGF Kelowna traveled to Prince George to take on their West Conference rival, the Firebirds. This game would be quite uneventful for the Knights. Prince George got the only goal of the first period. Mario Nyquist got his third of the season, putting the Firebirds ahead, 1-0. The first period ended with each team only able to get four shots on net. Period number two had seven total penalties, but neither team would be able to take advantage of the power play. Kelowna led shooting in this period, 6-4. The third period was another slow period. The Firebirds scored their second goal at late in the period courtesy of Shea Robinson. This slow paced game would end with a score of 2-0 for Prince George. Total shots, Kelowna with 14, Prince George, 13. Kyle Prince recorded a shutout to pick up his third win of the season. Result: L Record: 4-5-1 Game 11 - VAN vs KEL Vancouver came back to Kelowna for this game, hoping to take a win off the Knights. In the first period, Vancouver was the aggressor. However, Kelowna would be the first to draw blood. Reginald Howard scored his third goal of the season on the power play, giving the Knights a lead mid-way through the period. The period would end with the Whalers out shooting the Knights, 12-3. In the second, the Knights continued to take advantage of the struggling Whalers. Dr. Timeturner Whooves scored after some slick passing by the Knights. Newly acquired Stacker Pentecost would add a power play goal, putting the Knights up 3-0. Vancouver’s VLAD McZehrl notched his fourth of the season to reduce the Knights lead to two. Rookie center, Nikolaus Scholz picked up his second of the season in the last 10 seconds of the period. Kelowna outshot Vancouver in the second, 17-8. The third period was very closely contested. Vancouver managed to narrow the gap slightly with a goal from Beau Ballard. A late penalty by Geoffrey Allen would ruin any hopes the Whalers had of coming back. Reginald Howard scored his second power play goal of the game, sending the Whalers home with another loss. It was a good day for the Knights’ Ogorodnikov who stopped 29 of 31 shots. Result: W Record: 5-5-1 Game 12 - KEL vs DET In their twelfth game of the season, Kelowna traveled to Detroit to take on the high powered Falcons offense. The Falcons opened up early on the Knights, scoring just 1:35 into the game. The goal was Ross Burke’s first of the season. Kelowna held them off until late in the period. Michael Burch picked up his second goal of the season toward the end of the period, putting Detroit up 2-0. Kelowna finally got some offense going early in the second. Rookie Tony Flow scored his first of the season. Detroit followed up with a goal of their own just 16 seconds later by Elvis Libra. They would go on to score one more goal before the end of the second. Brandon Girard scored on the power play, making the score 4-1, Detroit. In the third, the Knights scored less than a minute into the period. Reginald Howard with his fifth of the season. It wouldn’t be enough though. The Falcons kept on coming. They scored three more goals before the period ended. One each by Ray Pejonis, Kaapo Kekkonen, and Bjorn Knutsen. Final score, Detroit 7, Kelowna 2. Result: L Record: 5-6-1 Game 13 - KEL vs DET The following evening, the Knights returned to try to avenge their previous loss to Detroit. Detroit would pick up right where they left off the night before. 18 seconds into the first period, Alex Mack scored his eighth goal of the season. Then, less than a minute later, Shayne Gow scored a power play goal, putting Detroit up by two in just over one minute played in the first period. The Knights regrouped and Hugh Johnson scored his first goal of the season on a power play mid-way through the period. In the second, the Knights would take control of the game. Whooves would score to even the game at 2-2. In this period, the Knights led shots, 8-1. The third period got off to a rough start for the Knights. Ivar Ogorodnikov took an early hooking penalty. The Falcons used the man advantage to pick up a go-ahead goal. Hugh Johnson of the Knights would score to even the game back up. Reginald Howard would put the Knights ahead by one with a power play goal. Then, near the end of the period, Brandon Girard tied the game up with a shorthanded goal. In overtime, neither team was able to score, so this game went to a shootout. Randleman scored on the first attempt for the Knights. The Next three shooters would miss, then Reginald Howard scored on his attempt to end the game. 5-4, Kelowna. Result: W Record: 6-6-1 Game 14 - VAN vs KEL The Whalers were back in Kelowna to try their luck against the Knights. Vancouver would strike first. Patrikov Bure got his sixth of the season a mere 26 seconds into the first period. The next goal of the period wouldn’t come until 16 minutes in, when Whooves scored a power play goal for the Knights. Kelowna turned up the heat in the second period. Whooves scored again, getting a nice feed from Dominic Weber, making the score 2-1 for the Knights. Hugh Johnson would add another, and Adam Abodobe would get his sixth of the season. The period ended with the Knights leading 4-1. The teams stalemated in the third. Vancouver was finally able to get another goal late in the period. Jordan Uptuck scored while the Whalers had a man advantage at 18:00. It wasn’t enough though. The final score would be 4-2, Kelowna. Result: L Record: 7-6-1 Game 15 - KEL vs DET Detroit and Kelowna met for the fifth time this season, this time in Detroit. Kelowna went into the first period looking to silence the Detroit crowd. The Knights got the scoring started when Randy Randleman netted his sixth of the season. Alex Mack replied with his ninth, evening the score at 1-1. Stacker Pentecost and Randleman would each get a power play goal before the end of the period. The Falcons would respond in the second period. Kaapo Kekkonen scored early, cutting the Knights lead to one. Whooves would score shortly after, restoring the Knights’ two goal lead. Detroit evened the score up with goals from Michael Burch and Elvis Libra. In the third period, the Falcons picked up where they had left off. Elvis Libra got his second of the game on the power play. Then, late in the period, Knutsen would finish the Knights off with his thirteenth of the season. Final score, 6-4, Detroit. Goalie Lee Bowden stepped in for Detroit in the second, and saved 12 of 12 shots, allowing the Falcons to come back. Result: L Record: 7-7-1 Game 16 - DET vs KEL Another meeting for these two teams, this time, Kelowna hoped to defend their home ice from the Detroit offense. The first period would prove to be an uncharacteristically low scoring period. Neither team were able to find the back of the net. Shots were 13 for Detroit, 8 for Kelowna. In the second, Detroit drew blood first. Kaapo Kekkonen netted his eighth of the season. Later in the period, Adam Abodobe got his seventh and eighth, to put the Knights ahead by one. The third period would be largely controlled by the Falcons. They tied the game up just 49 seconds into the period with a power play goal by Ray Pejonis. The score would remain tied at 2-2 for the rest of the period, and we would go into overtime. Neither team would be able to finish it in overtime, so the game went to a shootout. In the shootout, Austin Lemieux stopped all of the Knights’ shooters. Bastien Salabanzi scored on his attempt, giving the Falcons the win. Result: OTL Record: 7-7-2 Game 17 - MTL vs KEL This would be the third meeting between these two teams. The Kelowna power play would get off to a fast start. Randleman scored just a minute in after a Buster Killington penalty. Montreal would hold on and score a power play goal of their own by Killington. Two minutes later, Roman Morenov and Matt Veenstra would fight, but no clear winner would emerge. Veenstra would be ejected for instigating. The period would come to an end tied at 1-1. Montreal led shots, 13-5. In the second, Ryan Woito found the back of the net, putting the Knights back ahead. Montreal would take advantage of a Nikolaus Scholz penalty, evening up the game mid-way through the period. The third period was highly contested. Montreal would take the lead eight minutes in, once again on the power play. Klaus Wagner took advantage of the double minor by Vilhjalmsson. Montreal would hold on to the lead until the end. 3-2, Montreal. Both net minders had good nights, Ogorodnikov stopping 25 or 28 for Kelowna. Earnest Ciarelli stopped 19 of 21 for Montreal. Result: L Record: 7-8-2 Game 18 - KEL vs DET This was a matchup of two teams on opposite paths. Kelowna had lost their previous four games, while Detroit had won their last four. Detroit showed why they were the better team early, with a power play goal by Brandon Girard. They scored a second time at the midpoint of the period, Clive Stonehands was credited with the goal. Kelowna battled back and Adam Abodobe got one for the Knights. In the second the Falcons would continue to abuse the Knights. Knutsen and Tuzis both scored within the first minute of the period. Igor Ogorodnikov would be replaced in net by Berlin for Kelowna. Kelowna’s Maria Maximova scored her second of the season on a power play opportunity. Yorgen Bartenberry scored immediately after. Kelowna would score on the power play again, late in the period. Reginald Howard got his seventh of the season. Detroit would answer right back, Barney Tuzis scored with just over a minute left in the period. The third period had lots of penalties, and lots of power play goals. Whooves scored on another power play for the Knights. Michael Burch would get it back for Detroit with a power play goal of his own. After that, the Knights scored three unanswered power play goals. Abodobe had two, giving him a hat trick, and Hugh Johnson got his fourth goal of the season. Regulation ended with the score tied at 7-7. Overtime saw very little action, with only one shot on target from Detroit. There would be another shootout between these teams. This shootout would be back and forth, with goals on both sides. It would finally end on the sixth shooter for Detroit, Brandon Girard found space above Berlin’s right pad. Result: OTL Record: 7-8-3 Game 19 - MTL vs KEL The struggling Knights faced another team on the rise. Montreal came into Kelowna having won their last four in a row. The Knights got off to a hot start in this game. Ivar Ogorodnikov scored a power play goal in the second minute. Randleman added an even strength goal three minutes later. Montreal got a power play opportunity late in the period, and Klaus Wagner scored his fifth goal of the season. In the second period, Montreal would fare much better. Vladimir Lidstrom and Evandrus Jesster both scored, putting the Impact up, 3-2. The Knights would tie the game up 7 minutes into the third with a power play goal from Adam Abodobe. However, they would not be able to hold off the Impact. Johnny O’Leary and Jesster each added another goal, making the final score of the game 5-3, in favor of Montreal. Result: L Record: 7-9-3 Game 20 - KEL vs MTL This time, the Knights would travel to Montreal for their second consecutive game against the Impact. In the first period, it looked like the Knights would take this game easily. Nikolaus Scholz, Randy Randleman, and Reginald Howard all scored even strength goals. The Impact got one back before the end of the period. Chris Welch scored his fourth of the season, and the period would end 3-1, Kelowna. The roles reversed in period number two. Vladimir Lidstrom scored for Montreal just 30 seconds into the period. Adam Abodobe notched his thirteenth of the season for the Knights. Montreal would come back and score three unanswered goals. Two by Chris Welch, giving him a hat trick, and a second goal for Lidstrom. The second period ended with a score of 5-4, Montreal. The third period was up and down for both teams. Montreal widened their lead with a goal from Adam Falk. The Knights evened the score with goals from Stacker Pentecost and Howard. Adam Falk scored one final goal to put the Impact ahead, and keep them there. The game ended with a score of 7-6, Montreal. Result: L Record: 7-10-3 Game 21 - KEL vs STL Next, the Knights would visit St Louis, hoping to end their six game losing streak. The first period saw a limited amount of action. The only goal came with Richard D’amour getting his first of the season on a shorthanded attempt. The period only had seven total shots, two for Kelowna, and five for St Louis. In the second, the scoring opened up. Reginald Howard and Whooves both scored power play goals within the first four minutes. St Louis would score a power play goal of their own by rookie standout Robb Wind. Kelowna would answer with a third power play goal by Stacker Pentecost. Robb Wind would score again during the second, to make the score 4-2 for the Knights. There was no scoring in the third period and Kelowna would hold on to win by a score of 4-2. Result: W Record: 8-10-3 Game 22 - DET vs KEL The Knights returned home to take on the Detroit Falcons. This game had less offense than anyone would have predicted. Kelowna took a lead halfway through the first period off of a wrist shot by Adam Abodobe. The Knights spent a large portion of the period on the penalty kill, so the Falcons were able to out shoot them by more than double. Shots were 14-6 for Detroit. In the second period, the Falcons found the back of the net a mere 18 seconds into the period. Brandon Girard was credited with the power play goal. The shots in this period favored Kelowna slightly. The third period had more penalties from Kelowna, and another large disparity in shot totals in favor of Detroit. They weren’t able to get one by Ogorodnikov, so the game went to overtime. There would be no resolution in overtime, so we saw a shootout. Reginald Howard scored on a quick backhand move, giving Kelowna the shootout victory. Ogorodnikov had a great night in net, stopping 37 of 38 shots by the Falcons. Result: W Record: 9-10-3 Game 23 - DET vs KEL Detroit was back in Kelowna for their second consecutive match in Prospera Place. The Knights started out hot against the Falcons. Adam Abodobe, Hugh Johnson, and Ryan Woito each scored inside the first four minutes of the game. Abodobe’s came eight seconds after the puck dropped. Detroit would get one of them back before the end of the period. Ross Burke scored his second of the year, making the score 3-1 for Kelowna. In the second Detroit picked up an early power play goal, scored by Jasper Clayton. The rest of the period would be scoreless for both teams. The Knights held on through the third period, getting out shot by Detroit 13 to 7, but they managed to avoid conceding a goal. The Falcons couldn’t get one by Ogorodnikov, and the Knights went on to win their third straight. Ogorodnikov saved 25 or 27. Result: W Record: 10-10-3 Game 24 - KEL vs STL Kelowna traveled to St Louis to take on the always dangerous Scarecrows. The Knights scored the lone goal of the first period. Jukka-Emil Vanaja scored his first of the season, putting the Knights ahead early in the game. The Scarecrows had their turn early in the second. Nick Leier scored one minute into the period. Derek Underscore put up a second goal for the Falcons two minutes later. The Knights answered a minute later, when Reginald Howard scored on the power play. The Knights would score once more before the end of the period, with Tom Berkis picking up his second of the year. In the third, the Scarecrows battled back, tying the game up with a shorthanded goal by Damien Wert. The game would go into overtime. Neither team would be able to find a goal in overtime, so they would have a shootout. Both teams scored on their first attempts. After that, neither team was able to score, until Robb Wind beat Ogorodnikov, putting the puck in off the left post for the St Louis win. Result: OTL Record: 10-10-4 Game 25 - VAN vs KEL In the Knights’ 25th game, the last place Whalers came to visit Kelowna. Although the Whalers scored first, with a goal by Patrikov Bure, they were still the Whalers. After this first goal by Vancouver, Kelowna would score three goals over the next 4 minutes. Stacker Pentecost, Adam Abodobe, and Maria Maximova all scored for the Knights. The first period ended with the Knights up 3-1. The Knights added another goal in the second period, Pentecost scored his second of the game. The Knights’ dominance would continue in the third period. Dr. Timeturner Whooves scored four minutes into the period. Hugh Johnson added one final goal before the end of the game. The Knights went on to win, 6-1. The Whalers have not looked good so far this season. Ogorodnikov saved 16 of 17 for Kelowna. Result: W Record: 11-10-4 Game 26 - KEL vs DET Next, Kelowna would travel to Detroit to face the Falcons. This would be the tenth meeting between these two teams. Kelowna got the better of the first period. The pair of Russian rookies, Ivan Koroviev and Maria Maximova both scored in the first period, giving the Knights a 2-0 lead heading into the second. The Knights continued to frustrate the Falcons in the second. Randy Randleman found the back of the net for his eleventh of the season. The Falcons finally got on the scoreboard a minute into the third period. Ray Pejonis scored his tenth of the season, and the Falcons looked as though they might be making a comeback. Knights’ net minder, Igor Ogorodnikov would prove too great for the Falcons on this night. The game would end with a score of 3-1 for the Knights. Detroit outshot Kelowna, 26-20, but Ogorodnikov had a spectacular night, stopping 25 of those 26. Result: W Record: 12-10-4 At the halfway point of the season, the Knights were not at all happy with how they had performed thus far. Kelowna may have a history of slow starts, but as a team, they are not happy with this trend. Regardless, they would concentrate their efforts, and make winning the West the focus of the remaining games in the season. Game 27 - DET vs KEL The very next night, Detroit traveled to Kelowna for the teams’ second matchup in as many days. This game would be much different from the last. The tension on the ice could be felt up in the nosebleeds. Three minutes into the game, a scramble occurred. Fredrik Zavstrom squared off with Brandon Girard, and Dominic Weber went up against Bastien Salabanzi. Neither fight would have a clear winner, and Salabanzi would be shown the door for instigating. This appeared to give the Knights a spark, as Randleman scored just 20 seconds later. Detroit would come back and net two of their own before the period’s end. Ray Pejonis and Kaapo Kekkonen were the goal scorers for the Falcons. In the second, the Falcons pulled ahead. Kekkonen picked up a second goal, and Bjorn Knutsen scored his eighteenth of the season. The Knights narrowed the gap to one with goals from Hugh Johnson and Tom Berkis. In the third, the Knights were not able to even the game up. Detroit’s Pejonis scored his second of the night, making the final score 5-3 for the Falcons. Austin Lemieux looked fantastic in net for the Falcons, stopping 28 of 31. Result: L Record: 12-11-4 Game 28 - KEL vs MTL The Knights visited Montreal in this East versus West matchup. The first period was packed full of scoring. Five total goals would be scored, three for Kelowna, two for Montreal. Whooves, Howard, and Maximova were the goal scorers for the Knights. Flacko and Ogle scored for the Impact. The score was 3-2 for Kelowna at the end of the first. In the second, Montreal was able to bring the game back even. Jack Burton scored his third of the year on a Montreal power play. The Knights were not able to generate much offense this period, totaling just five shots on goal. In the third, Abodobe and Pentecost scored for the Knights, putting them back ahead by two. Evandrus Jesster scored his ninth of the year to pull the Impact within one, but it wouldn’t be enough. Kelowna would hold on to a one goal lead. Final score, 5-4. Result: W Record: 13-11-4 Game 29 - STL vs KEL League leaders, the St Louis Scarecrows came to Kelowna to test the upward trending Knights. The first period would be another action packed period. Five goals were scored in total. St Louis had three, scored by John Wick, Nick Leier, and Damien Wert. The two goals for Kelowna were scored by Reginald Howard and Randy Randleman. The Scarecrows led shots in the first, 17-9. The second period would both teams slow down quite a bit. Whooves would score, putting the Knights back even towards the end of the period. Kelowna took control of the match in the third. Randleman got his second goal of the night. Then, Ryan Woito put the game out of reach by scoring with five minutes remaining in the period. Final score: 5-3. Ogorodnikov had a solid night in net for the Knights, stopping 28 of 31 shots. Result: W Record: 14-11-4 Game 30 - KEL vs MTL Kelowna, having won four of their last five games, visited Montreal, hoping to keep their success going. The first period saw no scoring from either team. Kelowna outshot Montreal, 10-5. The second period looked much the same as the first. Kelowna had a significant advantage in shots. Ryan Woito would score for the Knights with less than a minute remaining in the period. Shots in the second were 15-2 for the Knights. Montreal were finally able to increase their shot output in the third. However, it would be Kelowna that would score first. Maria Maximova scored her sixth of the season on a Kelowna power play. Evandrus Jesster would score a power play goal for Montreal as well, but it would come too late. The Knights take the victory, 2-1. Both goaltenders played very well, Ogorodnikov stopped 17 of 18 for the Knights, while Ciarelli stopped 31 of 33 for the Impact. Result: W Record 15-11-4 Game 31 - MTL vs KEL The very next night, the Impact came to Kelowna looking for a better result. The first period had just a single goal. Adam Abodobe scored his eighteenth of the season, after Intars Ogle put Kelowna on the power play with a hooking penalty. The offensive output would pick up in the second period. Evandrus Jesster and Shane O’Ferghall both scored power play goals for the Impact. The Knights would pick up one of their own too, scored by Jukka-Emil Vanaja. Both teams would stall out, and we would see no more scoring through the third period and overtime. In the shootout, Jesster would score as the third shooter for Montreal. The Knights would be unable to answer. Montreal won, 3-2. For the second game in a row, both goaltenders had good nights. Ciarelli saved 23 of 35 for Montreal, and Ogorodnikov saved 20 of 22 for Kelowna. Result: OTL Record: 15-11-5 Game 32 - KEL vs STL For their next game, Kelowna traveled to St Louis to face a Scarecrow team that had been having a very good season. The Scarecrows scored twice in the first period. One goal came off the stick of Damien Wert, and the second was scored by Michael Ferkland. In the second, St Louis would score two more goals. McLaren Nasher scored first, then Robb Wind scored on the Scarecrow power play. Kelowna would pick up a goal of their own by Maria Maximova. In the third, St Louis would score two early goals, Wert and Wind each got their second of the night. Kelowna would not be able to get back into the game. The final score was 6-1, St Louis. The Knights could not beat Jenkins Sanchez, who stopped 18 of 19 shots for St Louis. Result: L Record: 15-12-5 Game 33 - STL vs KEL An overnight change of venue for these teams, this time St Louis visited Kelowna. St Louis opened up the scoring late in the first, with a goal by Nick Leier. The Knights were unable to mount any meaningful offense. The second period was more of the same. The Scarecrows scored again, this time by Damien Wert. The Knights only managed to put three shots on net in the entire period. The Knights would finally find some scoring in the third. Jukka-Emil Vanaja and Stacker Pentecost each scored for Kelowna. It wouldn’t be enough though. Damien Wert scored his second of the night, and McLaren Nasher scored late to secure the St Louis win. The Knights had more shots on net in the third period than they had in the first and second combined. Poor performance by the Knights. St Louis took the win, 4-2. Result: L Record: 15-13-5 Game 34 - KEL vs STL For the third consecutive game, Kelowna was matched up against St Louis. The story in this game would be questionable goaltending for St Louis. The first goal would be scored by Robb Wind for the Scarecrows. Kelowna would come back with four of their own. Reginald Howard had two of them, including one shorthanded. Stacker Pentecost and Adam Abodobe score the other two, and St Louis would replace their goaltender before the end of the first period. Bringing Jenkins Sanchez wouldn’t be enough to get the Scarecrows back into the game though. Kelowna would score twice more in the second period. The first by the Viking, Kristjan Vilhjalmsson. The second by rookie winger, Ivan Koroviev. St Louis would get one of their own as well, scored by McLaren Nasher. In the third, the Crows could not do enough to get back into this game. Adam Abodobe scored his second of the night just nine seconds into the period. St Louis would get that one back, with a goal by Pal Vikingstod, but that would be the last goal of the night. Kelowna takes this one, 7-3. Result: W Record 16-13-5 Game 35 - KEL vs PGF Still on the road, the Knights traveled to Prince George to take on the Firebirds. This was only the fourth time these teams had met this season. Prince George took the lead in the first with goals by Thong Bonerstorm and Sum Ting Wong. Tom Berkis would score for Kelowna. The first period would end with the Firebirds ahead, 2-1. In the second period, the Knights could not stay out of the penalty box. Patrick Brumm scored on the power play for Prince George. The Knights would draw back within one off of a goal from Ryan Woito. Despite all the Kelowna penalties, the period was very even. In the third, Kelowna’s Tony Flow scored and early power play goal to tie the game up. Unfortunately, Prince George would score a power play goal of their own to go ahead. They would retain the one goal lead until the end of the game. This was a very close game, even with Kelowna’s bad penalties. Result: L Record: 16-14-5 Game 36 - STL vs KEL Kelowna returned home to take on St Louis for the fourth time in five games. The Knights started fast, with a goal from Ivan Koroviev a mere 37 seconds after the puck dropped. Penalties would hurt Kelowna throughout the period, slowing their offense. Anton Federov scored a later period power play goal for the Scarecrows to end the period even at 1-1. In the second period, the Knights were able to get a lot more shots on goal, but they wouldn’t be able to find the back of the net. The Scarecrows scored two in the period. One by Pal Vikingstod, and another by John Matthews. In the third, Kelowna would pull within one off of a goal by Reginald Howard. They pulled the goalie late in the period hoping to tie the game up, but The Carl Mountain put one into the empty net to seal the victory. 4-2, St Louis. Result: L Record: 16-15-5 Game 37 - VAN vs KEL Still at home, the Knights took on the visiting Vancouver Whalers. The Whalers have had a rough season, but the Knights have been up and down, so anything could have happened. The game started off with the teams getting physical early. Fights between Dominic Weber and Julie-Anne Marshall, and Fredrik Zavstrom and Stefan Nussbaumer. Both fight would have a clear winner, and the refs would send a bunch of players from each side to serve penalties. Adam Abodobe scored his 21st of the year just before the halfway point of the first period. In the second, Vancouver’s Geoffrey Allen scored, putting the game even at 1-1. In the third, Zack Hoover scored for the Whalers, giving them a one goal lead. The Knights would not be able to get the game tying goal, and the Whalers would take the win. Erik Lundqvist was spectacular in net for the Whalers, stopping 37 out of 38 shots. Result: L Record: 16-16-5 Game 38 - KEL vs VAN For their third game in as many days, Kelowna would visit Vancouver, who they had played the night before. The Knights would be looking to break out of a three game losing streak. The first period would see a lot of action. The Knights scored four goals in this period. Maria Maximova scored the first on an early power play opportunity. Randleman scored the next two, giving him 16 on the season. Ivan Koroviev scored the final goal of the period for the Knights. Vancouver scored two as well, one by Tomas Jandl, and another by Patrikov Bure. The pace would slow dramatically in the second. Vancouver’s Zack Hoover scored early in the period. Dr Timeturner Whooves would add another goal for Kelowna. The second period would end with the Knights leading, 5-3. In the third period, we would see zero goals. Vancouver did their best to try to tie the game up, getting 14 shots on net to the Knights’ three. The Knights held them off and came away with a victory, snapping their losing streak. Ogorodnikov had another great night in net, making 32 saves on 35 shots by Vancouver. Result: W Record: 17-16-5 Game 39 - PGF vs KEL The Knights returned home for a day off before welcoming the Prince George Firebirds into Prospera Place. Both teams struggled to generate shots on net in the first period. Both teams had quite a few shots that were either blocked, or failed to hit the net. Kelowna had just six shots, while Prince George had five. In the second, the pucks finally started to find the net. Kelowna scored two, the first by Kristjan Vilhjalmsson, and the second by Randy Randleman. The Firebirds would score two of their own, as well. The first by DJ Stanley, the second by Fleming with just two seconds remaining in the period. The third period was similar to the first. Kelowna got the best of it though, Matt Veenstra scored his first goal of the year halfway through the period. The Firebirds would not be able to get one of their own, and the game ended with a score of 3-2 for the Knights. Result: W Record: 18-16-5 Game 40 - KEL vs VAN The worst team in the league, the Vancouver Whalers, hosted the Kelowna Knights. There wouldn’t be any surprises on this night. Kelowna had the lone goal in the first period. Stacker Pentecost scored his thirteenth of the season with a man advantage. The Whalers would even it up 20 seconds into the second period off the stick of Beau Ballard. The Knights came right back with three of their own. Hugh Johnson with his eighth of the year, Nikolaus Scholz with his fourth, and Reginald Howard with his seventeenth. Vancouver would get one of those back in the third period. VLAD McZehrl scored, but it would be too late for the Whalers to turn the game around. Kelowna leaves Vancouver with a victory, 4-2. Ogorodnikov had another strong night in net for the Knights, saving 26 of 28. Result: W Record: 19-16-5 Game 41 - KEL vs PGF Kelowna traveled to Prince George for their next game. The Knights had won their last three games, and were looking to continue that streak. The Firebirds outshot the Knights in the first period, but could not find the back of the net. Kelowna scored twice on six shots. The first by team captain Randy Randleman, the second by Dr Timeturner Whooves. In the second period, Prince George’s shot count dropped, while the Knights success on offense continued. Randleman picked up his second goal of the night. Adam Abodobe scored as well, getting his 22nd of the year. In the third period, the Firebirds were able to pick up their shot total above the Knights again, but were still not able to get one by Ogorodnikov. Ivan Koroviev, for the Knights, scored late in the period, and Kelowna went on to win, 5-0. Kyle Prince had a bad night in net, and got replaced five minutes into the second period. Igor Ogorodnikov, on the other hand, had a great night for Kelowna, stopping all 30 shots by the Firebirds. Result: W Record: 20-16-5 Game 42 - STL vs KEL Kelowna had been on fire lately, with four straight wins. St Louis came to town to put them to the test. The Knights were up for it though. Randy Randleman started the scoring with his 20th of the season. The teams looked evenly matched in the first period. The Knights would start to pull away in the second. Randleman scored again just over halfway through the period. Nick Leier would score for for St Louis, cutting the Kelowna lead to one. The Knights would score twice more in the period to extend the lead to three. Reginald Howard had his 18th of the year, and Ivan Koroviev scored immediately after. The Scarecrows would make a change in net before the period ended. The new goaltender didn’t seem to bother the Knights who would score two more in the third. Ivan Koroviev got his second of the night. Adam Abodobe got his 23rd of the season to round out Kelowna’s scoring. St Louis would score as well, Anton Federov picked up a power play goal, but it wouldn’t make a difference. Kelowna took the win, 6-2. Result: W Record: 21-16-5 Game 43 - PGF vs KEL The Firebirds arrived in Kelowna to face a Knights team that has won their last 5 in a row. Prince George would be looking to end that streak. In the first period, the Knights looked like too much for the Firebirds. Adam Abodobe scored two goals, bringing his season total to 25. Reginald Howard would add another for the Knights before the end of the period. The Knights frustrated the Firebirds in the first, outshooting at a nearly 3-1 pace. In the second, the Firebirds would get on the board with a goal by Patrick Brumm. The Knights would keep the pressure on with two more goals of their own. Reginald Howard got another, and Abodobe got a third, for his second hat trick of the season. In the third, the Firebirds were not able to catch the Knights. Randy Randleman would add one final goal before the game ended. The Knights looked untouchable tonight. The final score was 6-1 in favor of Kelowna. Another great night for Kelowna’s Ogorodnikov, he made 16 saves on 17 shots. Result: W Record: 22-16-5 Game 44 - PGF vs KEL For the second night in a row, the Firebirds were in Kelowna to take on the hometown Knights. Kelowna would be looking to pick up where they left off the night before to extend their win streak. Prince George came out looking to make up for a poor performance the previous night. They scored early in the first period, off of a DJ Stanley shot. The Firebirds had a total of 18 shots in the period, more than they had in the entire game the night before. In the second, Prince George slowed considerably. Jacques Ford scored for the Firebirds, extending the lead to two. Kelowna would answer with a goal from the Viking, Vilhjalmsson. Kelowna’s offensive output would increase in the third period, but it was not soon enough. Randy Randleman buried his 23rd of the season to even the game up. The Firebirds would retake the lead on a goal by Leon Webb. The Knights had time in the period to respond, but they were unable. The Firebirds put a stop to the Knights’ six game win streak. Result: L Record: 22-17-5 Game 45 - KEL vs VAN Kelowna’s next game had them traveling to Vancouver to take on the surging Whalers. Vancouver, who struggled throughout the season, had won three of their last four. In the first period, the teams would stalemate. Neither team was able to mount a significant offense. In the second period, both teams picked up the pace. Patrikov Bure would score the first goal of the night, putting the Whalers ahead. That would be the only goal of the second period. In the third, the teams would once again step up their offense. Undrafted rookie Jonathan Lundberg would score the first of his career to tie the game up. Julie-Anne Marshall and Dominic Weber dropped the gloves near the halfway point of the period. Neither would be able to put the other away, and the fight would be broken up by the refs. The Whalers’ Zack Hoover would score shortly thereafter, putting Vancouver ahead again. The game clock ran down before the Knights could get back on the scoreboard. Vancouver won, 2-1. Both goaltenders looked sharp, Ogorodnikov stopped 26 or 28, while Lundqvist stopped 18 of 19. Result: L Record: 22-18-5 Game 46 - KEL vs MTL With the season’s end in sight, the Knights traveled to Montreal, hoping to maintain their lead in the West. Montreal scored very early in the period. Chris Welch deflected in a shot by Flacko, giving the Impact an early lead. Kelowna went on to take over the rest of the period. Adam Abodobe scored twice, the goals coming just 23 seconds apart. Nikolaus Scholz found the back of the net for his fifth of the season. The Knights outshot the Impact in the first period, 10-2. The roles would swap in the second period, with Kelowna having a hard time finding offense. Klaus Wagner scored on a Montreal power play to cut the Knights’ lead to one. This time, Montreal led shots, 8-3. The third would be a much more closely contested period. Montreal would manage to tie the game up in the closing minutes off of a Shane O’Ferghall goal. Shots were even in the third, 9-9. In overtime, Kelowna’s leading scorer, Adam Abodobe, would bury the game winner, completing his hat trick. This was Abodobe’s third hat trick of the season. Knights take the win, 4-3. Result: W Record: 23-18-5 Game 47 - PGF vs KEL Prince George visited Kelowna in this conference matchup. The Firebirds were looking to bring themselves back even with the Knights at the top of the west. PGF struck first, DJ Stanley scored a power play goal 13 minutes into the period. Kelowna would answer with offensive pressure that would last to the end of the period. Fredrik Zavstrom scored the first goal for Kelowna, bringing the game even. Hugh Johnson and Matt Veenstra would each score, putting the Knights ahead by two at the end of the first period. The Knights picked up where they left off right away in the second. Maria Maximova and Ryan Woito each added a goal in the first two minutes of the period, increasing the lead to four. There wouldn’t be any more scoring for the rest of the period. In the third, Kelowna continued to beat up on the Firebirds. Ryan Woito scored his second of the night, and Randy Randleman scored a power play goal. The final score of this game was 7-1, for Kelowna. Both Firebird goaltenders had tough nights, Prince saving 14 of 18, and Cobb saving 11 of 14. Kelowna’s Ogorodnikov stopped 11 of 12 shots. Result: W Record: 24-18-5 Game 48 - KEL vs PGF Still four points ahead in the West, Kelowna headed to Prince George to take on the Firebirds. The Firebirds were, no doubt, looking to close the gap in the conference. Kelowna would get off to a quick start. Maria Maximova scored her tenth of the season on a Kelowna power play less than two minutes into the period. Unfortunately for them, that would be the end of their scoring for the night. Mario Nyquist would bring the Firebirds back even a minute later on a power play of their own. Despite Kelowna dominating the shot totals in the period, the teams would go into the first intermission tied with a goal each. Prince George stepped up their pace on the ice in the second. Patrick Brumm and Mirko Antonio Scuderi each scored, giving the Firebirds a two goal lead heading into the third. Neither team would be able to score in the final period. We were left with a final score of 3-1 in a disappointing loss for the Knights. Ogorodnikov had an off night, letting in three goals on 17 shots. Result: L Record: 24-19-5 Game 49 - KEL vs VAN With just four games remaining in the regular season, the Knights traveled from Prince George to Vancouver, to take on another conference rival, the Whalers. Kelowna made some costly mistakes early in this game, including a D’amour double minor penalty which would result in two goals for the Whalers. Fife Gibbs and Zack Hoover capitalized on the opportunity and gave the Whalers a two goal lead. The Knights cleaned up their act between periods, and came out ready to play in the second. Stacker Pentecost scored the third power play goal of the night. 30 seconds later, Tony Flow tied the game up with his third goal of the season. The teams would head into the locker room tied up with two goals each. In the third, Vancouver put the strong Knights power play unit back on the ice after Stefan Nussbaumer took a penalty for holding onto Matt Veenstra’s stick. Ivar Ogorodnikov scored his fourth of the season in the resulting power play, giving the Knights a lead. They would manage to protect that lead for the rest of the period. Igor Ogorodnikov looked better that he had the previous night, stopping 29 of Vancouver’s 31 shots. Result: W Record: 25-19-5 Game 50 - MTL vs KEL Kelowna hosted Montreal at Prospera Place in the tenth meeting between these two teams. Only two three games to go in the season, Kelowna was looking to clinch the West. The first period was a dead heat between the teams. There were penalties on both sides, but neither could take advantage. Ivan Koroviev would finally score for the Knights with four minutes to go in the period. Unfortunately, Pentecost would take a holding penalty, and Montreal would tie the game up. Vladimir Lidstrom scored just eight seconds into the power play, and the teams would go into the locker rooms all tied up at one a piece. In the second, we saw more back and forth action, but little scoring. Both teams were having difficulty developing any kind of sustained offense. Reginald Howard would break the stalemate with a power play goal near the halfway point of the period, putting the Knights up by one. This lead would stand for the remainder of the period. The third period was very similar to the second. Very even, neither team having much luck at hitting the net. Ultimately, this game would end with no additional scoring. Knights take the victory, 2-1, and clinch the West. This gave Kelowna a bye in the first round of the playoffs. Result: W Record: 26-19-5 Game 51 - STL vs KEL For their second to last game of the season, the Knights welcomed the Scarecrows into Kelowna. Having secured a first round bye in the playoffs, recently signed rookie goaltender Emmet Roy would be giving the veteran, Ogorodnikov, a break. The first period had a lot of shots, and a lot of penalties, most of the penalties going against Kelowna. Adam Abodobe scored a shorthanded goal less than 30 seconds into the period. In the second half of the period, Derek Undercore scored a power play goal for the Scarecrows. McLaren Nasher scored a second goal for St Louis in the final minute of the period. The second period was penalty ridden, just like the first. Anton Federov scored on the power play, giving the Scarecrows a two goal lead heading into the final period. Just like the previous two, the third period had a lot of penalties, all of which went against Kelowna. Fredrik Zavstrom and Adam Abodobe scored for the Knights, evening the game at 3-3. Robb Wind would score the game winner on a St Louis power play. Rookie goaltender Emmet Roy played as well as you could expect, saving 31 of the 35 shots he faced. Sergei Kozar stopped 30 of 33 for St Louis. Result: L Record: 26-20-5 Game 52 - KEL vs VAN The final game of the season for both of these teams, but neither team really had anything riding on the game. Again, Kelowna would get giving some valuable ice time to rookie goalie, Roy. It would be a tough night for him. The scoring started just 40 seconds into the first, Ivan Koroviev scored his 10th of the year. Vancouver came right back and scored one of their own, Patrikov Bure scored his first of the night. Adan Abodobe and Tony Flow would each score to put the Knights back in the lead. However, the Whalers evened up the game immediately, with two quick goals of their own, scored by Patrikov Bure and Tomas Jandl. Bure wasn’t done yet, in the 17th minute, he scored his third of the night, putting Vancouver back in the lead. Seven total goals in the first period, Whalers leading 4-3. In the second, Vancouver’s output slowed, in part due to penalties. Kelowna’s Ryan Woito scored his 10th of the year to bring the game back even. Fredrik Zavstrom would give the Knights the lead again with his fourth of the year. Geoffrey Allen scored his 13th of the season to bring the Whalers even. In the final minute of the period, Patrikov Bure buried his fourth goal of the night, putting the Whalers back ahead. In the final period of the regular season for these teams, Vancouver took control of the game. They would score one last goal, as Allen scored his second of the night, and the period would end with the Whalers on top of the Knights, 7-5. Result: L Record: 26-21-5 The Knights ended the season exactly where they wanted to be, at the top of the West, and with a bye in the first round of the playoffs. They played well through the final games of the season, winning 10 of their final 15 games. You might be tempted to look at the final two games of the season and be concerned over the direction the team is going heading into the playoffs. It is important to remember, that the final two games, which were loses, Kelowna started a rookie goaltender that had not played in a single game the entire year, and that the Knights had nothing to play for at this point. [Hit the limit, continuing below] ![]() Moderators S30, S31, S39 Challenge Cup Champion
S24 Top Performers
Kelowna’s success was very much a team effort all season long. However, it is still important to recognize the individual efforts of the most outstanding players this season. Adam Abodobe Of course Abodobe is the first guy on this list. He has been among the top scorers in the league all season long, bouncing between number one and two at times. He led the Knights in goals and total points, and had one of the highest shooting percentages on the team. He very clearly benefited by being on the same line as two other guy son this list, but you don’t get these kind of numbers by just being a warm body on the ice. Abodobe has an uncanny ability to find the back of the net. He seems to always find himself in the right spot to pick up a loose puck, or have a rebound come right onto his stick. He is, without question, one of the best players in the SMJHL. Abodobe ended the season tied for the league lead in points, second for goals scored, and with an outstanding shooting percentage of 19.51%. Randy Randleman The Knights’ captain had an outstanding season after coming in as an undrafted rookie last year. His skill level and point totals have increased dramatically from the year before. He finished the year with the second most goals on the team, and third most total points. Randleman’s shoot-first attitude created opportunities for rebounds and deflections all year long, and would show up in his line mates’ point totals. In addition to his on ice performance, Randleman was the leader in the locker room. He led a large and talented rookie class to a first round bye in the playoffs. Randleman ended the regular season with the second most goals and total points on the team. Stacker Pentecost When Pentecost fell through waivers and into the Knights’ lap, the season took a noticeable upward turn. He came in and provided an offensive spark from the blue line that the Knights had been searching for. In addition, Kelowna’s power play benefited heavily from the addition of Pentecost, making it a major strength of the team, and helping them to lead the league in power play percentage. Pentecost led the team in assists, and had the third most points on the team. He also led the Knights in shots blocked. His contribution on the man advantage was considerable, he finished with the most power play goals, assists, and points on the team. Reginald Howard The first line wasn’t the only line that had excellent performances. Howard was fourth in total points and third in goals for the Knights. Unlike the first line, where everyone contributed to a large degree, Howard stood out among his partners on the second line. Like Abodobe, his shooting percentage was stellar, at 18.42%. He wasn’t just about the scoring though. Reg led the Knights in hits by a significant margin with 129. Howard was third on the team in goals, with 21, and fourth in total points, with 41. Kristján Vilhjalmsson The only rookie on this list, although, an argument could be made for Maximova. The Viking started the season on the second line, but would get promoted to the first. His excellent passing allowed him to rack up an impressive assist count. He had the second most assists on the Knights roster, with 34. As a center, he was very reliable in the faceoff circle, winning 53.2%, good enough for third in the entire league. Finally, he is tied for the team lead in +/- at a +10, which is very impressive for a rookie. Compared to the league, he had the fifth most points among rookies, and he ranked first among rookies in assists. He is also one of three rookies in the league to finish the season with a +10 or better. Honorable Mentions Ivar Ogorodnikov, Igor Ogorodnikov, Maria Maximova, and Dr. Timeturner Whooves all made major contributions to the team as well, and deserve to be mentioned here. Ivar was second on the team in blocked shots, and tied for the highest +/- on the team at a +10. Igor, the goaltender, started 50 out of the 52 games during the season, making him crucial to the team’s success. Maximova was fifth on the team in assist, with 24. She also made a major contribution on the power play as a rookie. Whooves had the fourth most goals on the team with 14, and was eighth in total points. Rookie Evaluations Kelowna’s rookie class showed a huge amount of promise throughout the season. Each of them has been important to the success of the team. Below, we get an idea of how they each did this season in terms of progression, and we’ll also speculate on what round in the draft each player might get picked. Jonathan Lundberg Center || 224tpe Stats: 1g || 5a || 6p || -1 || 32pim || 63hits || 2sb || 448minutes Lundberg was a late addition to an already deep Knights rookie class. His play this season has not been noteworthy. Despite making noticeable progress over the course of the season, and moving up from the fourth line to the third, he is still very raw, and needs more time to continue his development. There is no reason to believe he won’t continue to develop at the rate he has in his short time in Kelowna. Because he is still very much a work-in-progress, it is hard to tell where teams will look to draft him. Teams will probably see him as a middle round selection. Regardless of where he goes, the team that takes him will get a dedicated player with a good locker room presence. Fredrik Zavstrom Center || 205tpe Stats: 4g || 9a || 13p || +1 || 14pim || 13hits || 8sb || 619minutes Zavstrom was the Knights’ fifth round pick in the SMJHL entry draft. While the expectations placed on a fifth round picked aren’t extremely high, Zavstrom has not made the progress that Kelowna would have liked. He is skilled in the faceoff circle, and his skating is some of the best on the team. He also has great defensive instincts for a forward. His offensive skill set will need to improve if he wants to contribute to a SHL team. Judging by his steady rate of development, he may be a good long term investment for the team that picks him up. Look for him to be drafted in the middle to later rounds. It is also worth noting that Zavstrom has expressed interest in moving up to the SHL sooner rather than later. Ivan Koroviev Right Wing || 248tpe Stats: 10g || 10a || 20p || +3 || 12pim || 27hits || 6sb || 556minutes The Russian right wing was the Knights’ third round pick. Koroviev is the classic playmaking wing, who focuses on possessing the puck and passing. He has a great balance of size, skating ability, and vision on the ice. His development has been good, showing that he knows how to work hard, and it has showed up on the ice. If he continues this pace, the team that picks him can look forward to having a solid first or second line player for the future. Koroviev should be worth early round consideration. Hugh Johnson Center || 186tpe Stats: 9g || 16a || 25p || -1 || 12pim || 44hits || 10sb || 958minutes This BC native didn’t have to travel far when he was drafted in the seventh round. Johnson is a sniper, so naturally he has an accurate shot. The Knights tried him out as the first line center in preseason and early on in the regular season. Johnson’s lack of improvement in his skill set, as well as the emergence of other rookies, got him shuffled down to the third line. Johnson is a case of a talented player who relies too much on his talents. If he is willing to put in the work, he could develop into a good center, however, he has not been willing to put in the effort thus far. Unless his work ethic improves, teams will likely look at him in the late rounds of the draft. Dominic Weber Defense || 196tpe Stats: 0g || 9a || 9p || +10 || 63pim || 56hits || 19sb || 417minutes Weber is a giant human being. Standing 6’9”, the German defenseman has better hands, and smoother skating ability than you might expect. He has solid defensive awareness, and fills passing lanes the way you want a young defenseman to. He has been on Kelowna’s fourth defensive pair for the entire season. Weber’s primary issue is that he has been slow to develop. His defensive ability gives him an excellent base on which to build, but he needs to make an effort to improve. Right now, he is a late round selection at best. Tony Flow Right Wing || 184tpe Stats: 4g || 7a || 11p || -4 || 36pim || 65hits || 2sb || 439minutes Tony Flow was Kelowna’s eighth round pick in the SMJHL entry draft. Flow had been a bit of a conundrum. Despite being well liked in the locker room, his progression has not met expectations. Flow is widely accepted as being among the most physically fit, and game ready players, among the Knights. He has a fairly balanced set of offensive skills, but doesn’t excel at anything. His passing will need to be addressed before he moves up to the next level. Tony should be looked at as a late round prospect, who may need a good locker room to keep him motivated. Jukka-Emil Vanaja Defense || 215tpe Stats: 3g || 4a || 7p || +9 || 20pim || 24hits || 25sb || 419minutes This ninth round selection of the Knights has, maybe, the squarest head in the league. He is another defenseman for the Knights who has a good defensive base. Unfortunately, he hasn’t done much to separate himself on a Kelowna team that has some solid defenders. His passing and puck handling are serviceable, but will need to develop further. He will need to show teams that he can step up his efforts when it comes to improving himself, otherwise, he will likely remain a middle to late round draft selection. Nikolaus Scholz Center || 237tpe Stats: 5g || 9a || 14p || +4 || 2pim || 7hits || 1sb || 635minutes The German, Scholz, has had a solid rookie season. Nothing to get too excited about, but he has been one of the better Centers on a team that has all rookies at that position. He started the season on the third line, but has worked his way up onto the second line. While his point totals may not be where he wants them, his work ethic is what will interest prospective teams. Scholz has shown a willingness to make the extra effort in practice and in his off time. With this in mind, teams could look at taking him in the early to middle rounds of the draft. Matt Veenstra Defense || 216tpe Stats: 2g || 12a || 14p || -3 || 31pim || 14hits || 21sb || 686minutes Veenstra has been a pretty solid value pick for Kelowna, getting him in the sixth round. His numbers haven’t been amazing, but decent for a sixth round defenseman. Matt’s skating ability, hands, and skill are all good, but not great. He will need to get stronger or he might get pushed around at the SHL level. If he continues his current development trajectory, there is no reason he can’t be a good offensive defenseman at the next level. Teams should be looking at Veenstra in the middle rounds of the draft, most likely. Kristján Vilhjalmsson Center || 258tpe Stats: 6g || 31a || 37p || +10 || 30pim || 49hits || 2sb || 890minutes The Icelandic Viking was Kelowna’s first pick in the SMJHL draft. He has delivered on the ice for them. He started on the second line, but found himself on the first line with veterans Randleman and Abodobe by the end of the season. Vilhjalmsson is excellent in the faceoff circle, and uses his crisp passing to make plays all over the ice. Kristján’s biggest strength is that he makes the players around him better with his puck possession and vision of the ice. In terms of development, he is about where you would want him to be. If he maintains his current pace, he should be a good player for any SHL team. An early round selection is a safe bet for when he be picked. Maria Maximova Defense || 256tpe Stats: 10g || 24a || 34p || +6 || 35pim || 31hits || 32sb || 869minutes Maximova is a two-way defender by trade, but plays more like an offensive defenseman. She has been a great pick up for the Knights, who selected her in the second round. Maximova has an excellent shot, and is one of the better skaters on the team. She has also great success with her passing, and showed good positioning defensively. The only concern with her, is her lack of physical play. This should not be a major factor for teams, give her offensive production. She has improved steadily since arriving in Kelowna, and appears to be a safe draft pick. She should be selected in the early rounds of the draft. S25 Roster Outlook With the success they had this season, it seems quite possible that the Knights will be losing players to their SHL teams. Some players have shown an interest in remaining with the Knights, if possible, while others have said they would prefer to move up, even if it means playing fourth line with an SHL team. While it is unclear which players will actually remain as send-downs, and which will get called up, we’ll take a look at what the lines could look like in the event that some of the higher profile veterans get the call from their SHL teams. All of this is purely speculative. Players potentially leaving: Adam Abodobe Randy Randleman Reginald Howard Richard D’amour Fredrik Zavstrom Players likely to remain: C - Nikolaus Scholz C - Kristjan Vilhjalmsson C - Jonathan Lundberg C - Hugh Johnson RW - Tony Flow RW - Ivan Koroviev RW - Dr Timeturner Whooves D - Tom Berkis D - Stacker Pentecost D - Ryan Woito D - Matt Veenstra D - Maria Maximova D - Jukka-Emil Vanaja D - Ivar Ogorodnikov D - Dominic Weber G - Igor Ogorodnikov G - Emmet Roy This leaves Kelowna lacking players on the wing. Last season, center was a position of weakness, and the team addressed it in the draft. This year, the wing position appears to be a weakness, while center has become the strong position on the team. It is likely that we will see players playing out of their natural position during the coming season, much like Lundberg did, playing left wing the entire season. For the sake of simplicity, we will look at the lines with everyone playing in their natural position. We’ll leave it up to the GM’s to decide if they will be moving players around the line-up next season. The impending expansion creates the distinct possibility that Ogorodnikov, the goalie, may not return next season. If that is the case, Kelowna may also look at adding an additional goaltender. Given that the players listed above are not likely to return to the team next season, this is what the lines look like, before the SMJHL entry draft. <div align="center">Forwards Left Wing - Center - Right Wing <Empty> - Kristjan Vilhjalmsson - Ivan Koroviev <Empty> - Nikolaus Scholz - Dr. Timeturner Whooves <Empty> - Jonathan Lundberg - Tony Flow <Empty> - Hugh Johnson - <Empty> Defense Ivar Ogorodnikov - Maria Maximova Stacker Pentecost - Matt Veenstra Jukka-Emil Vanaja - Tom Berkis Dominic Weber - Ryan Woito Goalies Igor Ogorodnikov Emmet Roy</div> [12584 words] ![]() Registered Posting Freak ![]() Registered S28 Challenge Cup Champion
goddamn, boy. getting that work done. #GKG
![]() Alucard,Apr 14 2016, 03:33 PM Wrote:May the harvest be with you, young spud. enigmatic,Aug 26 2016, 10:05 AM Wrote:Jedi could have 1 TPE and still improve any team ![]() ![]() First ever Norwegian IIHF Goal!! Code: 2. Team Norway , Jackson Rodgers-Tanaka 1 (Isabella Esparza-Osvaldson, Aleksander Andrezjeck) at 5:50 Special Thanks to Count Chocula for the Hugo G sig <3 ![]() Registered S11 and S28 Challenge Cup Champion
This was a long, which is good, and a great read. I do think that Kelowna can contend again next season with a good class of wingers next draft. Just a great job, keep it up.
![]() Registered S28, S45, S49 Challenge Cup Champion
unreal man, fantastic work!
With the expansion teams I imagine it's quite possible all those send-downs stay up next year. Plenty of chances for some wingers to break out. go ![]() ![]() Registered S30, S31 and S33 Challenge Cup Champion and Wonderbolt
Holy shit. That was really impressive.
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Registered S28 Challenge Cup Champion Quote:Originally posted by enigmatic@Jul 16 2015, 11:24 AMYou took the words right out of my mouth. AWESOME job, dude. As my favourite professor once said... Jesus of fucking Christland, you knew?! Fucking Steve! God... Unholy fucker of mothers, really. Good one, Dean, good one. God, really... fucking A. ![]() Registered S27, S29, S32, S40, S42 Challenge Cup Champion
I don't need to say it, but holy shit that was unreal.pretty sure that's the longest article I've seen
![]() Registered S28, S45, S49 Challenge Cup Champion Quote:Originally posted by Ballerstorm@Jul 16 2015, 07:19 AMdefinitely the longest I've seen. I didn't even know there was a word/character cap ![]() ![]() Trading Card Team currently with big titles
By the way, are we really allowed to keep Stacker for next year? I thought we had him because the Scarecrows put him on waivers and he signed a one-year deal?
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Registered S27, S29, S32, S40, S42 Challenge Cup Champion Quote:Originally posted by enigmatic@Jul 16 2015, 06:57 AMI'm not sure how long his shl contract is, but we get to keep him for the length of it. He is an SHL send down so as long as he has an SHL contract we keep him. ![]() Registered Senior Member ![]() Registered S30, S31 and S33 Challenge Cup Champion & Still on Couch |
« Next Oldest | Next Newest »
|
Users browsing this thread: |
1 Guest(s) |