The Cranbrook Bucks are off to a running start for the 2024-25 BCHL season after a 9-0 blowout win over the West Kelowna Warriors Friday night to open their campaign.
The Bucks got rolling around the midway mark of the first period and never looked back. Cranbrook opened the scoring at 7:24 when a Blake Cotton one-timer found its way into the Warriors cage to lift his squad to a 1-0 lead. Additional goals from Jacob Fletcher and Matthew Gilmore put the Bucks in a 3-0 lead at the first intermission.
Cranbrook continued to pour on the offense in the middle frame. Goals from Sam Lyne and Kaslo Ferner put the Bucks in a 5-0 lead at the forty minute barrier.
Penalty troubles for the Warriors in the third period yielded more offense via Cranbrook’s power play, with the Bucks adding 3 of their 4 goals in the final frame coming with the man-advantage intact. Patrick Murphy and Rasmus Svartstrom each tallied on the power play while Ferner and Lyne both found the net for a second time in the game to leave the Bucks with a 9-0 victory after the final buzzer.
Friday’s win gives the Bucks a 1-0 start to the season. Cranbrook finished 4/5 on the power play and 3/3 on the penalty kill while outshooting the Warriors 45-21.
The Bucks are back at it Saturday night when they host the Vernon Vipers.
Buck Tracks:
- 10 Bucks skaters finish with multi-point games
- Goaltender Kolten Bourret makes 21 saves for a shutout win in his BCHL debut
- 1st career BCHL regular season goals for Sam Lyne, Matthew Gilmore and Rasmus Svartstrom
