The Cranbrook Bucks came out on top in a battle of the goalies versus the West Kelowna Warriors Friday night, taking a 1-0 victory.
Both teams had chances in a somewhat tame first period with the Warriors outshooting the Bucks 12-9. but goalies Miles Roberts for Cranbrook and Edouard Gauthier for West Kelowna were unblemished through a scoreless twenty minutes.
A Bucks power play in the latter stages of the second period broke the scoring. Patrick Murphy, among the hottest players in the BCHL through 2025, found paydirt on the man-advantage to lift Cranbrook to a 1-0 lead. Cranbrook’s narrow edge held steady through second intermission.
The Warriors came on strong in the third period, but Roberts was ready for whatever the Okanagan club had in store. The Bucks were able to hang on for a 1-0 win to start the weekend.
Friday’s win lifts Cranbrook’s record to 24-15-2, they’re on a four game winning streak. On special teams, the Bucks went 1/3 on the power play and 3/3 on the penalty kill. The Warriors outshot Cranbrook 32-29.
The Bucks are back in action Saturday night versus the Salmon Arm Silverbacks.
Buck Tracks:
- 2nd shutout of the season for Miles Roberts (32 saves).
- 1 goal for Patrick Murphy, extends point streak to 5 games.
