Since relocating from Langley in 2006, the West Kelowna Warriors have become a British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) staple, often boasting a solid crowd and a skilled lineup with high expectations with each new season.
When the Westside Warriors began their inaugural season playing home games out of the Memorial Arena in Kelowna.
Construction of Royal LePage Place wouldn91裸聊视频檛 be ready until the following year, so the team would bus its fans to Memorial, establishing a strong following right from the get-go.
91裸聊视频淲e were quite impressed with how the (Westside) community supported the team when they had to go to Kelowna,91裸聊视频� said Warriors president Chris Laurie.
91裸聊视频淵ear one, there was a lot of excitement. At the time, West Kelowna wasn91裸聊视频檛 a city. It was a municipality, so it maybe lacked some civic pride and maybe we brought that.
91裸聊视频淭here were a lot of people that were proud to live in West Kelowna and we brought a bit of an identity that the residents could hang their hat on.91裸聊视频�
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In the early years, the Warriors roster featured an abundance of homegrown talent.
Coached by Mark Howell, the Warriors played a tough brand of hockey that matched up well against other teams.
Howell91裸聊视频檚 teams would exceed expectations, making the playoffs in the first two years, but losing in the first round in 2006-07 and the second in 2007-08.
91裸聊视频淭hose were two of the better years for this franchise,91裸聊视频� said Laurie.
91裸聊视频淚 remember the first year in Royal LePage Place. There was a lot of buzz.
91裸聊视频淲e averaged almost 1,200 fans on a routine basis and there was a lot of passion.91裸聊视频�
A player that added to the buzz was future Stanley Cup champion Justin Schultz.
The West Kelowna native was a fan favourite for his superior hockey sense and offensive ability, patrolling the blueline from 2006 to 2009.
In his first full season with the Warriors, he registered 40 points in 51 games and was the team91裸聊视频檚 number one defenceman as a 17-year-old.
His stellar play earned him a second-round selection in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, taken 43rd overall by the Anaheim Ducks.
While the Warriors would have some success after the Schultz era, the team didn91裸聊视频檛 make some real noise until the 2012-13 season when the team made the conference finals.
But, then after two first-round exits in 2013-14 and 2014-15, the Warriors finally captured the BCHL91裸聊视频檚 ultimate prize in 2015-16.
91裸聊视频淚n 2016, it was the right mix of players,91裸聊视频� said Laurie.
READ MORE: New era for West Kelowna Warriors with new ownership, management and culture
A strong leadership group also made a big impact.
Captain Kyle Marino led the way with a big-physical presence on the back-end, while forward Jonathan Desbiens led the team in scoring.
The Warriors will hope to bring home another championship next season after a rollercoaster of events last year.
With the Warriors heavily relying on rookies to do the heavylifting, the team struggled out of the gate, sitting in last place after the opening two months of the season.
Changes had to be made.
91裸聊视频淭his ownership group of John Murphy (governor) and Rod Hume (managing partner) purchased the team in mid-November,91裸聊视频� said Laurie.
91裸聊视频淭hat91裸聊视频檚 when I joined as well and that91裸聊视频檚 when we re-evaluated both on the business side and the hockey side.
91裸聊视频淲e made a lot of changes by Christmas time.91裸聊视频�
To shake things up, the Warriors hired new coach Simon Ferguson, who played for the Kelowna Rockets in the WHL, and were the most active team at the BCHL trade deadline.
The team finished the year off strong, winning four out of their last five games before losing to the Penticton Vees in the first round of the playoffs.
Since then, the management group has been recruiting hard and has landed some exciting talent for next season.
91裸聊视频淲e91裸聊视频檝e now got an older and a more skilled roster for next season,91裸聊视频� said Laurie.
91裸聊视频淲e91裸聊视频檙e very excited for next season.91裸聊视频�
