NEWS

Quarter Season recap

October 27th,
2022 The conclusion of the Lakers’ five-game homestand last Saturday night also signified their quarter-season mark. With a 3-1-0-1 record, the Lakers sit tied for second place in the BCHIL standings.

The Lakers' power play was the difference against the Logan Lake Miners on October 22nd. Going 3-for-6 with the man advantage thanks partly to goals from Arik Breton, Simon Nemethey and Ty Banser. Rounding out the scoring was Noah Turanski and a second maker from Banser. In his first start of the year, goaltender Jaden Little turned aside 21 of the 23 shots he faced.

The entire BCIHL will take this coming weekend off before returning to action the first weekend of November. The Lakers will be on the road heading north for Logan Lake’s home opener on November 5th. While the University of Victoria heads south across the border for a pair of exhibition games against the Univerisity of Oregon Ducks (ACHA) in Eugene Oregon.

At this point of the season, the Lakers’ stats leaders are as followsGoals:
[2] Basner, Nolan Corrado
Assists: [4] Breton
Points: [6] Breton

All three goaltenders  Little, Daniel Paul, and Jay Thomson have one win apiece.
BCIHL Standings
SFU - 10 points [5-1-0-0]
Lakers - 7 points [3-1-0-1]
VIU - 7 points [3-1-0-1]
UVIC - 0 points [0-3-0-0]
Miners - 0 points [0-3-0-0]
BCIHL Stats Leaders
Goals: [8] Brock Palmer [VIU]
Assists: [10] Nick Wicks [SFU]
Points: [15] Wicks [SFU]
Wins: [3] Derek Krall [VIU]

The Lakers will close out November playing every Saturday against SFU. With two home games on November 12th and 26th. They will travel to Burnaby on November 18th.November 12th’s game will be played at Prospera Place in downtown Kelowna. Admission will be waived for those who bring a nonperishable food item donation. Game action starts at 7:00 PM.

Game 4 Vs VIU Mariners Recap

Oct 15,2022Kelowna, BC

The offense ran dry as the Okanagan Lakers were shut out 5-0 by Vancouver Island University on Saturday night.

VIU was led by a strong performance from their top line of Brock Palmer, Garrett Dunlop, and Ethan Jones. It was Palmer who opened the scoring with a power play marker less than five minutes into the first period. Dunlop would extend the lead to two later in the period with his fifth goal of the campaign.

The second period looked much like the first with VIU controlling play. Brendan Cherwalk gave VIU more breathing room in the early stages of the second. Palmer found his way on the score sheet once again, notching his second of the night and league-leading eighth goal.

Brady Daniels put the nail in the coffin in the third. The win kept VIU as the only BCIHL team left without a regulation-time loss as they sit one point ahead of Simon Fraser University.

The Lakers close out their five-game home stand on Oct. 22nd where they host Logan Lake for the final time this season. Over their first four games, the Lakers hold a 2-1-0-1 record. The action Saturday starts at 6:15 PM on Rink #1 at the Capital News Centre. Admission is $10, kids 12&under are free.

Game 3 Vs Logan Lake Recap

Oct 8th, 2022Kelowna, BC

On Thanksgiving Weekend, it was the Okanagan Lakers giving thanks to themselves for earning four points. The Lakers followed up their win Friday night with a convincing 4-0 victory over the Logan Lake Miners on Saturday in BCIHL action.

Ty Banser cracked the goose egg early in the first. Finishing off a play set up by Arik Breton and Simon Nemethy, Banser went far post and in on a power play goal to give the Lakers the lead. Miners’ goaltender Matthew Ens stood tall for the rest of the frame to keep his team trailing by only one heading into the first intermission.

In the second, the Lakers were able to widen the gap. Tyren Grimsdale doubled the lead with his first of the campaign, that goal also coming with the man advantage. Moments later it was his line mate Nolan Corrado scoring his third goal in as many games. Corrado redirected a shot from the point and the Lakers found themselves up 3-0 after 40 minutes of play.

Skating the puck out of his own zone, defenceman Josh Dalquist (Player of the game) let a sharp wrister from the top of the circle fooling Ens on the glove side. That third period goal was more than enough as Jay Thomson stopped all 20 shots he faced from the Miners to secure his first BCIHL win and shutout. Final shots on net favoured the Lakers to the tune of 45-20.

After two weeks of BCIHL regular season play, the team from the Okanagan finds themselves in first place. They have been able to pick up five of the possible six points available. The Lakers will look to keep the momentum rolling as they host the VIU Mariners in a rematch of their season opener. In that game the Lakers battled back from 2-0 and 3-2 scores but ultimately fell short in a 4-3 overtime loss.

Puck drop against VIU will be a week from now Saturday, October 15th. The game starts at 6:30 PM from Rink #1 at the Capital News Centre in Kelowna. Admission is $10 and kids 12 & under are free. For those unable to make it to the arena, the game will be broadcasted on HockeyTV.

Game 2 Vs Uvic Vikes Recap

Oct 7th, 2022Kelowna BC
A three goal first period was all the Okanagan Lakers needed to defeat the University of Victoria Vikes by a score of 4-2 Friday night in Kelowna.
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It was the start the Lakers’ Head Coach Kevin Bathurst wanted from his squad. Okanagan came out fast and got on the board early. Nolan Corrado opened the scoring with his 2nd of the season. Teammates Marshal Porteous and Kyle Bailey joined in on the fun each registering their 1st goals of the campaign in the opening marker.

U-Vic battled back in the second, scoring in the opening minute of the frame. They would cut the Lakers lead down to one before the end of the period.

The two teams played a hard checking third. Nick Bolin added some insurance for the Lakers sneaking the puck under the crossbar from a near impossible angle. Credit to Lakers’ netminder Daniel Paul for standing tall when called upon to help the Lakers preserve the two points.

With the win and last week’s overtime loss, the Lakers are just one point shy of tying last year’s point total. Coincidently, they’ve gone the same route, an overtime loss to VIU and a regulation win over U-Vic. 

It is a quick turn around for the Lakers as they host the newest team in the BCIHL, the Logan Lake Miners. Puck drop is slated for 6:30 PM from Rink#1 at Capital News Centre in Kelowna. Admission is $10 and kids 12&under are free. For those unable to catch the action live from the rink, the game will be broadcasted on HockeyTV.

Home Opener Recap Sept 30th 2022

The Lakers erased a two goal deficit but ultimately fell short, picking up a single point in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Vancouver Island University Mariners. 

The Mariners showed no signs of bus legs after their trip from Nanaimo to Kelowna Friday night. It took less than four minutes for Garrett Dunlop to register the first goal of the BCIHL. The lead would double before the midway point of the period thanks to a powerplay marker from Brock Palmer. He broke to the net from the corner and shovelled the puck up and over the shoulder of Lakers goaltender Daniel Paul. Okanagan cut the deficit to one when Gijs De Schepper stepped into a shot from between the face-off circle dots, wiring the puck into the top left corner.

Off the rush Jack Coulthard made a great pass to Nolan Corrado breaking towards the net. Corrado was able to redirect the puck behind Derek Krall on the powerplay to bring the teams square with 15:44 remaining in the second. That score would be temporary as Dunlop once again gave VIU a lead. The Lakers responded with a goal of their own before the intermission. Arik Breton used the VIU defender as a partial screen and wired the puck over the glove of Krall.

The third period saw no change in the score but those in attendance were treated to an exciting display of goaltending. Paul turned away all 16 shots he faced, including a handful of game savers late. Down on his side, He reached back to pull the puck off of the goal line negating VIU’s best chance at a regulation win.

It took almost the full five minute overtime to decide a winner. With 31 seconds left at 3-on-3, Levi Johnson played hero. He was able to break coverage and beat Paul on the blocker side to give the Mariners the victory. Final shots favoured VIU to the tune of 48-30.

Okanagan will be back in action for a pair of home games next weekend. They start with a Friday night meeting against the University of Victoria Vikes. That game is a 7:45 PM start. Saturday will see a visit from the new expansion Logan Lake Miners. Composed of students attending Thompson River University and Nicola Valley Institute of Technology. Puck drop for Saturday is 6:30 PM. Both games will be played at Capital News Centre Rink #1 in Kelowna. Admission is $10, children 10 & under are free.

The 2022-23 hockey season is right around the corner - #WelcomeToTheLakeShow!  

  A lot has happened around here during the off-season! For one, we’ve recruited over 12 new players to
compete for the chance to wear the Lakers uniform as of next week. You’ll be able to see our newest
members which include local student athletes Jordon Woytas (ACHA Transfer), former CSSHL athlete
and Okanagan Rocket Nolan Corrado (Campbell River Storm), and Vernon local and SIJHL Champion Nic
Bolin. Joining a strong returning core of defensemen this season is Penticton product Bailey Tamminga
(Drayton Valley Thunder).

In preparation for the 2022-23 season, the Lakers will open training camp Friday, September 2, at the
Winfield Arena. The 3-day camp (September 2-4) will feature daily scrimmages, fitness testing, and
workouts as we warm up for the weeks to come. Check out our Instagram and Twitter for some behind
the scenes exclusives!

Players will be fighting for roster spots in the Lakers’ exhibition opener on Friday, September 9, at
Capital News Centre versus the expansion Logan Lake Miners. Make sure you come to show some support!

We’re also very proud to announce that the 2021-22 Coaching and Support Staff are returning for the
upcoming season, with Head Coach Kevin Bathurst behind the bench with Ryan Hawes and Tyler
Young.

2021-22 Lakers Captain Adrian Van de Mosselear joins the coaching staff as Assistant Coach/Director of
Player Development, Academics, and Wellness. Former KIJHL Assistant Coach Carl Poole is also with the
Lakers this off-season as an assistant coach, and Jeff Marsden returns to the Lakers staff with a
promotion to Director of Hockey Operations. Reid Hackett returns to fill the Head Equipment Manager
position, while maintaining his assistant athletic therapist position. And rounding out the staff is Alannah
Zaste, who returns as Head Athletic Trainer.

The Lakers would like to particularly thank a number of exceptional local sponsors, welcoming back
Fleet Brake and Barry Beecroft Fuel Distributors.
Joining us for our second season are CSN Collision and Chambers Plan Employee Benefits. We have
also partnered with Global Gym in Kelowna as the Lakers’ off-ice home this season.
We’re very excited to follow up on our 2021-22 season semi-final appearance! Don't miss your chance
to see Okanagan only College Hockey Program in action this season. Check out our schedule and make
sure to show your support!

















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05/04/2022 - lAKERS former captain takes on player development role

The Okanagan Lakers are pleased to announce former captain Adrian Van De Mosselaer will be back with the team as Director of Player Development, Academics & wellness.
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Van De Mosselear captained the Lakers in their inaugural season. Before joining the Lakers, Van De Mosselear was an Assitant Captain with the WHL’s Edmonton Oil Kings. After his junior career, he played three professional seasons in the ECHL with the Ontario Reign. Ending a seven-year hiatus from competitive hockey, Van De Mosselear provided the Lakers with strong leadership while patrolling the blue line. He will continue his studies at UBC-O where he is obtaining his Bachelor of Science in nursing.

05/03/2022 - lAKERS ANNOUNCE Returning staff

The Okanagan Lakers are excited to announce the return and changes of their coaching staff and team personnel. 
Kevin Bathurst returns as the team’s Head Coach.
Ryan Hawes returns as the team’s Assitant Coach.
Tyler Young returns as the team’s Video Coach.
Jeff Marsden returns, moving from Equipment Manager to Director of Hockey Operations.
Alannah Zaste returns as the team’s Kininseologist.
Reid Hackett returns as the team’s assistant athletic therapist and will additionally serve as the team’s new Equipment Manager.