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HomeSportsDubois and Epp loving life in the Okanagan

Dubois and Epp loving life in the Okanagan

Braiden Epp and Chase Dubois were grinning from ear to ear as the West Kelowna Warriors skated to a 4-0 victory over the Prince George Spruce Kings on Thursday.

It marked the first and likely final time the 20-year old Epp will walk into the Rolling Mix Concrete Arena during his BCHL career after spending 3.5 years with his hometown club.

Epp was traded to West Kelowna earlier this season after the Spruce Kings came out of the gate at 1-7.

His best season with Prince George came in 2014-15 where he recorded 24 goals and 19 assists during the regular season and followed that up with 4 more goals in the playoffs.

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Braiden Epp facing an ex-team-mate.
Epp says he couldn’t have been more pleased to have the amount of family show up for his brief homecoming. “I had a bunch of family and I had grandparents fly in so it was just nice to see all of them and play well.”

The whole situation surrounding his return didn’t really hit him until he boarded the bus with his Warrior teammates.

“I had nine hours to think about all the stuff that happened and just to score a goal is one of those things and obviously I have a bunch of memories playing for the Spruce Kings so it was nice to come back and get a win.”

Epp also spent one season with the Cariboo Cougars where he compiled 69 points in 39 games during the 2012-13 season.

Meanwhile, the 18-year old Dubois who is a Williams Lake product also has ties to Prince George.

Dubois spent three seasons in the BCMML with the Cariboo Cougars where he collected 92 points in 104 games.

A major highlight for him came a couple of years ago at the Mac’s Midget AAA Hockey Tournament in Calgary where the Cats won it all by beating the Regina Pat Canadiens.

Dubois’s final season in the midget ranks ended prematurely last winter after a broken leg sidelined him for the rest of the season and playoffs where the Cougars eventually bowed out in the league finals to the Valley West Hawks.

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Now fully healthy, Dubois is enjoying his new lease on life with West Kelowna. “The leg feels good, I don’t even notice it anymore. I can’t turn on my one side like I used too but other than that I feel great.”

Dubois has recorded 16 goals and 15 assists in 51 games during his first season in the BCHL.

He dressed as an affiliate player for the Spruce Kings before his injury and recorded 1 goal in the two games he played.

Much like Epp, Dubois had this game circled on his calendar since committing to the Warriors last spring.

“This was a huge game, I had huge butterflies coming while driving up. I was sitting in the dressing room really nervous since I had this game marked down after assuming I was going to play with Prince George this year and ending up in West Kelowna. I really wanted to beat these guys.”

Another ex-Spruce King Cavin Tilsley also potted a goal in his return to Prince George as a member of the Warriors.

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