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Conway, Vees Thump Vipers on New Year’s Day

The Penticton Vees rang in 2016 in style Friday night, as the trounced the Vernon Vipers 6-0 on New Year’s Day at Kal-Tire Place in Vernon.

BOXSCORE

Penticton didn’t show any signs of a hangover, as Scott Conway paced the attack with his first hat-trick, in a five-point night. Dante Fabbro added a pair of power-play markers and Tyson Jost also rippled the mesh for the visitors.

Zach Driscoll picked up his third shutout of the season, his second against Vernon, steering aside all 26-shots fired his way.

Fabbro and Jost made an immediate impact in their return to the Vees line-up. Both finished with three points respectively and collaborated on the game’s first goal. Fresh off winning a gold medal at the World Junior ‘A’ Challenge in Ontario last month, the two hooked up on the Vees opening power-play. Eight seconds into the game Vernon was dinged for a penalty and the Vees made quick work of their first opportunity on the man-advantage. Fabbro hammered a one-timer from the slot for his first of two on the night at 1:46; Jost picking up an assist on the power-play blast.

(Assistant Coach Nick Fuher liked how aggressive the Vees were at  both ends of the ice.)

Penticton blew the game open in the second, scoring four goals, two on the power-play, to build up a comfortable five-goal lead through two periods.

The Vees’ Captain doubled the visitors lead nine-minutes into the middle frame, after a nice dish from Owen Sillinger. Jost was charging down the right-wing and Sillinger threw a perfect saucer pass on his tape for the tap-in at 8:57; Jost bagging his 25th on the year.

Conway then got in on the scoring, as the Vees power-play flexed its muscles once more. Right off a face-off, Conway spun and fired a dart into the top corner from the left-wing at 11:41 to push the lead to 3-0.

The Vees then got two more inside the final minute of the second period. First, Conway picked up his second of the game on a nice redirect out front with sixty-seconds left. Mendel took the point shot and Conway tipped-in his 33rd of the year over the goalie’s glove.

Thirty-five seconds later Fabbro and the power-play were at it again. The puck came back to Fabbro who, from the middle of the blue-line, fired a wrist-shot that found its way through a crowd and into the back of the net; the rear-guard collecting his ninth of the campaign.

Conway salted away the game in the third, getting his hat-trick goal eleven-minutes into the final frame. After a nice play out front by Sillinger to drop it back, Conway managed to throw a backhand attempt towards the goal that went off a couple of Vipers sticks before trickling in over the goal-line at 11:05; the 20-year-old picking up goal number 34.

(Assistant Coach Nick Fuher on Conway’s 5-point night.)

Final Score: 6-0 Vees

Shots: 37-26 Vees

Power-Plays: Vees 3-5 Vipers 0-3

Three Stars: 1) Scott Conway 2) Dante Fabbro 3) Domenic Masellis

Conway’s five-point night now gives his 16-points in five games against Vernon this season; he’s three points off the BCHL scoring lead. Tyson Jost extended his point streak to 19-games with his three-point effort. Zach Driscoll is now 2-0 against Vernon this season, both shutout performances, and the Vees improved their record to 19-3 against the Interior Division with the victory. Friday marked the return of both Dixon Bowen and Seamus Donohue to the line-up, after they were sidelined since November with upper-body injuries.

Penticton (32-4-1-0) plays their first home game of 2016 tomorrow night, Saturday, January 2nd, when they host the second-place Salmon Arm Silverbacks (22-9-2-2) at the SOEC; puck drop is 6 pm. The Vees last beat the ‘Backs 4-3 in double-overtime on December 12th, which was also at the SOEC. Tickets are available at the Valley First box office, or online at www.valleyfirsttix.com

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