Photo: Cherie Morgan
PENTICTON, BC- The Penticton Vees opened the 2023 BCHL Playoffs with an 8-2 victory over the Trail Smoke Eaters, Friday at the SOEC.
The Vees lead the best-of-seven Interior Conference Quarterfinal 1-0.
Bradly Nadeau led the way with a four-goal performance. Older brother Josh had three assists, Brett Moravec scored a pair of goals, and Dovar Tinling had a goal and a helper. In all, 13 players recorded a point in the win for Penticton.
The Vees special teams chipped in with two goals, as they scored on the power play and shorthanded.
Tinling scored the Vees’ first goal of the playoffs two minutes into the game and shorthanded. With a Vee in the box, Tinling raced down the puck and scored on a partial breakaway to put the Vees up 1-0. Bradly Nadeau scored twice in the opening frame, as Penticton took a 3-1 lead into the first intermission.
Trail’s Ethan Mann made it 3-2 48 seconds into the second period on a Smoke Eaters’ power play, but the Vees responded with two goals in back half of the period. Bradly Nadeau scored his hat-trick goal nine minutes into the middle frame to make it 4-2, then Moravec scored his first of two with 65-seconds left to put the home team up 5-2.
Bradly was back at in in the third, as he scored his fourth goal of the game two minutes into the frame on a great pass from his older brother that made it 6-2. Moravec and Spencer Smith scored in the final two and a half minutes to put the game to bed. Smith’s diving effort made it 7-2 at 17:24 and Moravec finished the scoring at 18:11 on a bank shot that put Penticton up 8-2.
GAME NOTES
Including last season’s Game Four win over Nanaimo in the Fred Page Cup Final, Bradly Nadeau has seven goals and eight points in his last two playoff games. The win pushes the Vees home ice win streak to 35 games dating back to the 2022 playoffs. Defenceman Joshua Niedermayer and forward Billy Norcross return to the lineup Friday after missing the last week of the Regular Season.
GAME STATS
Final Score: 8-2, Vees
Shots: 45-19, Vees
Vees Scoring: B. Nadeau (4), Moravec (2), Tinling, Smith
Vees PP: 1/3
Vees PK: 1/2
Three Stars:
1) Bradly Nadeau
2) Mason Poolman
3) Ethan Mann (TRA)
Attendance: 2,852
Next Game: Game Two, Saturday, Apr. 1st, vs. Trail, 7:00 pm
