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Game Recap: Robson, Vees Earn Second Straight Shutout Win

Ty Amonte scored twice and Mat Robson stopped all 26-shots he faced for his second straight shutout, as the Penticton Vees blanked the West Kelowna Warriors 5-0, Friday night at the SOEC.

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS

Assistant Coach Matt Fraser on the CIBC Wood Gundy Post-Game Show

Nicholas Jones, Duncan Campbell (short-handed) and Grant Cruikshank also scored in the win, as the Vees won their fourth straight in front over just over 2,900 fans.

The referees were busy, handing out 40 penalties and nine misconducts for 160 penalty minutes, in a chippy, emotional affair.

The Vees got off to a fast start, scoring on their first two shots of the game to go up by a pair five-minutes in. Amonte broke the ice just past the three-minute mark, darting down the left-wing, before tucking the puck underneath Cole Demers on a deke out front at 3:09.

Then, two-minutes later, it was Jones going hard to the net and chipping in a centering pass from Chris Klack at 5:11 to put Penticton up two. Jones managed to get behind the defenceman and tip in a saucer pass from Chris Klack up and over Demers from the top of the crease for his 22nd.

Feb 17_2
Mat Robson has stopped the last 59 shots he’s faced.

 

Despite the two-goal lead, Mat Robson had to be sharp in the Vees net in the opening frame, as he stopped all 12 shots directed his way and got some help from the post, after Stephen Kleysen just clipped the pipe on a near-miss from between the circles.

The Vees’ penalty-kill continued to give the Warriors fits and produced another goal in the opening seconds of the second period. After Jones poked the puck down the wall, Duncan Campbell skated to the bottom of the circle, before putting a wrist-shot upstairs on the short-side 21-seconds in; Campbell’s 10th chasing Demers from the net after he allowed three goals on just five shots.

Campbell’s goal was the Vees’ fifth short-handed marker against the Warriors this season and seventh overall.

The posts got a workout in the second, as both teams had a few chances that clanked off the iron. Amonte almost had his second of the game but his rebound attempt into an open net hit the base of the far post and someone banked back out. Campbell’s original shot missed but caromed off the boards and back out to Amonte on the opposite side of the net.

Then on a Vees power-play, Taylor Ward had a chance to pad the lead but his blast from the slot smoked the post behind Gabriel Morency’s blocker.

The Warriors had two great looks but both Logan Mostat and Connor Sodergren hit the pipe on a power-play midway through the period. On the same shift, it was Sodergren redirecting a point-shot off the post behind Robson’s glove, and then the puck came over to Mostat who rifled a one-timer off the middle of the cross-bar from the left-wing and out of play.

Not to be outdone, Jones tried for his second goal of the night on another Vees’ power-play late, but his shot from the circle hit the base of the post and stayed out.

No post was going to stop Cruikshank early in the third, as the Vees leading goal-scorer fired a dart over Morency’s should from the left-wing just 76-seconds into the frame making it 4-0; Cruikshank bagging his 29th.

Robson went into the third period not allowing a goal for over 137 minutes and was tested, stopping Connor Sodergren on a breakaway midway through the stanza. Sodergren tried to go up high but Robson jetted out the waffle board to get a piece on the rising shot.

Emotions, which were bubbling to the surface all night, boiled over nine and a half minutes into the third. West Kelowna’s Cavin Tilsley exchanged some shots with Mat Robson in the crease and that sparked a bit of a line skirmish, after Tilsley ripped off Robson’s mask. After the dust settled nine of the 10 skaters on the ice were shown the exit, including all five Vees.

Penticton capped things off the way they started it, with an Amonte goal. Amonte had a tap-in from inside the crease, after finishing off a slick passing play between Owen Sillinger, Griffin Mendel and himself; the future Boston University Terrier scoring his 16th with just over three-minutes left.

Final Score: 5-0 Vees

Shots 26-21 Warriors

Power-Plays: Vees 0-6 Warriors 0-4

Three Stars: 1) Mat Robson 2) Ty Amonte 3) Duncan Campbell

Attendance: 2,907

 Vees Notes: Amonte, Campbell, Jones, Sillinger and Mendel all had with two-point games. Robson’s now hasn’t allowed a goal in the last 157 minutes and 21 seconds, which dates all the way back to the second period against Trail on February 8th. Penticton improved their record to 6-0 against West Kelowna this season and they’ve now won eight straight regular season home games against the Warriors.

Penticton (38-12-1-2) looks for their fifth straight win Saturday, when they host the Salmon Arm Silverbacks (20-28-3-3); puck drop is 6 pm. It’s the Vees’ annual Pink the Rink night in support of Ant-Bullying awareness. Fans are encouraged to wear pink to the game, as the Vees will be wearing their Cobs Bread pink Anti-Bullying jerseys.

Tickets are available at the Valley First box office (at the SOEC), or online at www.valleyfirsttix.com