Trail, BC: The Penticton Vees may have deserved a better fate Tuesday night, tying the game with 20 seconds to go but ultimately losing just 1:35 into overtime in game three of the Interior Division semifinals.
Just 80 seconds into the game, Owen Sillinger scored on a breakaway for his fifth of the post season, giving the Vees an early lead.
Trail ran into penalty trouble in game two, but in the first period it was Penticton heading to the box three times. With Ocean Wiesblatt in the box for tripping, Blaine Caton was able to knock a rebound out of the air past Adam Scheel to tie the game 8:22 into the first.
Later in the frame, a similar play resulted in another Smoke Eaters power-play goal, but the video feed appeared to show Levi Glasman’s stick above the crossbar as he swatted the puck into the net.
With no video review available, the officials conferenced in front of the penalty boxes for a few minutes before ruling it a good goal, giving Trail a 2-1 lead through 20 minutes.
Jared Nash tied the game with a little under eight minutes to play in the second, wrapping a puck from behind the goal that appeared to bounce off Adam Macoux, then a Trail defender in front before bouncing into the net.
After Penticton killed off a penalty 6:30 into the third, Trail would score a few minutes later to take a 3-2 lead. Kale Howarth skated into the Vees zone down the left wing before hooking the puck into the middle for Jeremy Lucchini.
The defenceman was able to slide the puck through Scheel’s five hole, giving Trail the 3-2 lead with 8:48 to play.
Penticton went to their third power play of the game shortly after the goal but couldn’t capitalize. In the dying seconds, with Scheel on the bench for the extra attacker, the Vees would even things up.
Taylor Ward sent a quick feed from the goal line to the slot, and it bounced to Jonny Tychonick in the right circle. After holding on to the puck, Tychonick fired it into the top corner with 19.5 seconds on the clock as the two teams went into overtime.
Just 1:35 into the extra frame, Carter Jones took a drop feed from Howarth flying down the slot and fired a wrist shot past Scheel’s blocker to end the game.
The Vees haven’t had success at Cominco Arena in playoff overtime; playing three games in Trail in 2005 the Vees lost both that went into overtime, sandwiched around a 4-1 win.
Game five will be at the South Okanagan Events Centre Friday at 7:00.
Team Statistics
Leading Scorers
Penticton Vees
Jonny Tychonick – 2 G 9 A 7 GP
Taylor Ward – 5 G 5 A 7 Gp
Chris Klack – 4 G 6 A 7 GP
Trail Smoke Eaters
Kale Howarth – 3 G 8 A 7 GP
Levi Glasman – 5 G 3 A 7 GP
Jeremy Lucchini – 2 G 6 A 7 GP
Special Teams
Penticton Vees
Power play – 40.0% (1st among remaining teams)
Penalty kill – 86.4% (3rd among remaining teams)
Trail Smoke Eaters
Power play – 27.8% (3rd among remaining teams)
Penalty kill – 61.8% (Last among remaining teams)
Series Schedule
Game one – March 16, 2018 Vees 5 vs Smoke Eaters 3 Boxscore
Game two – March 17, 2018 Vees 7 vs Smoke Eaters 2 Boxscore
Game three – March 20, 2018 Vees 3 @ Smoke Eaters 4 OT Boxscore
Game four – March 21, 2018 Vees @ Smoke Eaters 7:00
Game five – March 23, 2018 Vees vs Smoke Eaters 7:00
Game six – March 24, 2018 Vees @ Smoke Eaters 7:00*
Game seven, March 26, 2018 Vees vs Smoke Eaters 7:00*
*If Necessary
