Photo Credit: Pure Life Photography
Salmon Arm, BC: The Penticton Vees (36-16-3-2) needed a big third period after giving up a late goal in the second, and that’s exactly what they got with four unanswered goals en route to a 5-2 win against the Salmon Arm Silverbacks (27-25-4-1) Friday night.
The game was scoreless through 20 minutes with the Vees outshooting the Silverbacks 12-8. Massimo Rizzo came close to opening the scoring, sliding a puck along the ice that hit the post but stayed out of the net late in the period.
Early in the second Salmon Arm opened the scoring. While on a power play that carried over from the first, Nick Unruh got the last touch on a jam play at the side of the net that ended up sliding into the net when Jack LaFontaine rolled on to his side.
The Vees finally solved Ethan Langenegger in the back half of the second period. After Eric Linell’s wrist shot missed the net, Lukas Sillinger made a great play to hold it in at the left point and throw it to the slot.
Linell then tipped the puck through his legs to Rizzo who beat Langenegger over the glove on his backhand to tie the game. The Vees showed jump for the next few minutes after the goal, but another power play put Salmon Arm back on top.
Unruh had the puck on the goal line and cut out towards the slot, getting LaFontaine to open his five hole before sliding the puck through the goaltenders legs and into the net with just 39 seconds left in the period.
The Vees appeared to tie the game just 55 seconds into the third, but the official blew play dead as the puck came loose in the crease and Penticton scored, keeping the Silverbacks ahead 2-1. They wouldn’t be trailing for much longer, however.
David Silye took a pass from Rizzo on the power play and skated down the slot before wiring a wrist shot into the top corner over Langenegger’s glove just 2:02 into the period.
Four minutes later, on another power play, Sillinger took a pass in the slot and out waited the Salmon Arm defender before letting a wrist shot go. His shot was stopped, but Ryan Sandelin was on the doorstep to give the Vees a 3-2 lead with his 30th goal of the season.
With under two minutes to play, Jack Barnes was streaking up the middle of the ice and took a pass from Sillinger in the Silverbacks zone. Barnes took the pass in the slot, fought off a defender and lifted a backhander over Langenegger’s pad to give the Vees a two-goal cushion late in regulation.
Silye would hit the empty net from his own zone with 22 seconds to play, sealing the win for Penticton. LaFontaine was stellar once again in the Vees crease, turning aside 34 shots for his 29th win of the season.
The Vees now have a chance to clinch their eighth straight Interior Division pennant with a regulation win on home ice Saturday as they host the Silverbacks to the South Okanagan Events Centre. If the Vees don’t win, they would still clinch first with a Centennials regulation loss to Vernon.
Following the game the team will have their annual award ceremony at centre ice, so fans are encouraged to stay after the final buzzer.
