PHOTO: Cherie Morgan/Cherie Morgan Photography
PENTICTON, B.C. – The Penticton Vees got back in the win column and concluded their three-game home stand with a 4-2 victory over the Trail Smoke Eaters on Wednesday night at the South Okanagan Events Centre.
The opening period had no goals to show for it but plenty of speed and rushes with both goaltenders shining in the opening 20 minutes. Logan Terness had to be quick with a poke check early on in the period as Jay O’Brien made a charge to the net, moving to his back hand from the right side and driving to the net but Terness stuck his stick out and jabbed the puck away to prevent the scoring chance.
Yaniv Perets also had to be strong in the opening period, turning aside all 10 of the shots thrown his way including a big save off of his mask on a partial breakaway. After a Vees power play, Owen Ozar exited the penalty box and took a pass off the right boards and moved to the net with a shot that was stopped by the mask of Perets toward the end of the period to keep the game knotted at 0-0.
Starting the period off with a power play, the Vees started to gain momentum in the 2nd period and opening the scoring at the 4:21 mark of the frame as the Captain got the home side on the board. Lukas Sillinger drove to the net with the puck going off of his stick and Silye collecting on the blocker side of Terness as he spun the puck at the goal and banked off of a Smoke Eater and in for his 5th goal of the season and a 1-0 Vees lead.
The Vees started to mount pressure in the Smoke Eaters end, outshooting them by a 17-8 margin over the course of the middle stanza and extended their lead to 2-0 late in the period after a pair of big stops from Perets as he denied Chase Dafoe with two chances in front which allowed the Vees to bring the puck the other way and extend their advantage.
Conner Hutchison made a strong play to hold the puck inside the left blue line and sent a pass down low where Jay O’Brien took a shot from the left-wing half boards that was chipped by Alex DiPaolo at the side of the net as he banked in his 4th goal of the season past the glove side at the 16:53 mark that gave the Vees a 2-0 lead.
The third period saw a flurry of scoring over the first five minutes of play with Trail getting within a goal on a power play marker. Chase Dafoe took a rebound off the right pad of Perets and whacked in the puck on a goalmouth scramble to get the Smoke Eaters on the board at the 2:12 mark of the 3rd period to make it a one-goal game.
An answer came quickly after that and the eventual game-winning goal came shorthanded with Colton Kalezic pushing the Vees lead to 3-1. Kalezic chipped the puck past the defenseman in his own zone and chased the puck for a shorthanded breakaway, moving from his forehand to his backhand and past the blocker side of Terness for his 6th goal of the season and a two-goal lead at the 2:49 mark.
The Smoke Eaters had a response at the 4:19 mark of the 3rd period as Owen Ozar cut the deficit to one-goal again after Kent Johnson spotted him in the right face-off circle with a pass from below the goal line that Ozar snapped past the blocker side of Perets.
Both teams had chances to either increase the lead or tie the game as the period went on but an empty net goal from Jay O’Brien with 24 seconds remaining for his 9th goal of the season capped off a 4-2 Vees victory.
Yaniv Perets turned aside 24 of the 26 shots he faced in the game for his 7th win of the season while Logan Terness stopped 34 of the 37 shots thrown his way in his 4th defeat of the season.
FINAL SCORE: 4-2 Vees
SHOTS ON GOAL: 38-26 Smoke Eaters
VEES PP: 0/6
VEES PK: 4/5
3 STARS:
1) Colton Kalezic (1-0-1)
2) Owen Ozar (1-1-2)
3) Tristan Amonte (0-1-1)
Fortis Energy Player of the Game: Conner Hutchison (0-2-2)
The Vees (12-3-1-0) head out on the road for a span of four games beginning with a matchup against the Chilliwack Chiefs (9-5-2-1) on Saturday night at the Chilliwack Coliseum. Puck drop is slated for 7:00 PM with the game being broadcasted on EZ Rock AM 800 as well as HockeyTV.com beginning with then pre-game show at 6:40 PM with the Voice of the Vees, Trevor Miller.
