PHOTO: Tami Quan Photography
WEST KELOWNA, B.C. – The Penticton Vees couldn’t find an equalizer in the 3rd period as they fell by a 5-2 score to the West Kelowna Warriors on Saturday night at Royal LePage Place.
After a pair of power plays to begin the game that could not generate much momentum for the Vees, West Kelowna got their first crack on the power play and did not waste much time to draw first blood in the game as the captain Elan Bar-Lev-Wise pushed the home side ahead by a 1-0 margin.
The Warriors won an offensive zone face-off that saw the puck come to the left face-off circle where Tyler Cristall threw a puck to the front of the net that was deflected past the glove side of Vees netminder Mason Dunsford at the 6:50 mark of the opening frame that pushed West Kelowna to a 1-0 lead.
Just 41 seconds after that, the Vees had an answer and it came from defender Grayson Arnott driving hard to the net to even the score at 1-1. Josh Nadeau sent a shot on goal from the right face-off circle that was stopped by the blocker of Warriors goaltender Johnny Derrick before Arnott filled the middle of the ice and drove the puck over the goal line for his 2nd marker of the season and tied the game at the 7:31 mark of the 1st period.
The Vees headed to the 1st intermission with the lead thanks to a goal off of a face-off win of their own with the Captain Fin Williams giving Penticton their first lead of the game. Ryan Hopkins took a shot from the right point that deflected off a couple of sticks in front, including that of Williams, and slipped through the legs of Derrick as the Vees forward earned his 12th goal of the season at the 17:37 mark to give the Vees a 2-1 lead into the 2nd period.
Early in the 2nd period, John Evans tied the game for West Kelowna with a bouncing puck that the Vees could not settle in the crease. Evans chipped it toward goal from the bottom of the right face-off circle and had it bounce off the top of the shoulders of Dunsford and over the goal line at the 1:44 mark of the middle frame to tie the game.
With the game tied 2-2 in the 3rd period, the Warriors went ahead for the second time in the game as Brennan Nelson took a lob pass from the defensive zone and raced onto the puck at the blue line, moving wide on the Vees defender as he cut to the goal and finished past the blocker side of Dunsford for a 3-2 lead at the 5:35 mark of the 3rd period.
The Vees had their share of chances and good looks in the final period to try and even the score, including a four-minute double minor power play while down a goal but were not able to convert as Derrick and the Warriors stood tall to keep their lead intact.
Empty net goals from Charles Alexis-Legault at the 18:27 mark and Felix Trudeau with 9 seconds remaining while shorthanded iced the game for West Kelowna and gave the Warriors a 5-2 victory.
Mason Dunsford turned aside 23 of the 26 shots thrown his way in his 1st loss of the season while Johnny Derrick made 27 saves on 29 shots in his 12th win of the season.
FINAL SCORE: 5-2 Warriors
SHOTS ON GOAL: 29-28 Vees
VEES PP: 0/5
VEES PK: 2/3
3 STARS:
1) Tyler Cristall (0-2-2)
2) Brennan Nelson (1-0-1)
3) Charles-Alexis Legault (1-1-2)
Fortis Energy Player of the Game: Pat Lawn (0-1-1)
Attendance: 950
The Vees (20-3-0-1) have the next week and a half off for the holiday break before returning for a matchup against the West Kelowna Warriors (15-9-0-0) once again at Royal LePage Place on Wednesday, December 28th. Puck drop is slated for 7:00 PM with the game being broadcasted live on Bounce Radio 800 as well as streamed on BCHLTV.ca beginning with the pre-game show at 6:40 PM.
