PHOTO: Cherie Morgan/Cherie Morgan Photography
PENTICTON, B.C. – The Penticton Vees threw 42 shots on goal but Trail Smoke Eaters goaltender Logan Terness made 40 saves as the Vees fell for the first time in the 2021 season by a 3-2 score on Wednesday night at the South Okanagan Events Centre.
It was noticeable that both teams had the day off on Tuesday as speed and pace was the name of the game through the opening 20 minutes of action with both teams showing plenty of energy early on and throughout the 1st period.
Trail would be the first to strike just under a minute and a half into the game as Quinn Disher pushed the visiting Smoke Eaters ahead by a 1-0 score. Disher moved into the high slot as he let go of a wrist shot that snuck through the glove side of Vees netminder Kaeden Lane at the 1:28 mark to give Trail a 1-0 advantage.
The Smoke Eaters doubled up their lead in the middle part of the period with Ryan Helliwell pushing his team ahead by a pair of goals. Helliwell gathered a loose puck in the left face-off circle and dragged to snap a shot past the glove side of Lane at the 13:38 mark of the opening period to give Trail a 2-0 lead.
The Vees pressed to try and get on the scoreboard in the opening 20 minutes with a few good chances but could not beat Smoke Eaters netminder Logan Terness. Grayson Arnott was given the best chance to score in the opening frame, firing a shot through traffic that beat Terness on the blocker side but not past the post as Terness turned aside each of the 10 shots he faced in the 1st period.
The home side continued to press in the middle stanza, firing 15 shots on goal in the 2nd period but once again, Terness and the Smoke Eaters stood tall, in particular on a chance that affiliate player Levi Carter had to score his first BCHL goal.
Carter took a Ryan Upson pass in the left face-off circle and he sent a shot to the glove side of Terness but the Smoke Eaters goaltender was able to get his glove on it and keep the puck out of the goal to keep the Smoke Eaters lead at a pair of goals heading into the 3rd period.
Penticton was given a 5-on-3 man advantage at the tail end of the middle frame and had time on that in the 3rd period where Liam Malmquist took advantage and was able to give the Vees their first goal of the game and cut the deficit to one.
A slick passing play beginning with Luc Wilson feeding the puck to the right face-off circle as Philippe Chapleau sent a pass cross ice where Malmquist was able to get his shot on and beat Terness on the blocker side for his 2nd goal of the season just 37 seconds into the 3rd period to get the Vees within a marker while up a pair of players on the 5-on-3.
Penticton continued to throw as much as they could at the Smoke Eaters net but Terness remained to stand tall, turning aside 12 of 14 shots thrown his way in the period while an empty net marker by Brady Hunter, receiving a pass from Justin Ross to push the puck into the open goal at the 18:27 mark of the final period, gave Trail a 3-1 advantage into the final minute of play.
A scramble at the front of the goal forced the Vees to within one once more as Ryan McGuire got the last touch on a puck forced to the net. Arnott throw a puck at the net that was jabbed at by Wilson and McGuire forced it across the goal line for his 4th goal of the season with 56 seconds remaining in the final period to make it a 3-2.
The Vees could not find the back of the net in the final moments and dropped their first game of the 2021 season. Kaeden Lane stopped 24 of the 26 shots he faced in his 1st loss of the season while Logan Terness was outstanding in the Smoke Eaters crease, turning aside 40 of the 42 shots he faced in his 3rd win of the season.
FINAL SCORE: 3-2 Smoke Eaters
SHOTS ON GOAL: 42-26 Smoke Eaters
VEES PP: 1/6
VEES PK: 2/2
3 STARS:
1) Logan Terness (40 saves on 42 shots)
2) Liam Malmquist (1-0-1)
3) Justin Ross (0-2-2)
Fortis Energy Player of the Game: Ryan Upson (0-0-0)
The Vees (6-1-0-0) return to action with another back-to-back battle as they face-off against the Cranbrook Bucks (1-5-0-0) on Thursday night at the South Okanagan Events Centre. Puck drop is slated for 7:00 PM with the game broadcasted live on EZ Rock AM 800 as well as on HockeyTV.com beginning with the pre-game show at 6:40 PM with the Voice of the Vees, Trevor Miller.
