PHOTO: Garrett James Photography
CHILLIWACK, B.C. – The Penticton Vees used a pair of power play goals from Luc Wilson to help them to their fourth straight victory to begin the season in a 4-1 triumph over the Langley Rivermen on Wednesday night at the Chilliwack Coliseum.
The Vees and Rivermen played to an opening period that was a bit of a feeling out process from two teams that don’t see much of each other. Penticton started the game with a 6-0 advantage on the shot clock, throwing everything they could at Langley goaltender Ajeetpal Gundarah but were stymied until their opening power play of the game that pushed the Vees ahead by a 1-0 score.
Grayson Arnott slide a pass to the right face-off circle where Luc Wilson collected and zipped a shot past the blocker shoulder of Gundarah to earn his 2nd goal of the season and the Vees first power play marker of the year at the 5:04 mark of the opening frame to push Penticton ahead by a 1-0 score.
The Vees finished the period by leading in shots by a 9-3 margin and heading into the 2nd stanza with a one-goal lead. Langley came out prepared in the middle frame, starting the period with strong pressure and forcing 10 shots on Vees netminder Colin Purcell before tying the game at the 11:25 mark of the middle stanza.
After a chance for the Vees could not be converted, Ryan Upson brought the puck back to the offensive zone and sent a pass from the right-wing corner to the right face-off circle as Josh Wessels put a backhand shot on goal with Purcell making a save before Wessels buried his own rebound past the blocker side to even the score.
The Vees got a terrific blocker side save from Purcell that allowed for Bradley Nadeau to score in his second straight game to give Penticton another one-goal lead at 2-1. Anthony Allepot left the puck for a streaking Bradley Nadeau, who gathered the puck and fired a shot over the glove side shoulder of Gundarah for his 2nd goal of the season to give Penticton the lead once again.
The Vees continued to hold that lead into the 3rd period where Penticton allowed just three shots against, similar to what they did in the opening period, and didn’t give Langley much inside of their own zone.
Penticton’s power play was once again a factor in the 3rd period and it came again from Wilson, who scored his second goal of the contest and pushed the Vees ahead by a 3-1 score. Wilson collected the puck at the bottom of the right face-off circle and lifted a shot over the glove side shoulder of Gundarah for his second of the game and his third goal of the season at the 13:13 mark for a two-goal lead.
Stefano Bottini would add his second goal in as many games with an empty net tally coming with 1:02 remaining in the game for his second goal of the season and giving the Vees a 4-1 lead, which would hold as the eventual final score.
Colin Purcell made 15 saves on 16 shots as he picked up his second victory of the season while Ajeet Gundarah was the Rivermen’s best player, making 34 of the 37 shots thrown his way in his first loss of the season.
FINAL SCORE: 4-1 Vees
SHOTS ON GOAL: 37-16 Vees
VEES PP: 2/7
VEES PK: 4/4
3 STARS:
1) Luc Wilson (2-0-2)
2) Ajeet Gundarah (34 saves on 37 shots)
3) Owen Kim (0-0-0)
Fortis Energy Player of the Game: Josh Wessels (1-0-1)
The Vees (4-0-0-0) will conclude their BCHL Showcase schedule as they face-off against the Surrey Eagles (1-3-0-0) on Thursday afternoon at the Chilliwack Coliseum. Puck drop is slated for 1:00 PM from Chilliwack with the game broadcasted on Bounce 800 Radio as well as viewed on BCHLTV.ca beginning with the pre-game show at 12:40 PM.
