PENTICTON, B.C. – The Penticton Vees made the most of their first home game in three weeks. The Vees extended their win streak to six games with their 5-2 win over the Merritt Centennials, Saturday at the South Okanagan Events Centre.
The Vees are now 12-0-1-0 in their last 13 games and can clinch the Interior Division regular season title with a win next Friday in West Kelowna. Penticton is nine points ahead of the Warriors.
“You have to find different ways to win. That’s what great teams do. We came out a little sluggish, which was going to happen after last night’s emotional win against West Kelowna,” began Vees’ Director of Hockey Operations Matt Miller. “We got up 3-0 but sat back too much and Merritt is a good team and they pushed back. Our veterans, the leaders helped get us back on track in the third.”
Thomas Pichette had a pair of goals and three points in the win. Anselmo Rego, Ryan MacPherson, and Conyr Hellyer also scored. Callum Arnott and Billy Renfrew each had a pair of assists.
Andrew Ness grabbed first star honours with his 29-save performance. His best stop was a goal line pad save off of Merritt’s Michael Felsing, when the Vees were protecting a 3-2 lead in the third.
Penticton was playing their first game at the SOEC since February 17th, and made the most of their return home, as they led 3-0 after 20 minutes. Rego broke the ice five minutes into the first, as he scored his ninth to make it 1-0.
MacPherson doubled Penticton’s lead on the power play, as he put a rebound at the side of the net up and over the fallen Ballantyne at 16:22; his 16th made it 2-0.
Pichette made it 3-0 when he scored the first of two on the night. His goal came from a great pass out of the corner by Billy Renfrew. Pichette put the puck upstairs from in front of the net at 18:43.
Merritt fought back and responded with a goal late in the second and early in the third to shrink the Vees’ lead down to 3-2. Charles Thomas Larochelle converted on an extended four-minute power play to make it 3-1 with less than two minutes left in the frame. Then Dylan Lariviere scored four and half minutes into the third to make it 3-2. Lariviere’s goal had to be reviewed after initially it wasn’t ruled a goal, after it went off the back bar in the net and out.
The Centennials then had a chance to tie the game on the power play, but the Vees penalty kill was up the task. That was a pivotal kill, as Penticton earned a power play of their own 14 seconds after the Merritt man advantage had expired.
On the ensuing Vees’ power play, Hellyer gave Penticton a two-goal lead with just over five minutes to go. Hellyer scored on a rebound at 14:56 to make it 4-2. Arnott was initially stopped, but the puck bounce to Hellyer who fired the puck over the goalie’s glove.
Pichette put the game out of reach in the final seconds, as he skated the puck down and shoveled it into the Merritt empty net at 19:10.
GAME NOTES
The Vees are 7-0-0 against Merritt this season and their win streak against the Centennials is now 27 games and counting. Merritt last beat the Vees on February 15, 2019. Billy Renfrew extended his point streak to five games. He has 10 points (4G, 6A) in his last five.
GAME STATS
Shots: 44-31, Vees
Vees Scoring: Rego (9), R. MacPherson (16), Hellyer (12) Pichette (14,15)
Vees Goaltending: Andrew Ness (W) 60:00 29/31
Power-Plays
Vees: 2/5
Centennials: 1/4
Three Stars:
1) Andrew Ness
2) Thomas Pichette
3) Karlis Mezsargs
ATTENDANCE: 3,209
NEXT GAME: The Vees (36-7-3-2) visit the West Kelowna Warriors (29-10-10-0) on Friday, March 15th; puck drop is 7:00 pm
