Photo: Cherie Morgan
The Penticton Vees swept their weekend home stand after a 5-4 overtime win over the Cranbrook Bucks, Saturday night at the South Okanagan Events Centre (SOEC).
On the heels of a 2-1 overtime win Friday against Salmon Arm, Ryden Evers scored 64 seconds into the extra frame Saturday, as the Vees extended their point streak to 13 games. Saturday marked the fifth time in their last six games they had a game decided in OT.
Penticton now have a four-point lead on the second place Brooks Bandits in the Interior Conference, as they haven’t lost a game in regulation since November 22nd (11-0-2-0).
It almost was almost a disastrous ending, as the Vees squandered a 4-1 lead in the final three minutes of regulation, before coming out with the full two points in overtime.
Luke Posthumus, named the team’s December Player of the Month in a pre-game ceremony, scored twice in Saturday’s win. Ryden Evers also had a two-point night (1G, 1A). Max Heise and Callum Store scored the other goals for Penticton.
Over 3,200 fans saw a dramatic conclusion to the team’s Panther Retro Weekend.
🚨 RYDEN EVERS OT WINNER 🚨
🎙️ @Fraser_Vees #BCHL | @PentictonVees pic.twitter.com/OiCbCR7A5k
— BCHL (@BCHockeyLeague) January 12, 2025
Heise, who had missed the last two games due to injury, marked his return to the lineup by scoring just 69 seconds in to put the Vees up 1-0. Heise scored on a backhand deke after a great feed from Louie Wehmann. Heise also fought Cranbrook’s Sam Belanger in the second period, as he was just an assist away from the Gordie Howe hat-trick.
It stayed 1-0 for Penticton up until the third period. Posthumus doubled the Vees’ lead with his first of two at 4:34. Posthumus scored on a power to put Penticton up 2-0.
Stone stretched the Vees’ lead to 3-0 after his dump in from the neutral zone took a crazy bounce off the glass and found its way in at 7:36. His second career goal manufactured by a friendly, home town bounce.
After Cranbrook’s Bryce Sookro made it 3-1, Posthumus scored his second of the third at 10:01 to retore Penticton’s three-goal lead. Posthumus the finisher on a three-on-one rush. Hi team leading 18th goal had the Vees sitting pretty. Then, the Bucks rallied.
Ramus Svartström made it 4-2 at 17:01 after he wired his league leading 25th of the season on the stick side. His new teammate Grant Denuccio cut the Vees’ lead down to 4-3 after he tipped in Jake Skogstad’s shot at 18:30. The late game comeback was capped off by Shane Baker who banged in a rebound at the top of the crease with 51 seconds left in the third period.
🚨 RYDEN EVERS OT WINNER 🚨
🎙️ @Fraser_Vees #BCHL | @PentictonVees pic.twitter.com/OiCbCR7A5k
— BCHL (@BCHockeyLeague) January 12, 2025
Penticton quickly reset in the three-on-three period, as Simon Meier made a great play to slide the puck over to Evers, for the one-timer past Bucks’ goaltender Jaden Cholette.
GAME NOTES
With his two goals Saturday, Luke Posthumus now has five goals and nine points in his last five. Saturday marked the fifth time in their last six games the Vees had gone to overtime, and they have won three of their five OT games.
GAME STATS
Shots: Vees- 33 Bucks-30
Scoring: Luke Posthumus (17th, 18th), Max Heise (16th), Callum Stone (2nd), Ryden Evers (15th)
Goaltending: Will Ingemann (W), 61:04, 26/40
Vees Power Play: 1/3
Vees Penalty Kill: 2/2
Three Stars:
1) Ryden Evers (1G, 1A)
2) Luke Posthumus (2G)
3) Shane Baker (1G, 1A)
Attendance: 3,204
Up Next: Friday, January 24th, at Brooks Bandits, 7:00 pm MST