Photo: Lisa Mazurek Photography
VERNON, B.C.- The Penticton Vees capped off another weekend sweep with an 8-2 victory over the Vernon Vipers Saturday, at Kal Tire Place.
The win extends the Vees win streak to eight, as they yet to lose in the first four weeks of the 2022-23 BCHL regular season. Penticton sits atop of the Interior Conference with an 8-0-0-0 record.
The Vees depth was on display Saturday, as seven different players scored in the win. Billy Norcross had a pair of goals. Hiroki Gojsic had three assists and Bradly and Josh Nadeau, Jackson Nieuwendyk, Brett Moravec, and Dovar Tinling each had two points.
Luca Di Pasquo picked up his sixth win in six starts after he stopped 23 of 25 shots in the Vees’ crease.
What may be most impressive is all eight for the Vees came at even strength. The power play went 0-4 and the penalty kill was 1-2.
The Vees scored three times in the first, twice in the second and added three more in the third period.
Vernon’s Reagan Millburn and Lee Parks scored in the loss. Ethan David surrendered eight goals on 36 shots.
Penticton had another strong start, as they built up a 2-0 lead not even four minutes into the game and took a 3-1 lead in the first intermission. Norcross opened the scoring just 90-seconds into the game. Nieuwendyk doubled the Vees lead at 3:36 when he redirected Josh Niedermayer’s point shot. After Vernon made it 2-1, Bradly Nadeau restored Penticton’s two goal late in the opening frame, as he made it 3-1 at 16:09.
We don’t have depth… we have four first lines ⭐️#BCHL | #PentictonVees pic.twitter.com/GE7U04Vabh
— Penticton Vees (@PentictonVees) October 16, 2022
The Vees picked up in the second where the left off in the first, scoring twice more to take a commanding 5-1 lead. Pichette made it 4-1 at 5:11 when he wired a wrist shot past David from the face off circle. Moravec got credit for his fifth at 15:30 that made it 5-1, when Ben Brunette’s shot from up top went off his visor and in.
It was more of the same in the third period, as the Vees added to their lead with three goals over the final 20 minutes. Josh Nadeau put Penticton up 6-1 after he tipped in a pass from brother Bradly at 1:43 to finish a pretty passing play between the brothers and Tinling.
Norcross bagged his second of the game midway through the third at 13:17 to put the Vees up 7-1. Smith finished off the scoring for Penticton, as he snapped the puck under the goalie’s glove at 17:31 for the Vees’ eighth of the game.
Vernon’s Parks scored in inside the final two minutes to pull one back for the home team.
GAME NOTES
The Vees have now scored 52 goals in eight games, averaging six and a half goals per game. Bradly Nadeau sits first in BCHL scoring with 17 points in eight games. In fact, the Vees occupy the top five spots in league scoring. Bradly and Suniev share the BCHL goal-scoring lead with seven.
GAME STATS
Final Score: 8-2, Vees
Vees Scoring: Norcross (2), Nieuwendyk, Bradly Nadeau, Josh Nadeau, Pichette, Moravec, Smith
Shots: 36-25, Vees
Vees PP: 0/4
Vees PK: 1/2
Three Stars
- Bradly Nadeau
- Billy Norcross
- Josh Nadeau
Next Game: Penticton (8-0-0-0) now heads to the Fraser Valley for the 2022 BCHL Showcase in Chilliwack. The Vees play the Chiefs on Wednesday and the Alberni Valley Bulldogs on Thursday afternoon. Fans can follow both games on Bounce 800 AM and Hockey TV.
