Penticton, BC: The Penticton Vees (34-15-3-2) had their chances Friday night, firing 55 shots towards Austin Roden, but the Merritt Centennials (32-15-4-3) goaltender was red hot and Merritt scored timely goals to take the game 4-2.
The Vees had a pair of highlight-reel chances in the opening period, with Cassidy Bowes and Massimo Rizzo both putting moves around defenders but being turned aside by Roden.
Daniel Tkac opened the scoring by stealing the puck away from Carson Kosobud and beating Jack LaFontaine on the blocker side with 5:34 left in the period.
Early in the third Rylan Van Unen got a breakaway off a blocked shot. Van Unen was tripped up by Jack Lagerstrom and they both slid into LaFontaine, knocking the net off its pegs. LaFontaine stayed down for a few minutes, getting looked at by Vees trainer Dan McDowell and appearing to need help off the ice, but eventually stayed in the game to face the penalty shot.
Van Unen made no mistake on the shot, faking a shot before beating LaFontaine on the blocker side to make it 2-0 just 2:44 into the second. LaFontaine would leave the game 10 minutes later, replaced by Derek Krall.
Penticton got a goal back nearly halfway through the period off a lucky bounce. The puck hit the dasher behind the Merritt net, came out to the slot where Ryan Sandelin was all alone in front. He cut across the crease and out waited Roden before sliding it along the ice for a power-play goal.
The Vees defence got caught sleeping in the final minute of the period and Nick Granowicz took a breakaway pass, beating Krall over the glove with 49 seconds left in the period.
Things went from bad to worse as Jonathan Smart was called for goalie interference 15 seconds after the goal, and Merritt capitalized in the third.
After the Vees looked like they would have a 2-on-1 shorthanded break, the Centennials recovered the puck and Matthew Kopperud beat Krall just 50 seconds into the period to make it 4-1.
The game was nearly all Penticton afterwards as they peppered Roden with 30 shots in the final period, but only solved him once.
Massimo Rizzo was hauled down in the right corner drawing a delayed penalty, but from his knees Rizzo slid the puck over to Jack Barnes in the slot who fired a one timer past Roden with 9:52 to play.
That was as close as the Vees would come as they hit three goal posts throughout the 60 minutes and now find their lead atop the Interior Division down to just two points with four games to play. The Vees host the Langley Rivermen (25-26-2-1) Saturday night, the first meeting since the first game of the season September 8, a 5-2 Langley win.
Announced attendance was 3,047.
