Saturday’s loss seems like a blip on the radar now. After suffering their first loss at home on the weekend, the Penticton Vees bounced back in a big way Wednesday, scoring a 6-1 victory over the Wenatachee Wild at the SOEC.
Scott Conway and Owen Sillinger each had a pair of goals in the win and Darius Davidson and Chris Gerrie added singles. Anthony Brodeur improved his unbeaten record to 21-0-1-0, stopping 31 of 32 Wenatachee shots.
Chris Gerrie got the offense churning early in the first, scoring his first in six-games four-minutes in. Gerrie was the beneficiary off a Nic Jones pass on a Vees’ two-on-one rush; the Red Deer native bagging his 11th at 4:12.
Wenatachee tied the game halfway through the first on one of their two power-plays. Wild Captain Mike Coyne jammed in the puck at the side of the net, after three healthy whacks at it in the crease.
The Vees went back ahead early in the second as Scott Conway got his protractor out. From an acute angle, on the goal-line, Conway fired the puck off the pad of the goalie Chase Perry and inside the post at 4:10; Conway scoring his 40th of the season.
Sillinger then grabbed the spotlight, scoring two goals in under three-minutes, as the Vees started to pull away. First, Sillinger scored his ninth after he grabbed a loose puck behind the net, and quickly tucked it inside the post at 8:35. Then Sillinger scored his second of the period on a delayed penalty. As Wenatchee was being called for a penalty, Sillinger took a pass in front, delayed, and then roofed a shot upstairs for his 10th at 11:26.
Penticton added two more in the third to seal their 35th win on the season. Conway picked up his second of the night, during a power-play, seven-minutes in. Jones found Conway in the slot and he zipped a shot over the goalie’s shoulder at 6:50.
Davidson capped off the night with his first in six-games on a great rush down the right-wing. The Vees’ forward darted down the right-wing, danced around the defenseman in the circle and then picked the corner on the short-side at 14:54; his 14th and third as a Vee.
Final Score: 6-1 Vees
Shots: 38-32 Vees
Power-Plays: Vees 1-3 Wenatachee 1-2
Three Stars: 1) Owen Sillinger 2) Scott Conway 3) Chris Gerrie
Attendance: 2,575
With his three points Wednesday, Conway is now one back of the BCHL scoring lead; he’s got 84 in 39 games. The Vees improve their home record to 20-1-1-0 in the win and have yet to lose back-to-back games this season. The Vees improved their record to 9-1-0-0 against the Mainland Division.
Penticton (35-5-1-0) is back on the road Friday as they head over to Merritt, to face the Centennials (14-25-0-3); face-off is 7:30. Fans can listen to the game on EZ Rock AM 800, or they can watch online at www.fasthockey.com
