FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
FridayJanuary 14th
VEES DROPCHIEFS 6-4 IN PENTICTON
PENTICTON, BC ?The Penticton Vees will be looking for a sweep of the season series with theLangley Chiefs on Saturday night, following a 6-4 win on Friday in Penticton.
Joey LaLeggia stretched his BCHL leading point streak tofifteen games with a goal and an assist, Joey Benik scored the winner and hadan assist, and the Vees rode a hot power play to their 29th win ofthe season in front of 1,679 fans at the SOEC.
With the victory the Vees remain a point up on the VernonVipers and hold a game-in-hand in the battle for top spot in the InteriorConference.
The Vees didn?t get the start they wanted, as Joey Holka wasassessed a minor penalty just four seconds into the game, but the Vees wouldkill off the ensuing power play.
Once the Chiefs got back to even strength, they opened thescoring as Josh Hansen swept in a caroming puck at the side of the net at the2:36 mark.
The Vees would equalize at 6:46 on their first power play ofthe night. Joey LaLeggia rocketed his 20th of the season in behindCole Huggins, and extended his BCHL leading point streak to a quarter season ?15 games.
At 15:48 of the first period, the Vees would take the leadwhen they scored on their second power play opportunity of the game. MarkMacMillan converted a pass sent across the crease by Brendan O?Donnell; MylesMcCauley earned an assist on MacMillan?s seventeenth of the season as well.
The Chiefs would tie the game in the final minute of thefirst frame when Kody Dhaliwal redirected Josh Hansen?s shot from the rightpoint, but the Vees would respond late.
With just 8.8 seconds left in the opening period, Joey Holkabanged in his fifteenth goal of the season with James Polk and Joey LaLeggiadrawing helpers. The Vees lead 3-2 after 20 minutes.
Garrett Milan would score the lone marker in the secondperiod as he converted a set up from Joey Benik and Brendan O?Donnnell with aone-time slap shot into the top of the net. For Milan the goal was his eighthof the season, who seems to enjoy his new line-mates.
In the third period the Vees would get an unassisted markerfrom Joey Benik, and a point blast from Tyler Hlookoff to put the game out ofreach. Benik now has 24 goals to lead all BCHL rookies, and has compiled twelvepoints in his last six games. Hlookoff?s goal was his third of the campaign.
The Chiefs saw third period tallies from Trevor Gerling on abreakaway and Darnell Dyck on a redirect in front of Rumpel. Dyck?s goal cameon a late power play for the Chiefs.
The Vees would finish with two power play markers on fouropportunities, while the Chiefs scored once on five tries.
Joel Rumpel earned his nineteenth win of the season making26 saves on 30 shots. Cole Huggins took the loss allowing six goals on 40 shotsagainst.
Valley First?s first of two ?Feed the Valley? nights was ahuge success as an estimated 1,500 pounds of food was raised by generous Veesfans for the local Food Bank. The next ?Feed the Valley? initiative runs in thelast week of regular season in late February.
The Vees will hit the road tomorrow as they look to sweepthe weekend home and home with the Chiefs at the Langley Events Centre inGreater Vancouver.
Next home action for the Vees comes up on the 21stand 22nd of January when the Vees host the Coquitlam Express andPowell River Kings on back to back nights. You can purchase game tickets at theS.O.E.C. box office, at ValleyFirstTix.com, or at London Drugs in the CherryLane Shopping Centre.
