Penticton, BC: The Penticton Vees (10-6-1-2) tied the game shortly after the Prince George Spruce Kings (14-6-1) had taken the lead in the third, but the Spruce Kings captain added another in overtime handing the Vees a 3-2 loss.
Ryan Sandelin gave Penticton a first-period lead after a great forecheck. Eric Linell dumped the puck into the right corner and gave chase, poking it away from the Prince George defenceman. David Silye got control and faked like he was going to skate behind the net and come out the other side.
That got Logan Neaton to turn his head, and Silye then slid the puck out to the front of the net for Sandelin who fired home his 10th of the year to give the Vees a 1-0 lead heading into the intermission.
Ben Brar tied the game for Prince George when he redirected a pass from Dustin Manz past Derek Krall 5:26 into the second period. The game remained 1-1 through 40 with the shots 15-12 Prince George.
The Vees took two penalties just 19 seconds apart early in the third period sending the Spruce Kings to a lengthy two-man advantage. Despite plenty of zone time, the Spruce Kings didn’t register a shot on goal during the 5-on-3 power play.
With 41 seconds left on the first Vees penalty, Layton Ahac was called for interference cutting it down to a 4-on-3 power play. After Peter Muzyka stepped out of the box, Ben Poisson gave Prince George a 2-1 lead by finding a rebound in skates and beating Krall on the glove side.
After Sandelin stepped out of the box, James Miller fired a wrist shot from the left point that sailed over the glove of Neaton just 26 seconds after Prince George had taken the lead, setting the stage for overtime.
In overtime, the Vees had a few good chances including Linell being upended as he tried to cut around a defender, but the Spruce Kings scored on their third shot of the extra frame.
Patrick Cozzi dropped the puck off for Poisson in the right circle who had a lane to the net and cut in front of Krall before jamming the puck through the five hole to seal the win for the Spruce Kings.
Penticton now begins a stretch of five weeks in a row with three games per week. It all begins Wednesday when the Vees head to Vernon to play the Vipers (8-6-4-2).
