FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
TuesdayOctober 26th
O?DONNELL?SFIVE POINTS PUSH VEES PAST GRIZZLIES
PENTICTON, BC ?Brendan O?Donnell seems to be fired up about the upcoming World Junior ?A?Challenge. The 18-year-old forward scored two goals and set up three more in aVees 6-3 win over the Victoria Grizzlies on Tuesday night.
Just a single day after being announced as a member of TeamCanada West for the second straight year, Brendan O?Donnell looked possessed atthe SOEC as the Vees earned their 13th win of the season. In his biggestoffensive output since arriving in Penticton, O?Donnell netted his seventh andeighth goals of the season, and added three assists on the other four goalsscored by the home team. Rightfully the Winnipeg product was named the firststar of the game.
With five points on the night O?Donnell now jumps intosecond spot in team scoring with sixteen points in nineteen games, trailingonly the league?s top scoring defenseman – Joey LaLeggia – who had three pointson Tuesday, and leads the club with 26 points this season.
The Vees allowed two early power play goals against in the first five and anhalf minutes of play, but would respond to score six of the final seven goalsin the game to take command of top spot in the Interior Conference with thewin.
After O?Donnell?s first of two goals ? set up by Joey Holka- put the Vees on the board in the first period, Logan Johnston got in a fightjust nine seconds into the second period, and the Vees were dialed in from thatpoint on.
After killing off four minutes of penalties resulting fromJohnston?s fisticuffs, Joey LaLeggia would tie the game at 10:09 on a 5-on-3advantage with a delayed penalty on the way.
On the 5-on-3 power play that followed the goal, just 29seconds later, the Vees would strike again when Troy Stecher popped his secondgoal of the season on a slap shot set up by Joey LaLeggia and Joey Holka.
The Vees would grab the lead with that goal and wouldn?trelinquish it for the remainder of the night.
Brendan O?Donnell, Joey Holka, and Mark MacMillan would addto the Vees total as the Vees earned a point for the eleventh time in theirlast thirteen games, and extended their lead to two points atop the InteriorConference.
Billy Faust made numerous big saves on the night and earnedhis sixth win in his seventh start of the season. He finished with three goalsallowed on 29 shots. Victoria net-minder Matt Ginn would allow six goals on 35shots and pick up the loss.
The 1,209 fans in attendance at the SOEC saw the Vees scoredthree goals on five power play opportunities, while killing of four of sixpenalties taken.
Next action for the Vees is the final game where kids and studentscan get free admission to the S.O.E.C. thanks to Peter Bros. Paving inPenticton. The Vees play the Salmon Arm Silverbacks on Firday with a 7:05 puckdrop as they open a two game weekend.
Children 12 and under must be accompanied by a ticketholding adult, while students are asked to bring ID. Fans are encouraged toredeem their free tickets for the October home games on non-game days to avoiddelays at the box office.
Vees Game Tickets can be purchased at the box office duringbusiness hours, or online at ValleyFirstTix.com.
Puck drop for home games is 7:05PM at the S.O.E.C., thepre-game show starts twenty minutes prior to puck drop on EZ Rock AM 800, or at105.5 FM in the arena. You can also tune in on MyEZRock.com, and at BCHL.cawhere both the audio stream and Pay-Per-View video are available.
