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Vees hold off late push for 2-1 win over Express

Penticton, BC: The Penticton Vees clung to a one-goal lead through most of game one against the Coquitlam Express Friday night, and a late push by the Express in the dying seconds made for tense moments as the Vees took a 1-0 series lead.

Jonny Tychonick opened the scoring with his first career playoff goal. After a face-off win in the Coquitlam end, Tychonick walked the blue line to get some room before firing a wrist shot through traffic that beat Brock Hamm 5:40 into the game.

The shots would end 9-5 in favour of the Vees before Penticton piled on the shots in the second. The Express tied the game less than a minute into the period after Adam Scheel and a Vees defenceman got their signals crossed behind the net.

The two players ran into each other and the Express found the puck with Scheel scrambling to his crease. William Lawrence found Christian Sanda in front and he beat Scheel through the five hole just 56 seconds into the second.

Jack Barnes restored the Vees lead by shovelling in a cross-crease feed from Jared Nash for his first playoff goal. Penticton outshot the Express 16-5 in the second and 25-10 through two periods.

Coquitlam had an excellent chance to even the game after James Miller was given a five-minute major for checking from behind against Josh Wildauer. He will be suspended for games two and three. Devon Mussio came in to defend Wildauer and took a two-minute penalty himself, giving the Express a three-minute man advantage once the four on four had expired.

Despite good zone time, the Express didn’t challenge Scheel often as the power play came to and end with the Vees still leading 2-1.

With under 90 seconds to play Coquitlam pulled their goaltender for the extra attacker with face-offs in the Penticton zone. Off the first draw the Express threw the puck at the net, and Scheel had to reach to his left to make three saves before he was able to cover up.

Just seconds later off another face-off, the puck rolled right onto the stick of Wildauer who leaned into a slap shot but Scheel made the shoulder save and snared the rebound out of mid air to hold on for another face-off.

The Express fired more pucks on net in the final 75 seconds than they did in the first or second periods, but Scheel turned them all aside as the Vees held on for the 2-1 victory.

Game two of the series goes Saturday at 6:00 as the Vees will look to jump out to a 2-0 series lead before it shifts to Coquitlam for games three and four, Tuesday and Wednesday in Coquitlam.