The Penticton Vees have to do it all over again and that’s just fine with them. Monday the Vees earned a 3-2 victory in Game Three to cut the Surrey Eagles lead to 2-1 in the best-of-seven Fred Page Cup Final. That effort will need to be duplicated tonight in Game Four, as the Vees have a chance at evening the series and making it a best-of-three the rest of the way.
Cody DePourcq scored the game-winning goal midway through the third period on a beautiful pass from line-mate Travis Blanleil. The game-winning goal was DePourcq’s second of the post-season and his first in his career against the Surrey Eagles. There was plenty of action in the first period, as the two teams combined for four goals in a five-minute span.
Brad McClure kicked things off with a power-play goal but the Eagles equalized when Nic Pierog tapped-in a rebound in the Vees crease. McClure again, this time short-handed, gave the Vees the lead when he danced in on the right-wing and beat Michael Santaguida short-side. The Eagles though answered back just forty-seven seconds later on the same power-play as Brady Show cashed in on another rebound in the crease.
The two teams skated to a scoreless second period, despite chances at either end of the rink. Wade Murphy had the Vees two best chances but both attempts nailed the cross-bar. Sam Mellor also had a great chance but he just missed a tap-in at the top of the crease.
It wasn’t much of a goaltending duel in the opening period but Chad Katunar and Michael Santaguida were on top of their game in the second period. The two combined for twenty-six saves in the middle frame. Katunar had two nice stops off of Demico Hannoun and Trevor Cameron, and Santaguida was sucking up pucks all over the place.
The Vees had a push back in the special teams department, scoring once on the power-play and nabbing their first short-handed goal of the post-season. The Eagles did muster a power-play goal of their own and now have four in three games.
Tonight is another “swing game” as this series can have two completely different looks depending on the result. If the Vees win it’s a 2-2 series tie setting up a best-of-three finish for the Fred Page Cup. An Eagles win and they grab a commanding 3-1 series lead with a chance to win their first league championship in eight years on home ice Thursday.
Get your popcorn ready. It’s going to be one heck of a show tonight.
