West Kelowna, BC: Dakota Boutin and Nicky Leivermann both recorded hat tricks as the Penticton Vees (13-5-1-2) racked up 11 goals Saturday night against the West Kelowna Warriors (14-10-1-0).
The offence started just four minutes in the game as Massimo Rizzo centred for Dakota Boutin on a two-on-one rush. The Warriors tied the game four minutes later when Willie Reim backhanded a rebound past Adam Scheel.
A few minutes later the Vees got a break when Scheel made a save but the rebound was between his pads. It was knocked into the net, but the official lost sight of the puck and blew the whistle just moments before the Warriors scored and the goal was disallowed.
Owen Sillinger gave the Vees the lead again when his shot from the left circle snuck under the pads of Cody Porter with four and a half minutes in the first. Scheel picked up an assist on the play, giving him a three-game point streak. Nicky Leivermann scored his first of three goals with a wrist shot from the left point that hit Porter and went in. The Vees led 3-1 after one period.
Just 44 seconds into the second period Boutin took a breakaway feed and beat Porter over the glove for his second goal of the night. Halfway through the period Leivermann got his second of night on a great give-and-go rush with Rizzo.
Sillinger notched his second of the night with a wrist shot from the slot that snuck under Porter’s blocker to make it 6-1 with four minutes to go in the period.
Boutin completed his hat trick after taking a nice feed from Taylor Ward to give the Vees a 7-1 lead after 40 minutes of play.
Wyatt Head scored his first goal of the season for the Warriors five minutes into the third to give West Kelowna some life. Leivermann put a stop to any comeback hopes as he dangled through a Warriors defender before ripping a shot past Cole Demers for his third of the night. Demers replaced Porter to start the third period.
Less than two minutes later Ryan Sandelin scored as his shot was stopped by Demers, but banked off a Warriors defender and in for his third of the year. Two minutes later Ben Allen scored his first goal since the BCHL Showcase in September as he took a feed from below the goal line and pulled the puck to his backhand to beat Demers.
RJ Murphy capitalized on a partial breakaway
Allen also finished off the scoring after affiliate player Matthew Byrne was stopped, he centred the rebound for Allen to make it 11-3. Scheel finished with 39 saves as the Vees won their third straight game.
Penticton now welcomes the Cowichan Valley Capitals (2-17-1-3) to the South Okanagan Events Centre Saturday night. The Capitals dropped a 4-1 game in Salmon Arm last night.
