FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
SaturdayJanuary 15th
VEES SWEEPCHIEFS WITH 6-5 OT THRILLER
PENTICTON, BC ?The Penticton Vees remain in top spot in the Conference, and have won four in arow after staging a comeback in Langley to win 6-5 in overtime.
Down by two goals midway through the game the Vees scoredfive of the last six goals on Saturday to earn their 30th win of theseason, and stay a point up on the second place Vernon Vipers ? who have playedone more game than the Vees.
Garrett Milan played hero ? scoring in overtime ? while MarkMacMillan and Brendan O?Donnell paced the Vees offensively. The drafted NorthDakota recruits each had four point nights as MacMillan had four assists, whileO?Donnell has a pair of goals and assists.
Much like Friday night?s home win over Langley, the Veespunished the Chiefs on the power play, scoring on four of six man-advantages onthe night.
Steve Iacobellis opened the scoring 1:34 into the game whenhe converted the rebound on a Brendan O?Donnell shot. The goal was the fifth ofthe season for Iacobellis, who has played his best hockey against lowermainland foes.
The Chiefs would equalize less than a minute later on amisplay from Joel Rumpel who left his net to play a puck. Kit Sitterley blockeda clearing attempt and potted his first of two goals on the night.
The Vees would take the lead again on their second powerplay when Logan Johnston rammed in a loose puck that O?Donnell slid behind theLangley net-minder at 7:33 of the first.
Langley tied the game at two goals apiece when Sitterley?ssecond goal of the night came as a result of a centering pass that banked inbehind Rumpel off the skate of a Vees defender.
In the second period, the Chiefs scored two more goals justforty seconds apart to extend their lead to 4-2. First, Mike Tebbutt scored ona Langley power play, and then a high point shot from Dillon Scholten hit the knobof Joel Rumpel?s stick and bounced into the Penticton net, at even strength.The Chiefs led the Vees by a pair midway through the second period.
Brendan O?Donnell scored the Vees third goal of the game ontheir third power play of the night when Mark MacMillan made a slick pass fromthe side of the net that O?Donnell zipped in. O?Donnell?s eighteenth of theseason saw the Chiefs lead cut to single goal.
The home team would stretch the lead to 5-3 a minute and ahalf later when Josh Myers scored on the rebound of a Trevor Gerling shotstopped by Rumpel.
Joey Holka would score the Vees first even strength goal ofthe night when he banked a shot from the goal line in off the Langley net-minderWyatt Galley and into the net. Holka?s 16th of the season got theVees back within one at 17:34 of the frame.
Joey LaLeggia wasn?t credited with an assist on the goal butvideo showed him move the puck to Kyle Mountain, who set up Holka. The Veeswill submit a scoring change to the BCHL and LaLeggia?s point streak will extendedto sixteen games with the assist.
Down by a score of 5-4 with a period to play, the Veesturned up the heat on the Chiefs. After killing a pair of penalties in thethird, the Vees got a sixth power play of the night and a chance to tie thegame in the final five minutes of regulation play.
Brendan O?Donnell?s second goal of the night tied the gameon a set up from Mark MacMillan and Joey Holka. The goal saw the Vees bencherupt and the game tied at five goals with just 2:26 to play.
The game went to overtime tied at five, where the Vees wouldface their biggest challenge of the night ? a full two-minute four-on-threeadvantage for the Chiefs.
The Vees killed the minor and Garrett Milan ended the gameat 3:49 of the first overtime period when he stole a pass in the Langley zone,undressed a Langley defender, and slid the puck between the legs of WyattGalley. Milan?s second goal of the weekend ended the game and gave the Veestheir fourth straight win.
Joel Rumpel made numerous saves in the win, at his finest inthe third period and in overtime. Rumpel finished with 31 saves on 36 shots.Galley allowed six goals on 32 Vees shots in the loss for the Chiefs.
The Vees finished four for six on the power play, whileallowing just a single power play goal on five opportunities.
Next home action for the Vees comes up on the Friday the 21stand Saturday the 22nd of January when the Vees host the CoquitlamExpress and Powell River Kings.
The following Monday the Vees will depart on their seasonlong five game road trip to Powell River and Vancouver Island.
You can purchase game tickets at the S.O.E.C. box office, atValleyFirstTix.com, or at London Drugs in the Cherry Lane Shopping Centre.
