FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Friday, January 13TH
VEES ROLL OVER RIVERMEN; MAKE HISTORY IN 9-2 WIN
PENTICTON, BC- Steven Fogarty recorded his first BCHL hat-trick and Wade Murphy registered four points in his debut, as the Vees skated to a 9-2 win over the Langley Rivermen.
The win extends the Vees winning streak to twenty-two games and sets a new Interior Conference record. The Vernon Vipers held the previous record of 21 consecutive wins set in 2009-2010.
The goals didn’t come early for Penticton, the Rivermen played the Vees tight and it took almost twelve minutes before the Vees got on the score sheet.
After exchanging passes with Mike Reilly, Fogarty took the puck to the net and tucked a back-hand shot past the blocker of Jim Kruger at 11:49.
Penticton would head to the intermission with a two goal lead after a late tally by the newest member of the squad. Wade Murphy corralled a loose puck in the slot and spun around to his fore-hand, whipping the puck along the ice and past Kruger at 19:43.
Like the first, Fogarty opened the scoring in the second period, short-handed, for his 20th of the season and a three goal lead early in the second.
Fogarty took in a loose puck at center before breaking in down the right-wing and wrapping the puck around the net and past the far pad of Kruger at 3:03.
Logan Johnston scored the first of two goals on the night in the middle frame but it was sandwiched by two Rivermen strikes.
Langley put up their first goal midway through the period when Mike Tebbutt snapped a wrist-shot past Chad Katunar at 8:01. Darnell Dyck started the scoring play by threading a pass to Tebbutt from across the zone.
Johnston restored the two goal lead at 10:44 on a scramble at the Langley goal mouth. Ryan Reilly came in on the right side and centered the puck in the Rivermen crease. Johnston was credited with the goal after Murphy put a shot off his shin and past a downed Kruger.
Langley would cut the deficit in half before the period came to a close off a nice end-to-end rush by Austin Plevy. The Langley native danced his way in the Vees zone from the neutral zone, and put a shot under the glove of Katunar at 12:48.
The Rivermen cut the Vees lead to 4-2 heading into the third period. However, the Vees scored all of the five goals in the third period.
At the time it was thought to be Murphy’s hat-trick goal; however the Victoria native scored his second goal of the game off a rebound atop of the Rivermen crease. Johnston had his blocked shot ricochet to Murphy at the right-post and he tapped in his 24th at 2:53.
Joey Benik scored his 15th and Johnston his second of the game before Steven Fogarty found his third and final goal.
Fogarty secured his third goal of the game at 17:18; snapping a shot past the gloves of Kruger after an errant Rivermen pass. Benik intercepted a pass through the middle and served a pass to Fogarty who walked into slot to burying his 20th.
Ryan Reilly closed out the scoring on Friday, tucking a back-hand deke through an outstretched Kruger at 17:51; just thirty-three seconds after Fogarty’s marker.
There was some bad news in the win for Penticton; Mike Reilly sustained an upper-body injury in the first period and did not return. The team says there is no timetable for his return and is listed as out indefinitely.
SCORE:9-2 Penticton
Shots:48-20 Penticton
Power-Plays:Vees-1/3 Rivermen 0/3
Attendance:2,008
Penticton now has thirty-four wins in thirty-nine games, maintaining their nineteen point lead atop of the Interior Conference standings.
Penticton’s next home game is the 14th of January when the Prince George Spruce Kings make their second visit to the SOEC this season; game time is 7pm and tickets can be purchased at the SOEC box office, or online at www.valleyfirsttix.com
The pre-game show on EZ Rock AM 800 starts twenty minutes prior to puck drop; you can also tune in on MyEZRock.com, and at BCHL.ca where both the audio stream and Pay-Per-View video are available.
CONTACT: FRASER RODGERS
Director of Broadcasting, Media Relations
Penticton Vees Hockey Club
FraserRodgers@gmail.com(250) 809-1390
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