Cruikshank caps comeback

Photo: Penticton Vees

Grant Cruikshank scored in overtime to cap an impressive come-from-behind win for the Penticton Vees on Friday night against the Merritt Centennials.

Trailing 2-0 on the road to the Merritt Centennials on Friday night with less than five minutes left in regulation, the Penticton Vees did what a good team can do in that situation.

Defenseman Jonny Tychonick scored a pair of goals just over two minutes apart to send the game to overtime.

Co-captain Grant Cruikshank capped the night at the Nicola Valley Memorial Arena with a goal 65 seconds into the extra frame, sealing a stunning 3-2 comeback victory for the Vees.

The game was scoreless until nearly the midway mark of regulation, when Colten Gerlib got the home team on the board.

The Centennials would double their lead midway through the third thanks to a goal from Rylan Van Unen.

In a third period where the Vees led 19-5 in shots, they eventually cracked open the scoring. 

After Tychonick's first goal, Centennials goalie Jacob Berger took a minor penalty for spraying his water bottle in the face of Vees co-captain Owen Sillinger.

On the ensuing powerplay, the Vees made the Cents pay, as Tychonick found the back of the net once again.

With three goals in eight games, Tychonick has already equalled his goal total from last season, when he scored three times in 48 games. 

Cruikshank's goal that followed in the four-on-four overtime period was his third on the year, and his second game-winner. He's played in only four of the team's eight games after starting the year injured.

Final shots were 45-25 on the night in favour of the Vees, who are now 2-0 head-to-head against the Centennials this season.

With the win, the Vees remain the B.C Hockey League's only undefeated team, with seven wins and one tie in their first eight games.

The Centennials have now dropped two straight games after winning three of their previous four. They have three wins through their first 12 games, thanks in large part to six-straight losses to begin the season.

The Vees will have a quick turn-around on their schedule, returning to action on Saturday at the South Okanagan Events Centre to host the Victoria Grizzlies.

The 6:00 p.m. start will be a battle of two teams that won their respective divisions a season ago, as Penticton won the Interior and Victoria finished atop the Island.