Vees get needed win

The Penticton Vees needed a strong bounce-back effort in game two against the Cowichan Valley Capitals following a disappointing game one, and that’s exactly what they got in a 4-1 win Saturday night.

After going 0-for-5 on the power play in game one, the Vees knew they needed to get to the front of the net on any power-play chances in game two.

Sure enough, Ryan Sandelin was parked in front of the net on the Vees first man advantage of the game and deflected a James Miller slap shot to give the Vees a 1-0 lead nine minutes into the game.

The Capitals also scored on their first power play of the night later in the frame. After a shot from the left circle went off a skate, it came right to Brady Lynn in front of the net and he beat an outstretched Jack LaFontaine to even the game with four minutes to go in the first.

Halfway through the second the Vees regained their lead. David Silye read a drop pass by the Capitals perfectly and intercepted the puck on the Cowichan blue line.

Silye then skated in to the right circle and ripped the puck into the top corner over Pierce Diamond’s glove to give the Vees a 2-1 lead with a shorthanded goal. Silye was also celebrating his 20th birthday.

In the final minute of the period Penticton got another goal. After Sandelin came down the left wing in the Cowichan zone, he went behind the net before hooking the puck back out front.

Eric Linell stopped at the side of the net and threw it to the crease on his backhand that Diamond made the right pad save on. The puck came right back to Linell and he was able to lift it over the pad of Diamond with 33 seconds to go to give the Vees a 3-1 lead heading into the intermission.

Nine minutes into the third, Carson Kosobud dropped the gloves with Cole Broadhurst, but neither player was able to get many punches in before the linesmen separated them.

With the Capitals net empty, and them pressuring, the Vees were able to survive the late push before Andre Ghantous poked the puck free at his own blue line, skated to centre and iced the game with the empty net goal with 30 seconds remaining.
The series is now a best-of-five as it shifts to the Island Savings Centre in Duncan for game three Tuesday night at 7:00.

Announced attendance was 2,888.

-with files from Craig Beauchemin