Sports

The Penticton Vees increased their lead atop the BCHL's Interior Division Friday night as they shut out the Salmon Arm Silverbacks 5-0 for their fourth road win of the season.

 

Chad Katunar made 29 saves and five different Vees scored to improve their record 4-1-0, moving them three points clear of the second place West Kelowna Warriors.

Friday was only the second time Penticton scored first this season, and the first time they scored a first-period goal.

Sam Mellor opened the scoring when he redirected a point-shot from Troy Stecher at 5:05 for his third goal of the season.

Alex Jewell doubled the Vees lead midway through the first on a carbon-copy play. Jewell tipped a James De Haas shot past Silverbacks goalie Adam Clark’s glove at 13:12.

The Vees added to their lead in the middle stanza, when Jordan McCallum found his own rebound at 13:07 for his first BCHL goal. The Vees' 3-0 lead after two marked the first time in five games the team led after 40 minutes.

Mike Rebry and Ryan Gropp put the finishing touches on the game, each adding goals in the third period.

Rebry scored his third of the season on the power-play, pouncing on a rebound in Salmon Arm’s crease at 10:03.

Gropp put the exclamation mark on the win, with an eye-popping goal in the dying moments of the game.

On a two-on-one rush, he skated down the left-wing, pulled the puck around the defenseman and wired a shot over the glove of Clark at 19:20.

The Vees will conclude their season opening six game road trip Saturday in West Kelowna. 

--with files from Fraser Rodgers