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BCHL  

Penticton Vees win first playoff game against Vernon Vipers in OT

Vees take down Vipers

The Penticton Vees had a come-from-behind win over the Vernon Vipers, Friday, in Game One of their Interior Division Semi-Final series at the South Okanagan Events Centre.

The team now leads the best-of-seven series 1-0.

Penticton was a bit rusty out of the gate after an eight-day break from their first round sweep over the Prince George Spruce Kings. Vernon’s Owen Kim would open the scoring just 63 seconds into the game, getting the puck over Vees’ goaltender Will Ingemann's glove side.

Anselmo Rego would come back for the Vees to tie it up six minutes into the first. Rego circled the Vipers’ zone with the puck before tucking it over the shoulder of Vernon’s goaltender Ethan David and under the bar.

Vernon wasted no time retaking the lead, with Carson McGinley getting a goal 90 seconds after to make it 2-1.

The two teams focused defensively in the middle frame, with Penticton and Vernon trading goals in the final five minutes of the second.

Vipers’ defenceman Noah Dorey put the visitors up 3-1, taking a cross-ice pass from teammate Hank Cleaves and shooting the puck low on Ingemann's blocker side.

Penticton used a power play to start their comeback, with Billy Renfrew getting the puck through the goalie’s pads at the side of the net, which it 3-2 with just 1:30 left in the middle frame.

Callum Arnott tied the game in the third and forced overtime, when he banked in his shot from the wall off the goalie’s pad, making it 3-3 with just 2:02 left in regulation.

The Vees' Brock Reinhart took a boarding penalty with just 11 seconds left in third, which carried over to overtime.

Rego picked up a puck from Vernon after they missed a shot off the rush and flew up ice on a shorthanded two-on-one with Conyr Hellyer.

Cutting down the right wing, Rego dragged the puck around a defenceman, before taking his wrist shot over the goalie’s glove for the shorthanded, game-winner just 1:40 into OT.

The Vees and Vipers are at the SOEC on Saturday, April 20 for Game Two; puck drop is 7 p.m.

Tickets for the game are available at the Valley First box office at the SOEC, and online at www.valleyfirstix.com



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