Vees come back for 4-3 win

Photo: Contributed

The Penticton Vees made a three-point comeback Wednesday evening to bolster their BCHL championship series lead over the Chilliwack Chiefs with a 4-3 win at the SOEC.

The Vees’ victory – in front of 3,021 fans in attendance – puts the team at a 3-1 lead over the Chiefs in the BCHL league finals. That puts the Vees one win away from taking the Fred Page Cup.

Despite three power-play opportunities early in the game, including a two-man advantage, that win didn’t come easy – halfway through the game, the Vees were down by three without a point to their name.

The Chiefs managed to knock in two in the first, including one from Kale Kane with five minutes 28 seconds before the buzzer, followed by another from defenceman Connor McCarthy.

Jordan Kawaguchi bolstered that lead for the Chiefs early in the second period, but that 3-0 lead didn’t hold.

By the 12th minute, some life was injected into the Vees and forward Grant Cruikshank put the Vees’ first past Chiefs goalie Mark Sinclair. That seemed to rally the team’s spirits, with Taylor Ward closing that gap a little more just two minutes later.

Less than six minutes into the third, the Vees tied it up with a goal from Cass Bowes. That 3-3 tie held until the end of the third, leading to the championship series’ first overtime period.

That OT didn’t last long, though, with Ryley Risling putting the puck past Sinclair at just two minutes.

The Vees will head to Chilliwack on Saturday with hopes of finishing the series, but if the Chiefs win on their home ice, they’ll be back to the SOEC on Monday.

If it comes down to Game 7, the Vees will return to Chilliwack the next day for the series finisher.

Regardless of the outcome of this series, both teams will be part of the Western Canada Cup, which will be held in Penticton starting later this month.