Penticton Vees win their third last exhibition game against the Prince George Spruce Kings

Photo: Cherie Morgan/Cherie Morgan Photography

The Penticton Vees prevailed over the Prince George Spruce Kings by getting in a last minute goal on Wednesday night at the South Okanagan Events Centre.

The Vees opened the game drawing a penalty and making good use of the power play with the first goal on net. Jackson Nieuwendyk fired a shot from the left face-off circle and zipped it past the glove side of Spruce Kings netminder Aaron Trotter for a one-goal lead less than three minutes into the first period.

The rest of the first period saw no goals for either team, with each goaltender showing well in their respective creases. Kaeden Lane turned aside each of the seven shots he faced in the Vees net while Trotter stopped five of the six shots he faced in the opening frame.

In the second period, the Spruce Kings tied up the game at the 6:05 mark, with Kilian McGregor-Bennett getting around the Vees' defence and backhanding a shot past the glove side of Lane.

The lead didn’t last long, with Captain Fin Williams getting a shot through Trotter’s legs at the 10:38 mark of the middle period.

In the early part of the third period, the Spruce Kings found a way to get the game on even terms, with Kolton Cousins tying the score once more with a shot over the blocker shoulder of Lane to tie the game 2-2.

The Vees took back the lead at the 7:09 mark of the third period on a power play when Nieuwendyk one-timed a shot past the blocker side of goaltender Jordan Fairlie.

Just over a minute after that, Nick Rheaume again would even the score for the Spruce Kings on a power play of their own, taking a loose puck past Lane.

The Vees came out on top at the end of the third, when Luke Vardy gave Penticton their fourth lead of the game with his second goal of the season at the 14:10 mark of the final period. Vardy sent a shot through traffic past the blocker side of Fairlie to bring the final score up to 4-3.

Lane turned aside 24 of the 27 shots for his second preseason win while Trotter stopped 13 of the 15 shots thrown his way and Fairlie denied 11 of the 13 shots he faced in his first loss of the preseason.

The Vees conclude their exhibition season with a home-and-home set against the Salmon Arm Silverbacks with the opening game of the weekend taking place at the Shaw Centre on Friday night in the Shuswap. Puck drop is slated for 7 p.m. with game being broadcasted on HockeyTV.com