Penticton Vees keep fighting in BCHL playoffs with 3-2 over the Brooks Bandits

Photo: Cherie Morgan/Cherie Morgan Photography

Penticton Vees won 3-2 over the Brooks Bandits in game five of their Interior Conference Final.

The Penticton Vees are still competing in the Interior Conference Finals, after winning 3-2 over the Brooks Bandits at the SOEC on Friday night.

The Vees were facing elimination in game five, with the Bandits leading the series,

The Bandits opened the scoring on the power play nine minutes into the first period by Parker Lalonde but Penticton rebounded in the second.

Four minutes into the second the Vees tied it up, when Louie Wehmann scored on a pass from Anselmo Rego, who had shot it over Zach Zahara’s glove.

The Vees got their first lead nearing the end of second period with a breakaway goal from Max Heise, who scored on a backhand shot to make it 2-1.

Simon Meier scored early in the third period on a pass from Ben Merrill to make it 3-1.

Brooks cut the Vees lead down to one on their second power play goal when Nathan Free’s shot hit Vees’ defenceman Matthew Biotti in the midsection and bounced over to Mathis Dufour to make it 3-2.

The Bandits gave their last attempt to tie it up with pulling their goalie with just over a minute to go for the six-on-five, but the Vees fended them off.

With that 3-2 win, the Vees and Bandits are headed to game 6 on Monday back the Brooks home ice. Puck drop is at 6 p.m. PDT.