Image Credit: Penticton Vees
November 23, 2014 - 10:19 AM
MERRITT - For the second straight night the Penticton Vees came from behind to beat the Merritt Centennials, scoring four goals in the third period en route to a 5-3 win at Nicola Valley Arena Saturday.
With the win, the Vees sweep the weekend home-and-home series with Merritt and run their win streak to five games.
After a scoreless first period Jack Ramsey opened the scoring early in the second. Off a face-off in the Merritt end, Matt Serratore had his shot stopped but Ramsey crashed the crease and stuffed in the rebound at 3:33.
Merritt tied it up just before the eight-minute mark when Colin Grannary pounced on a rebound. The shot from the blue-line was blocked but Grannary scooped up the puck and took it around the net for the wrap-around goal at 7:41.
The Cents’ took the lead late in frame on a power-play goal by Diego Cuglietta. Shane Poulsen hit the post with a hard shot from blue-line but the puck skipped right to Cuglietta for the tap in at 15:22.
Demico Hannoun brought the Vees back level in the opening seconds of the third. Hannoun walked off the wall and wheeled into the high slot, before firing a wrist-shot into the top corner over Jonah Imoo’s blocker; Hannoun picking up his 16th fifty-seven seconds into the third.
The back-and-forth period continued as Cuglietta put the Cents’ back ahead four-minutes later on another power-play. Cuglietta was robbed point-blank by Brendan Barry but quickly shoveled in his own rebound for his second of the game at 5:46.
The Vees had an answer for that goal too, as they drew level again less than three-minutes later. Dakota Conroy scored his first as a Vee after a face-off to the right of the Merritt net. Conroy found the puck in front of the net after Dante Fabbro sent the puck down from the point. Conroy quickly turned to his backhand and slid it underneath Imoo at 8:42.
Another fresh face put the Vees ahead for good eight-minutes after Conroy found the back of the net. Connor Chartier played give-and-go with Riley Alferd down the left-wing before snapping the puck over Imoo’s glove at 16:07.
Conroy sealed the victory when he picked up his second goal of the game with an empty-netter at 19:20.
Final Score: 5-3 Vees
Shots: 34-27 Vees
Power-Play: Vees 0-7 Centennials 2-4
Three Stars: 1) Diego Cuglietta 2) Demico Hannoun 3) Jack Ramsey
The Vees record improves to 22-3-0-1 in the win and their road record bumps up to 11-2-0-1; they’re now 13-2-0-0 against their own division. The Vees have won three straight over Merritt after losing the first game of the season series in September. Patrick Newell’s assist in the third period extended his BCHL best point streak to 13 games.
The Vees can now enjoy some much needed rest, as they’re not back in action until Friday, November 28th, when they travel down to Langley to face the Rivermen. The Vees are back home on Saturday, November 29th, when they host the West Kelowna Warriors at the SOEC.
News from © iNFOnews, 2014