Image Credit: Penticton Vees

TRAIL, BC – Max Coatta made sure he wasn’t going to miss out on keeping a puck tonight, as the Vees rookie forward netted a hat-trick and four points in Penticton’s 5-1 win over the Trail Smoke Eaters Friday. The win pushes the Vees win streak to three to start the season, and now have a chance to sweep the two-game weekend series tomorrow night at Cominco Arena.

Coatta scored his first career BCHL last Saturday against Alberni Valley but no one on the ice at the time retrieved the puck for keep sake. After Friday night, Coatta now has a puck sitting in his bag that might be a little bit more special.

Coatta opened the scoring late in the first period at the tail-end of a Vees power-play. The shifty forward moved to the top of the left-circle and put a wrist-shot up and over the glove of Trail’s netminder Adam Todd at 16:19; one second after the Vees man-advantage had expired.

Cody DePourcq beat the clock in the dying moments of the opening frame to put the Vees up by a pair going into the break. On a counter-attack, Jack Ramsey threaded the needle to DePourcq in front of the net, who then quickly roofed the puck over Todd’s glove at 19:54.

Coatta, who assisted on the Vees second goal, made it a three-goal game midway through the middle stanza. After a Trail turnover at the penalty-box door, Coatta broke down the right-wing and picked the far corner over Todd’s blocker at 8:46. The line of Coatta, DePourcq and Jack Ramsey accounted for all three of the Vees goals through two periods.

Ben Dalpe pushed the lead to four when he buried his first goal twelve minutes into the third. Brad McClure pushed the puck ahead to Ryan Gropp, who darted into the Trail zone on an odd-man rush with Dalpe. Gropp dished the puck across the goal-mouth to Dalpe who went high and tight on Todd at 12:18.

Coatta wasted little time picking up his third goal of the game, as on the ensuing face-off he walked down the right-wing and beat Todd over the blocker again at 12:33; just fifteen seconds after Dalpe’s tally.

Nicholas Patey spoiled Olivier Mantha’s shutout bid with a late power-play goal at 17:25; the only blemish on an otherwise stellar performance between the pipes.

Final Score: 5-1 Vees

Shots: 34-30 Vees

Power-Play:  Vees 0/3 Smoke Eaters 1/6

Three Stars: 1) Max Coatta 2) Olivier Mantha 3) Ben Dalpe

Max Coatta finished with a game high four points and nine Vees registered at least one point in the win; three with two or more points. The Vees are just one of two teams that remained undefeated in the BCHL after Friday’s games and are three points clear of second place in the Interior Division.

The Vees look to sweep the two-game set against the Smoke Eaters tomorrow night at 7:30.

News from © iNFOnews, 2013