Image Credit: Cherie Morgan Photography
October 11, 2014 - 11:41 AM
PENTICTON - Riley Alferd played hero on Friday, scoring with just 19 seconds left in regulation, as the Penticton Vees toppled the West Kelowna Warriors 4-3 in dramatic fashion at the South Okanagan Events Centre.
The Vees have now won four in a row and sit four points clear of second place, atop of the Interior Division with a 7-1-0-0 record.
Alferd corralled a loose puck just in front of the Warriors net and rifled a wrist-shot past the outstretched arm of Andy Desautels for the game-winning goal, sending over 2,100 fans into a frenzy. The game-winner officially scored at 19:41 of the third period.
Tyson Jost setup the Alferd heroics two and a half minutes earlier, when he bagged his second of the game. With the Vees trailing 3-2, Jost scored a near identical goal to Alferd’s, as he grabbed a loose puck and spun and fired inside the post from the slot at 17:16.
West Kelowna came all the way back from a 2-0 first period deficit, when they grabbed their first and only lead of the game eight-minutes into the third. Cole Plotinkoff skated down the left-wing and fired a wrist-shot that surprised Brendan Barry over his right-shoulder at 8:15; the puck might have taken a deflection off a Vees skate on its way to the net.
Kristian Blumenschein tied the game for the Warriors in the second period. On a West Kelowna power-play, Blumenschein walked down the middle before placing a low shot past the stick side of Barry at 14:10 to knot the game up at two’s.
The West Kelowna power-play tally was the only goal of the middle frame, which had just 12 combined shots between the two teams.
The Tribe got on the board late in the first period on their second power-play of the game. Down 2-0, Jonathan Desbiens tapped-in a cross-ice feed from Jason Cotton at 17:58 to cut the deficit in half.
The Vees did get off to a good start once again at home, as Matt Serratore and Jost scored two goals five-minutes apart. Serratore opened the scoring, short-handed, eight-minutes into the first period. Serratore skated in on the right side and wired a shot past Desautels arm and inside the post on the far-side at 8:16; the Vees first short-handed goal of the young season.
Jost scored his first of two on the night, at 12:56 of the opening period. Jost drove the net on an odd-man rush and had Demico Hannoun’s pass go off his skate and in; Jost scoring his fifth and sixth goals Friday.
Final score: 4-3 Vees
Shots: 30-21 Vees
Power-Plays: Vees 0-2 West Kelowna 2-4
Three Stars: 1) Tyson Jost 2) Riley Alferd 3) Kristian Blumenschein
Attendance: 2,142
Brendan Barry made 18 saves for his second career win and Friday was his first start at the SOEC. With his goal tonight, Riley Alferd now has four goals in his last three games. Tyson Jost has three goals and five points in four games. Demico Hannoun assist gives him six points in his last five games.
The Vees look for the weekend sweep tomorrow in West Kelowna, as the two teams play the back half of the Thanksgiving Long Weekend home-and-home set; puck drop from Royal LePage Place is set for 7 p.m. Fans can listen to the game on EZ Rock AM 800 or watch online at www.fasthockey.com.
News from © iNFOnews, 2014