Saturday, February 4, 2012

History has Company; Vees beat ‘Wack 5-1 Tie BCHL Record

Press Release

The Penticton Vees tied the twenty-two year-old BCHL consecutive wins record in their 5-1 triumph over the visiting Chilliwack Chiefs on Friday. The victory is the Vees twenty-ninth in a row, tying a record set by the New Westminster Royals in 1989-1990.

The game was played in front of a large and boisterous crowd of over thirty-eight hundred people at the SOEC.

Also, with the win and Merritt’s loss tonight in Vernon, Penticton clinches first place in the Interior Conference.

The visitors tried to spoil the celebration as the Chiefs opened the scoring just over three minutes into the game when Derek Huisman found the net at 3:20; David Bondra spun a pass from the corner to Huisman in front

Penticton, looking a tad nervous in the opening minutes, regrouped shortly after and equalized on a funny bounce.

Wade Murphy scored his 30th of the season into an open goal at 6:06 of the first; the puck eluded goaltender Bryton Udy, who vacated his crease to play it behind the net. The puck ricocheted off the boards and in the slot where Murphy made no mistake.



In the middle frame, Penticton started to take over the contest, continually pressuring the Chiefs end, highlighted by long stretches of puck possession in the attacking end.

The Vees were rewarded not too long into the period; Connor Reilly blasting a one-timer past Udy at 5:46. Mario Lucia worked the puck free from the corner before finding Reilly in the slot on a nifty pass.

Connor getting the boys rolling / Photo: Synergy Imaging

The goal seemed to spark the Vees and the crowd, as Penticton poured on the pressure but were continually thwarted by the strong play of Udy.

In the third period the Vees pulled away, scoring three goals on thirteen shots.

The first was off the blade of Steven Fogarty, who came down the right-wing and snapped a shot up high past the glove of Udy at 2:40.

Mike Reilly gave the Vees a two goal lead later in the period; finishing off a back-door pass from his brother Connor just before the fifteen minute mark.

Travis St. Denis iced the game on the Vees only power-play; beating Udy with a hard wrist-shot past his blocker at 16:38 of the final frame.


(Nathan can be reached at fourniern@students.nescom.edu)

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