Vees’ speed kills Capitals
The Cowichan Valley Capitals once again couldn’t control the Penticton Vees’ speedy line of Grant Cruikshank, Ty Amonte and Owen Sillinger. Sillinger had two goals and two assists, Cruikshank also scored twice and the line combined for eight points as the Vees dispatched the Capitals 5-1 in BCHL action on Saturday night at the South Okanagan Events Centre.
Cruikshank had a natural hat-trick in the other meeting between the teams, a 4-3 Vees double-overtime win in Duncan on Sept. 18.
Ryley Risling had the other goal as the Vees (26-5-1) registered their third straight win. Amonte added two assists.
Ayden MacDonald scored for the Capitals (16-14-2-2), who didn’t have much jump after their 4-3 overtime win in Trail on Friday. The Capitals visit Surrey today.
Mat Robson made 20 saves for the Vees, while Lane Michasiw stopped 36 shots for the Capitals.
MacDonald opened the scoring with a power play tally at 2:28 as the Vees surrendered the first goal for the eighth time in 10 home games.
Sillinger quickly got that one back at 4:08, then Cruikshank put the Vees ahead for good at 12:07 with Sillinger and defenceman Greg Brydon, with his first point as a Vee, assisting.
In the second period, Risling scored a power-play goal at 1:33 from Joe Leahy and Matt Gosiewski.
Sillinger and Cruikshank, with his team-leading 21st, scored in a span of 1:52 early in the third to put the game on ice.
Sillinger, Cruikshank and Leahy were the three stars in front of 2,479 fans.
The Vees play the fifth game of the six-game homestand Wednesday at 7 p.m. against the Trail Smoke Eaters.
Vipers 6 Smoke Eaters 2: Two-goal efforts by Cooper Watson and Riley Brandt led Vernon past Trail in a showdown for second-place in the Interior Division at Kal Tire Place.
Jagger Williamson and Connor Clouston also scored for the Vipers (16-133-1), who led 3-1 and 5-1 at the period breaks.
Kale Howarth and Ryan Moon replied for Trail (16-16-2), which was outshot 38-28 in the contest.
Vernon came in off a 4-4 tie at Salmon Arm on Friday.
ICE CHIPS: With four regular defencemen unavailable, the Vees dressed affiliated players Jackson van de Leest from the Okanagan Hockey Academy and Garrett Ewert from the Kamloops Storm of the KIJHL. It was the BCHL debut for Ewert, who leads the Storm with 33 points . . . . West Kelowna beat Merritt 4-2 on Saturday.