Vees back on track after big road win over rival Vipers

Penticton prevails 4-1 in Saturday’s rematch after tying 2-2 on Friday

The Penticton Vees didn’t get two points after a strong performance on Friday against the Vernon Vipers — settling for a 2-2 tie — but continued that effort into Saturday and were rewarded with a 4-1 win.

Jonny Tychonick scored what proved to be the winner on a second-period power play as the Vees defeated the Vipers in the rematch at Kal Tire Place.

The Vees (11-5-2-1) snapped a fourgame winless streak and remained in fifth place in the Interior Division, though they have multiple games in hand on all their rivals.

Taylor Ward, Jordan Henderson, with his first BCHL goal, and Ryan O’Connell, also with his first — a shorthanded marker into an empty net — closed out the scoring for the Vees, who led 1-0 and 3-1 at the period breaks.

Shane Kelly had the lone goal for the Vipers (15-5-4-0), who had their eight-game winning streak stopped.

The Vees and Vipers have met four times this season with the Vees winning twice in regulation and earning ties in the other two contests.

Adam Scheel made 29 saves for the win, while Anthony Yamnitsky stopped 21 shots for Vernon.

The Vees opened the scoring with 3:52 to go in the opening period. Nicky Leivermann leaned into a slap shot from the left point that hit Ward parked in front and deflected past Yamnitsky. Jared Nash got the second assist.

The score remained 1-0 until late in the second period. The Vees only got one power play, but they made it count.

Tychonick and Ward played catch at the blue line before Tychonick hammered a slap shot that got through all the traffic in front for his fifth of the season at 16:24.

Just 1:31 later, Henderson let a wrist shot go from the right point that beat a screened Yamnitsky for his first BCHL goal in his second game with the Vees. Jack Barnes grabbed the lone helper.

The Vipers got on the board with 26 seconds left in the period. Kelly threw the puck on net from the right wing corner and it deflected off of Scheel’s skate to set up an interesting third period. Both teams had chances to find the back of the net in the third period, with Vees forward Cassidy Bowes ripping a slap shot off the goalpost from the top of the left circle.

Owen Sillinger was called for hooking behind the Vernon net inside the final two minutes of the game, but it was the Vees who scored as O’Connell cleared the puck from his own zone all the way down into the open Vernon cage for his first BCHL goal.

Ward, Kelly and Scheel were the three stars in front of 2,187 fans.

The Vees now host the Surrey Eagles for the only time this season on a “Wicked Wednesday” at 7 p.m. at the South Okanagan Events Centre.

ICE CHIPS: Both teams were again without some key players. For the Vees, F Chris Klack (upper-body) is out until after Christmas, F Jackson Keane (upper-body) missed his second straight game, while F Massimo Rizzo and D Luke Reid each missed their fourth straight while playing for Team Canada at the World Under-17 Challenge in northern B.C. The U.S. won their fifth gold medal at the event, beating Team Canada Red 6-4 in the final. Rizzo and Reid will be back in time for Wednesday’s game against Surrey. Vernon was without star F Jimmy Lambert (undisclosed) for both weekend games.