Vees blank rival Vipers for 2nd straight shutout victory
The Penticton Vees are riding high after a sluggish start to the B.C. Hockey League season.
Jack LaFontaine made 13 saves for his second straight shutout as the Vees dominated the Vernon Vipers 3-0 on Friday at the South Okanagan Events Centre in the first game of a home-and-home series between the bitter rivals.
Jack Barnes, Ryan Sandelin and James Miller scored and David Silye and Jack Lagerstrom each had two assists as the Vees (5-3-0) won their third straight game.
Max Palaga was stellar in a losing cause in his Vipers debut, making 30 saves.
Vernon (3-4-2) trailed 1-0 and 2-0 at the period breaks and rarely threatened as the Vees have now gone 122 minutes 10 seconds without giving up a goal.
The Vees struggled to set up on a couple of early power plays but took the lead with 2:29 left in the first period.
The Vipers turned the puck over behind their own net and Barnes ended up rifling a low shot from the right circle past Palaga, with Lagerstrom and newcomer Eric Linell assisting.
The Vees outshot the visitors 14-1 in the period, with Vernon getting its only shot with 3:37 to go.
Penticton started the second period with a two-man power play for 44 seconds and took advantage just 12 seconds in. Sandelin took a pass from Silye, walked down the slot and blasted one past Palaga on the glove side, with Miller getting the second helper.
Palaga had to be sharp to keep Vernon in the game as the Vees enjoyed a 12-3 edge in shots on goal, and 26-4 through two periods.
The game got chippy in the third period and Barnes had to be helped off bleeding from the face after being run hard into a stanchion by Vipers defenceman Landon Fuller.
Fuller, who also knocked Vees forward Drew Elser from the game, was then handed a 10-minute misconduct for taunting the Vees’ bench.
Miller put the nail in the Vernon coffin by pounding a slapshot past Palaga on the power play with 4:45 to go. Silye and Lagerstrom assisted.
Sandelin, LaFontaine and Vees forward Cole Shepard were the three stars in front of 2,948 fans.
The teams do it all over again tonight at 6 p.m. at Kal Tire Place in Vernon.
Silverbacks 5 Warriors 2: Hudson Schandor scored twice as Salmon Arm beat visiting West Kelowna at Shaw Centre.
Josh Little and Aiden Jenner scored in the second period to help Salmon Arm (5-4-0) open up a 3-1 lead. Matthew Verboon added a late insurance goal for the Silverbacks, who had a 35-26 edge in shots on goal.
Lucas Cullen and Bennett Norlin scored for the Warriors (5-5-0).
The Warriors are back home to take on the Victoria Grizzlies on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. at Royal LePage Place.