BCHL PLAYOFFS: Penticton Vees edge Warriors in West Kelowna

WEST KELOWNA – Connor Chartier picked a good time to get his first playoff goal. Chartier scored the game-tying goal and setup the game-winner in the third period, as the Penticton Vees edged the West Kelowna Warriors 3-2 in game four of their BCHL Interior Division semi-final in West Kelowna Saturday, March 7.

Dakota Conroy scored the game winner with just over two-minutes left in the third period, as the Vees took a 3-1 series lead, heading into game five Monday, March 9 at the South Okanagan Events Centre.

Gabe Bast also rippled the mesh for the Vees and Hunter Miska had a pedestrian night in the Vees crease, stopping 27 shots; that after a 79-save performance Friday.

Bast opened the scoring midway through the first period, when he hammered a one-timer through Stephen Heslop on the short-side; Bast bagging his first of the series at 10:46.

That lead would hold up until the early moments of the second period when the Warriors Kristian Blumenschein’s knuckle-puck from the point found its way through. The point-shot appeared to hit a Vee before tumbling over the goal-line forty-eight seconds in.

West Kelowna grabbed their only lead near the midway mark of the sandwich stanza, as Liam Blackburn capitalized on their second power-play. Tanner Campbell found Blackburn on the far-side and he wired a one-timer at 8:56.

The Vees drew back level five-minutes into the third, as Chartier crashed the net and cleaned up a rebound. Miles Gendron threw the puck on net and the rebound bounced out to the charging Chartier, who went upstairs at 5:03.

Chartier was then on the game-winner in the closing minutes of regulation. Chartier and Lewis Zerter-Gossage worked the puck behind the net, before the puck was dished to Conroy in front; he buried into the gaping six by four at 17:46.

The Vees held off a late West Kelowna surge when they had the net vacant for the extra skater; Miska held his ground in the grease on a last-second scramble.

Final Score: 3-2 Vees

Shots: 39-29

Power-Plays: Vees 0-4 Warriors 1-2

Three Stars: 1) Stephen Heslop 2) Connor Chartier 3) Tyson Jost

Including the regular season, the Vees are 5-0-0 at Royal LePage Place; the Vees outscoring West Kelowna 26-11 in those five games. Oddly enough, the team that has carried a lead into the third period has lost three of the four games so far.

The Vees have a chance to close out the series on Monday, March 9th, at the SOEC; puck drop is 7 p.m. Tickets are available at the Valley First box office at the South Okanagan Events Centre, or online at www.valleyfirsttix.com.