The hockey was great to watch from the outset as both teams appeared ready to play. With very few stoppages of play over the first five minutes, the pace was high and everyone got into the game early. The Bulldogs would earn the first power play of the game, but instead of gaining momentum if anything it gave energy to the Vees as the Dogs struggled to get anything going. At the end of the penalty the Vees would open the scoring as Brad McClure blocked a dump in and raced in alone on a breakaway where he went top corner, glove side on LaCouvee. The goal was unassisted at 10:17 of the first. The Dogs again went to the power play later in the period, and again they failed to generate much of an attack. The Vees would get a power play chance with less than two minutes to play in the period but Connor LaCouvee came up with several big saves to keep it 1-0 Penticton after one with the Vees leading the shots 14-5.
LaCouvee would continue to come up big through the early parts of the second to keep it 1-0 as the Vees had several good chances, namely on odd-man rushes, but they couldn't connect on them. The Dogs would then answer back to tie the game when Brett Stewart fired a puck at the net from the left point that deflected off something and up and over Olivier Mantha to make it 1-1. Assists on the play went to Scott Clark and Harlan Orr at 8:46 of the second. The score stayed that way until the late stages of the second when LaCouvee was penalized for throwing a punch after the Vees crashed the net. The Vees would connect on the power play when Brad McClure scored his second of the game on a one-timer from the top of the point that went top corner, glove side on LaCouvee. Ben Dalpe picked up the only assist on it at 18-14 of the second for a 2-1 Vees lead after two periods, with the Bulldogs unable to generate much offense, out-shot 30 to 8 through 40 minutes.
The Dogs would kill off a Vees power play to kick off the third period, but they connected shortly afterwards when Connor LaCouvee made a great first save on a wide open Brad McClure, but had the puck shoot out of his glove and onto the tape of Cam Amantea at the top of the crease who fired it home to make it 3-1 Vees at 2:24 of the period. The Dogs would fire back and keep it when they found the net five minutes later as Tryg Strand and Justin Georgeson worked the puck back to the line to Darian Henry who walked to the middle and faked a shot before walking to the outside and ripping a slap shot top corner, far side past the blocker of Mantha to make it 3-2 with 7:43 gone in the third. The Dogs pushed hard and had several good chances to tie it, most notably when Olivier Mantha stopped Scott Clark from the deep slot. The score remained that way until the late stages of regulation when the Vees went ahead 4-2 when Luca Doctor tried to go D-to-D behind the net, but instead shot the puck into the outside of the cage where Cam Amantea picked it up and walked out front and put it through the legs of LaCouvee. The goal was unassisted, with 5:53 to play in the third. It was a heartbreaking goal, but the Dogs proved once again to be resilient and made it a one-goal game just 58 seconds later as Darian Henry sent Riley Ostoforoff in on the breakaway with a great stretch pass up the middle. Ostoforoff would be stopped by Mantha, but Josh Adkins followed the play up and scored his first career goal banking one in off Mantha from behind the goal line to make it 4-3 with 4:59 to play in the third. That would be as close as the Dogs would get however, as the Vees made the lead stand.
Final shots favoured Penticton 37-23, with Connor LaCouvee again taking the loss, while again earning 2nd star honours. The Dogs went 0 for 3 on the power play while the Vees went 1 for 4.
Next up, two straight in Powell River Friday and Saturday night.
Hammer
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