The Penticton Vees are looking to keep their momentum in the New Year strong as they take on the Victoria Grizzlies for their first home game of 2020.
The Vees are coming back home with two wins on the road to start off the year, with a 3-1 win against the Vernon Vipers on Jan. 1 and a 5-2 win in Salmon Arm on Friday night.
Yaniv Perets picked up his 18th win of the season, turning away 40 of 42 shots sent his way.
The first period was a scoreless affair as both teams tested the opposing goalies, and it wasn’t until 3:34 into the second period that the Salmon Arm Silverbacks found the first gap to take the lead.
Penticton was quick to retaliate, with Jackson Niedermayer picking up his 12th goal of the season off assists from Lukas Sillinger and Nico Somerville less than 40 seconds later.
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Salmon Arm retook the lead with another goal at the 11-minute mark. Vees captain David Silye didn’t let the goal escape the period unanswered, going unassisted for his 14th goal this season with 17 seconds left in the period.
The Vees took over the third period of scoring with three goals off 17 shots, two of which came within 30 seconds of each other.
Jack Barnes took the lead for the Vees 1:02 into the final period with assists from Evan McIntyre and Jackson Niedermeyer, earning his fourth goal for the season. Niedermeyer picked up his second goal of the game 26 seconds later with assists from David Silye and Nico Somerville.
With 1:01 left to play in the game, Barnes finished off the Salmon Arm Silverbacks’ hopes with an empty-net goal. David Silye and Colton Kalezic assisted on Barnes’ fifth goal of the season.
Penticton takes on the Victoria Grizzlies tonight for the second of two match-ups scheduled in the regular season. In their first meeting in Victoria back in November, the Vees took the win 4-1.
The puck drops at tonight’s game at the South Okanagan Events Centre at 6 p.m.
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