By Brennan Phillips
Western News Staff
The Penticton Vees earned a 5-2 victory in the first of two games against the Alberta Junior Hockey League’s Brooks Bandits last night, staying undefeated so far this pre-season.
It was a physical night of hockey at the South Okanagan Events Centre, with glass rattling at both ends of the rink. There were 19 penalties in the game, 11 for the Vees, including a double-minor for high-sticking in the first period.
Read More: Penticton Vees take on the National Champions this weekend
The Vees penalty kill shone through the game, with goalie Yaniv Perets letting in only one powerplay goal. Perets blocked 26 of 28 shots he faced last night to rack up his second win of the pre-season, while Bandits’ goalie Pierce Charleson blocked 14 of 18 for his first pre-season loss.
The Vees opened the scoring with a goal from newcomer Tristan Amonte off a rush from fellow newcomer Cade Webber. The second period of scoring belonged to Vees veterans, with captain David Silye and Lukas Sillinger finding the back of the net.
In the third period, Vincent Nardone picked up his second goal as a Vee with an assist from Jay O’Brien, which makes six assists so far in the pre-season for O’Brien. Down 4-2, the Bandits pulled their goalie with a minute and a half to go in the game.
Read More: Vees sweep up their first pre-season win Friday Night
With an empty netter and just 21 seconds to go, O’Brien picked up his third assist of the game and Jackson Neidermayer his first goal of the pre-season to close out the scoring.
The Vees and Bandits are back on the ice of the South Okanagan Event Centre Saturday night for a rematch to end the pre-season. The puck drops at 6 p.m., and tickets for the game are only $5.
To report a typo, email: editor@pentictonwesternnews.com.
<>@PentictonNews
newstips@pentictonwesternnews.com
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.