| Courtesy of BCHL
They developed a reputation for racking up offence most of the season but the Penticton Vees showed Friday they can play an airtight defensive game when need be as they secured a 3-2 road win over the Merritt Centennials.
An eventful first period saw the Vees storm out to a 2-0 lead on goals by Cody DePourcq and Wade Murphy. But the Cents would rally to tie before the intermission on tallies by Ross Mancuso and Brent Fletcher.
Logan Johnston scored the game-winner at 1:01 of the second and that was it for goals on the night. The Vees killed the three power plays awarded to the Cents during the remainder of the game and Chad Katunar stopped 24 of 26 shots for the win.
Mario Lucia picked up a pair of assists for the Vees to take first star and move into the playoff scoring lead. Game 4 goes Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. at Nicola Valley Arena.
