The Penticton Vees (30-9-2-3) kept their 2018 unbeaten streak alive with Friday’s 4-1 road win over the Powell River Kings (23-15-4-4).
The Vees got a pair of goals from Wyatt Sloboshan, including his first in a Penticton uniform and 29 saves from Adam Scheel as they prepare to take on the Cowichan Valley Capitals Saturday in the first game of their Island swing Saturday.
The Vees have not lost in their first nine games in January, winning all with the exception of a 2-2 tie against the Trail Smoke Eaters.
In Friday’s fast-paced first period there were just three whistles in the opening nine minutes, but not a lot of shots on net with just five between the two teams.
After the Kings piled on shots in short order, the Vees were able to open the scoring. Sloboshan carried the puck into the zone down the right wing before firing a wrist shot past Mitch Adamyk for his first goal.
The second period featured a pair of power plays for the Kings and they had their best chance on net during the second one. Ben Berard had the puck in the right circle and sent it across the crease for Jonny Evans, but Scheel was able to quickly move to his right and get a blocker on the cross-crease chance.
The score remained 1-0 Penticton through 40 minutes, with the shots heavily in the Kings favour at 22-12. Generating more offence in the third period was clearly the goal for the Vees in the third period, and they did that with five shots in the opening six minutes.
Sloboshan scored his second of the game when his weak backhand shot from inside the left circle snuck through the pads of a screened Adamyk to make it 2-0 3:52 into the period.
Powell River was able to solve Scheel on their third power play of the game when Carter Turnbull redirected Evans’ pass in front of the goal to cut it down to a 2-1 game nine minutes into the third.
With Adamyk on the bench for the extra attacker, Jared Nash and Owen Sillinger scored empty net goals less than a minute apart to seal the 4-1 win.
The last time the Vees and Cowichan Valley Capitals (9-31-4-2) met was in Penticton in November when the hosts dished out a Cowichan 10-1 spanking.
