Max Coatta's seventh goal of the season was all the Penticton Vees need to defeat the visiting Cowichan Valley Capitals on Saturday.
Coatta opened the scoring at 6:09 of the first when he wired a shot in the slot over the glove of Capitals goalie Robin Gusse. The Vees went on to win 5-0 and Olivier Mantha made 18 saves to earn his first BCHL shutout in front of 1,942 fans.
Entering the second period leading 1-0, Cam Amantea led a three-goal second period outburst. Amantea muscled his way to the near post and jammed the puck under Gusse, who finished with 21 saves. Amantea's goal was followed by a tally by Brett Beauvais, who scored on the power-play when his wrist shot beat Gusse. Travis Blanleil scored in the final minute of play as Cody DePourcq fed him the puck.
The Vees final goal was scored by Ben Dalpe, who was set up by Brad McClure. Dalpe scored the first goal in the Vees' 4-1 win against the Centennials Friday night.
The win improves the Vees' record to 6-2-0 and moves them into a share of first-place in the Interior Division with the West Kelowna Warriors. The Vees are back in action Oct. 4 when they travel to Salmon Arm to face the SilverBacks. The Vees return home the following night to host the Alberni Valley Bulldogs. Puck drop is slated for 6 p.m.
Vees notes: Former Penticton Vee Zac Dalpe has been acquired by the Vancouver Canucks along with Jeremy Welsh for Kellan Tochkin and a fourth round draft pick in 2014. They made the announcement on their website early Sunday morning. Dalpe's brother Ben, who plays for the Vees, tweeted, "Wow pretty crazy news, brother traded to his childhood team the Vancouver Canucks!!!"