Penticton Vees improved their record to 11-0 with a 6-2 win over Powell River Kings at Hap Parker Arena on Friday, October 11.
Vees converted on four of seven powerplay opportunities en route to the road win, while the Kings capitalized on only one of the 10 penalties visiting players were assessed during the game.
“We went three for seven on the penalty kill, so that’s not good, and you’re not going to win many hockey games allowing four powerplay goals,” said Kings’ assistant coach Brock Sawyer. “We practiced it all week, tweaked a few things, and it looked like we got run around a little bit and out-muscled in front of our net.”
In addition to sitting atop BC Hockey League standings, Penticton is also the top-ranked Junior A team in Canada.
“They’re number one in the country; they have a lot of players who can skate and move the puck,” added Sawyer. “For the better part of the game, we played light, we were reaching for pucks, and we were too amped up and forgot to do our jobs.”
Kings forward Jacob Slipec scored his third goal of the season five minutes into the first period to tie the game at one. Vees had opened the scoring just 90 seconds after the opening faceoff.
Powell River faced an uphill battle the rest of the night as Penticton scored five goals in a row, one more in the first and four straight in the second period, before Jacob Badal answered for the home team. There was no scoring in the third period as the visitors cruised to a 6-2 win.
“Nights like this happen, where it feels like everything is crumbling down because we’ve dropped four in a row, but it’s still early and there is plenty of hockey to be played,” said Sawyer. “The only way to get out of this skid is to continue to work hard and bring your best effort every night.”
Kings return to action Saturday, October 12, when they host Island Division-leading Cowichan Valley Capitals. Game time at Hap Parker Arena is 5 pm.
Capitals lost 6-5 in a shootout to Trail on October 11, picking up a single point to move five points ahead of the Kings, who sit in third place, one point behind Nanaimo Clippers.
