Submitted by Fraser Rodgers
The Penticton Vees were understaffed but didn’t underperform on Friday night as they gutted out a 2-1 road win against the Nanaimo Clippers at Frank Crane Arena.
Owen Sillinger and Taylor Ward scored first period goals and Mat Robson turned aside 32 shots, including 15 in the third period as the Vees held off the Clippers for their second consecutive win. Matt Cramer was the only Clipper to solve Robson, as he scored on the power-play midway through the third period spoiling Robson’s bid for his fourth shutout. It was the Clippers third straight loss after losing last weekend to Vernon and Surrey.
The Vees got out to a quick start as Ward put the visitors up early just four minutes in. James Miller snuck down to the left wing circle, got the puck from Taylor Sanheim and then quickly spotted Ward for the backdoor tap-in on the opposite side of the net at 3:58.
The Vees clung to that one-goal lead late into the period until Sillinger capitalized on a turnover deep in the Nanaimo end. Sillinger forced Taylor Karl to cough the puck up on the wall and then he dragged the puck back onto his backhand, cutting to the net and finished off the play by scoring from one knee with just over two-minutes left for his 16th.
The Vees scoring twice on 10 shots in the first on Evan DeBrouwer, after he made 46-saves against the Vees back in October in a shutout win.
READ MORE: Vees handed first home ice loss this season by the Clippers
Nanaimo, down two, ratcheted up the pressure in the third period but that’s when Robson was at his best for the Vees. Robson stopped 15 of 16 shots, as Nanaimo nearly had as many shots in the third, as they did in the first two periods combined (17). That Clippers’ pressure did finally pay off though as the power-play got them on the scoresheet. On their fourth man-advantage, the Clippers somehow managed to fire a puck into the net after a furious goal mouth scramble. With several Vees piled up in the crease, including Robson on his stomach facing the wrong way, Cramer got hold of the loose puck and fired it inside the post from the bottom of the circle at 7:32
Shots: 33-22 Nanaimo
Power-Plays: Vees 0-3 Nanaimo 1-5
Three Stars (Radio): 1) Mat Robson 2) Ben Solin 3) Turner Ripplinger.
Vees Notes: The Vees improve their record to 6-2 against the Island Division and are now nine points clear of second place Vernon in the Interior standings; they have two games in hand on the Vipers. The Vees played with just five regular defencemen in their line-up as Gabe Bast, Greg Brydon, Mitch Meek and Sam Rossini did not dress. It was almost a year to the day, when the Vee last won in Nanaimo, as they torched the Clippers 6-1 back on Feb. 5 of last year.
