Morning Star Staff
Mitch Profeit recorded 35 saves as the North Okanagan Knights stuffed the Sicamous Eagles 3-0 in Kootenay International Junior Hockey League action Wednesday night before 200 fans at the Nor-Val Sports Centre.
Profeit, 17, of Prince George, earned his first shutout of the season while going to 5-2. The 5-foot-10, 210-pounder has a 2.15 goals against average.
“He played very well,” said Knights’ head coach Shawn Webb, of Profeit. “We gave a mandate to our goalies to make three more saves and he stopped a breakaway and made a nice move on a two-on-one. He was really aggressive with his stick. We told him to relax and have fun in net. He certainly earned the start Friday night (in Kelowna versus the Chiefs).”
Tanner Burns’ fifth of the year, in the first period, boosted the Knights to 9-10-0-1, good for fourth spot in the Okanagan Division. Justin Lange and Brett Hawrys drew assists.
Brett Hawrys (4th) and Mat Lambert (10th) netted third-period snipes 2:13 apart. Lange and Dennon Leibel earned helpers on Hawrys’ goal, while Blake Culbert set up Lambert.
Sicamous, who got 36 saves from Kris Joyce, dipped to 9-11-0-2. The Eagles recently added Vernon forward Hayden Pasacreta, 19, to their lineup. He had been playing for the Cold Lake Ice of the North Eastern Alberta Junior B League.
Meanwhile, the Vernon Vipers tangle with the Merritt Centennials in B.C. Hockey League play tonight at the Nicola Valley Arena.
The Vipers, who traded goalie Michael Stiliadis to the Manitoba League Dauphin Kings for future considerations, are 11-6-2-4 and one point back of the second-place Cents (14-9-1-0) in the Interior Conference.
The Vipers host the Cowichan Valley Capitals in a Sunday matinee. The Caps are 11-12-0-1 and fourth in the Island Division.
