Zachary Driscoll turned in an impressive 48-save performance to lead the Penticton Vees to its 18th straight victory in a 6-1 win over the Trail Smoke Eaters.
After turning aside nine shots in the first period, the home team peppered the Driscoll with 40 shots in the final two periods. The lone scorer for the Smoke Eaters was Connor Brown-Maloski.
Demico Hannoun scored half the Vees’ goals, including pouncing on a loose puck to beat goalie Linden Marshall for the winner. Hannoun’s hat-trick gives him six goals on the season.
The Vees led 1-0 after one and 3-1 after two. The Smoke Eaters pressured in the third period, firing 21 shots at Driscoll, who stopped them all. The Vees blew the game open in the final three minutes on goals by Easton Brodzinski, Owen Sillinger and Hannoun.
With the win, the Vees improve to 18-1-0, while the Smoke Eaters are 6-11-0. They failed to jump ahead of the Merritt Centennials who are one point ahead of them in the Interior Division, though Trail has three games in hand.
In other BCHL action, the Cowichan Valley Capitals defeated the Powell River Kings 7-5 and the Langley Rivermen earned a 5-2 win over the Surrey Eagles.
The BCHL announced on Monday that Driscoll is the player of the week, ending Nov. 1. Driscoll stopped 75 of 76 shots in two wins over Merritt and Trail. Driscoll picked up his first career BCHL shutout Friday, stopping 27-shots backstopping the Vees to a 3-0 win over the Centennials, and was named the game’s first star. His encore performance Sunday afternoon, the Apple Valley, Minn., native stopped 48 of 49 shots against the Smoke Eaters. He also had a shutout streak of over 91-minutes over the weekend.
Driscoll now leads all BCHL goaltenders in goals-against average (1.67) and save percentage (.946) and he is 6-0 to start his BCHL career after he joined the Vees in late September. Driscoll is committed to St. Cloud State University.
His teammate Nicholas Jones was named an honourable mention for the Player of the Week award. Jones had two goals and seven points in his first three games as a Vee.
Driscoll and Jones helped the Vees to their 18th-straight win Sunday, which is now the second longest win streak in franchise history.
