The Penticton Vees fired 14 shots on Trevin Kozlowski in the third period, but he stopped every one.
Kozlowski finished with 35 saves in a 5-1 Salmon Arm Silverbacks win at the South Okanagan Events Centre and earned first star honours. Turner Ripplinger, the game’s third star, scored the Vees lone goal in front of 4,225 fans on Pink the Rink night in support of Anti-Bullying Awareness.
Ripplinger said their effort Saturday was not enough.
“It’s pretty embarrassing how we came out like that in front of 4,000 fans,” he said. “I think we just weren’t prepared tonight to battle.”
Ripplinger’s third goal of the season had the Vees headed into the dressing room in the second intermission down 3-1. Ripplinger deposited a rebound that hit his teammate and came towards him for the tap in. Mendel fired a shot from the point that started the play and Risling picked up an assist.
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Penticton Vees Nicholas Jones and Duncan Campbell, below, watch as the puck bounces off the Shoulder of Salmon Arm Silverback goalie Trevin Kozlowski, who made 35 saves.
After a scoreless first period, the Silverbacks got on the board first with a shorthanded goal. Connor Sundquist grabbed the puck at centre ice and broke in on Nolan Hildebrand with a Vee backchecking. Sundquist was able to fire a shot through Hildebrand’s five-hole. Less than two minutes later Penticton product Nathan Iannone scored his fourth goal of the season beating Hildebrand on his blocker side. The Silverbacks went up 3-0 on a point shot by Austin Chorney that beat Hildebrand between his body and arm on his glove side. The goal came on the power play.
After being outshot 13-10 in the first period, the Vees outshot the Silverbacks 12-7, but they had two shots through the opening 10 minutes of the second frame.
Owen Sillinger, named the FortisBC Energy Players of the Game, said a big thing was their work ethic.
“We didn’t come to play in the first period. It kind of set us back a little bit,” said Sillinger. “We kind of found some jump half way through the second. It’s hard to come back from a 3-0 lead. We have to work harder, work as a team more and at the end of the day we just have to give more.”
The Silverbacks were able to ice the game on Jared Turcotte’s empty net goal at 17:33. The loss drops the Vees to 38-13-2-1, while the Silverbacks improve to 21-28-3-3.
The Vees finish up their three-game homestand Sunday at 2 p.m. against the Victoria Grizzlies, who beat them 2-1 in overtime in Victoria. The Grizzlies lost to the Warriors in West Kelowna 3-2.
