David Melaragni’s overtime goal gave the Cowichan Valley Capitals a 3-2 win on Tuesday night and a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series with the Penticton Vees.
Melaragni, who led the Caps with 38 assists and 50 points in the regular season, scored at 3:54 of the first overtime on Monday as the Caps won their first home game of the postseason after splitting the first two games in Penticton.
Duncan’s own Luc Wilson scored in the second period to make it 1-1, and Niko Esposito-Selivanov potted his third goal of the playoffs in the third period to momentarily give Cowichan a 2-1 lead.
Both goalies — Cowichan’s Pierce Diamond and Penticton’s Jack LaFontaine — made 30 saves on the night. The Vees went 2-for-4 on the powerplay, while the Caps were 0-for-3.
The teams will meet again at the Cowichan Arena on Wednesday at 7 p.m. before heading back to Penticton for game five on Saturday. If a sixth game is necessary, it will be played in Cowichan next Monday at 7 p.m., and game seven is scheduled for Wednesday, March 13 in Penticton.
