The Penticton Vees used a 27-save performance from Carl Stankowski and a Tyler Ho overtime winner to help them to a 2-1 victory over the Wenatchee Wild in extra time on Saturday night at the South Okanagan Events Centre.
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The Wild opened the game with plenty of pressure and were first on the scoreboard coming at the 7:38 mark to get ahead by a 1-0 score. Off a face-off win inside the offensive zone, Nick Cafarelli spun and fired a shot on goal from the top of the right face-off circle that eluded Vees netminder Carl Stankowski that vaulted the visitors ahead by a 1-0 score.
Penticton started to gain some momentum as the period went along and got a big save from Stankowski that led to tying the game moments later. Cafarelli was spotted at the Vees blue line for a break behind the Penticton defense and tried to beat Stankowski on the glove side but the Vees goaltender jetted out his left pad to keep the game at 1-0.
Wenatchee took a penalty immediately after the big stop and the Vees took advantage just over 10 seconds into the man advantage as Danny Weight found the scoresheet for the fourth straight game. Jay O’Brien made his way around the offensive zone before sending a pass from the right side to the slot as Colton Kalezic tried to bump the puck to the goal with Weight tucking it in on the glove side for his thirteenth goal of the season for a 1-1 tie with 1:30 remaining in the opening frame.
Despite no goals through the next 40 plus minutes, goaltending was on display from both sides as each of Stankowski and Wild netminder Daniel Chenard made numerous outstanding stops. Chenard robbed Lukas Sillinger early in the 2nd period as he dove across to his left to deny the Vees forward of an open look on the glove side.
Stankowski would not be denied, either, making a big stop of Brett Chorske, who toe-dragged around a defender to get open ice in the slot and let a shot go that was stopped by the Vees netminder.
Chenard made several strong saves, moving from left to right in his crease very well and making two big saves on Jackson Niedermayer with cross seam passes off of Danny Weight and Liam Malmquist’s sticks. The shots on goal read 10-4 for the Vees in the second period before a 10-7 margin in favour of the home team in the final regulation period as the game was destined for overtime.
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The Vees had the best opportunity early in the overtime period with Malmquist and Steve Holtz teaming up for a 2-on-1 that was off the outside of the glove side post on a Malmquist try from the left face-off circle before O’Brien was sprung on a breakaway and was denied by the left pad of the Wild goaltender.
Penticton finally cracked Chenard late in the overtime frame as, with only 15 seconds remaining in extra time, Tyler Ho took a Holtz drop pass in the left circle and skated toward the goal, driving the net and tucking a shot up under the crossbar for his 3rd goal of the season and a 2-1 Vees win in overtime.
Carl Stankowski was great in his first start in front of the home crowd, turning aside 26 of the 27 shots he faced in his third win of the season while Daniel Chenard was equally as good, stopping 31 of the 33 shots thrown his way in his third overtime defeat of the year.
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