Longtime rivals couldn’t decide the inaugural B.C. Hockey League Okanagan Cup exhibition tournament in regulation time.
Jacob Quillan scored 1:14 into overtime to give the Penticton Vees a 3-2 win over the Vernon Vipers Saturday, Nov. 14, in the Okanagan Cup championship game at the South Okanagan Events Centre.
After a big Yaniv Perets save on Vipers forward Josh Prokop, the Vees turned the puck the other way as Connor Bouchard dropped a puck inside the left point where Quillan gathered the disc and snapped a shot through Vernon goalie Koen MacInnes for his fifth goal of the tournament.
Ryan Shostak opened the scoring for Vernon at 9:54 of the first period, burying his own rebound through Perets’ legs.
Penticton countered three minutes later on a goal from the slot by FortisBC Energy Player of the Game Tristan Amonte.
After a scoreless middle frame, Matteo Costantini gave the Vees a 2-1 lead at 6:44 of the third when his backhand pass from the left face-off circle hit a Vipers player and deflected past MacInnes.
Will Arquiett forced overtime for Vernon with 2:23 left in regulation, as he came off the bench, picked up the puck, faked a slapshot then stepped into the right face-off circle and put a backhand shot over Perets’ blocker.
Perets finished with 17 saves while MacInnes turned aside 21 Penticton shots in goal for Vernon.
Both teams advanced to the Okanagan Cup final with semifinal wins Friday night, Nov. 13.
The Vees got two goals from Connor Bouchard in a 5-2 home-ice win over the Salmon Arm Silverbacks.
MacInnes made 31 saves and Vernon got goals from JoJo Tanaka-Campbell in the first period and Cameron MacDonald with 53 seconds left in regulation time for a 2-0 win over the hometown West Kelowna Warriors.
The BCHL regular season is slated to start in mid-December.
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