A strong start and strong offense lead to a 6-3 victory for the Penticton Vees over the Merritt Centennials on Sept. 28.

Mason Snell put the Vees on the board at 2:25 in the first period with a shot from the left wing. This was his first BCHL goal.

Almost 10 minutes later Brendan Harrogate made his Vees debut scoring off of Drew Elser’s rebound shot. This extended the Vees’ lead to 2-0.

Cole Shepard and Matthew Byrne came in on a 2-on-1 rush to score the Vees’ next goal, Shephard with the pass to Byrne who tipped the puck into net for his first career goal.

In the last minute of the period Ryan Sandelin scored off a rebound during a power play, leaving the score 4-0 going into the second period. Shots on net were 17-10 for Penticton.

Harrogate scored his second goal of the game thanks to a pass from Andre Ghantous, also making his Vees debut. The score would be 5-0 before the Centennials would put themselves on the board.

Bradley Cocca, Merritt’s lead scorer, finished off a 3-on-2 rush with a goal through the five hole, bringing the score to 5-1 through two periods.

Two back-to-back penalties for the Vees in the beginning of the third left the Centennials with the advantage. With nine minutes remaining Rylan Van Unen found the back of the net for the Centennials.

Brendan Schneider scored the Centennials’ final point with two minutes left in the third, but Ghantous quickly scored on the same power play moments later, icing the game for the Vees.

The Penticton Vees are hosting the Alberni Valley Bulldogs for their home opener on Sept. 29 at the South Okanagan Events Centre. Puck drops at 6 p.m. but fans are encourage to come to the rink early for outdoor pre-game activities.

Vees win 6-3! Goals from Harrogate (x2), Ghantous, Sandelin, Snell and Byrne. @DerekKrall makes 37 saves for his first win as a Vee. See you all tomorrow night at the @SOEC for the home opener! pic.twitter.com/hDUmR26L3v

— Penticton Vees (@PentictonVees) September 29, 2018

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