The Penticton Vees got their revenge on the Cowichan Valley Capitals.
After losing to the Capitals 4-2 on Nov. 9 in Cowichan, the favour was returned Saturday at the South Okanagan Events Centre with a 4-1 win.
Icing the victory for the Vees was former Capital Steen Cooper, who burned Lane Michasiw with a wrist shot top corner on the short side on a two-on-one with Cody DePourcq.
“I thought about passing, but the lane was blocked,” said Cooper, who was glad to get the monkey off his back with his third goal of the season. “I saw it all the way. I got lucky on the shot.”
While the Capitals managed just 11 shots on goal, they found a way to beat Brendan Barry with a shot that sneaked through his five-hole at 17:41 to make it 3-1. While the Capitals generated very little offensively, they played a physical style and made the the Vees earn the two points.
“They are not as bad as their record (4-16-0-1) shows,” said Cooper. “They are a hard working team and they take pride in how they play.”
After a scoreless first period, the Vees hit the scoresheet at 10:22 as Patrick Sexton found Patrick Newell alone at the side of the net and he hammered a shot past Michasiw, who faced 42 shots. DePourcq had some luck on his side scoring the eventual winner. The Vees co-captain had the puck in the corner on Michasiw’s right side when he made a move to the net, shot it high and it appeared to bounce in off the goalie to give the Vees a 2-0 lead. Cooper’s goal made it 3-0 at 16:01 of the third period, then Matt Serratore put the finishing touches with an empty net goal.
Including their win in Vernon Friday night, the Vees are not 19-3-0-1.
Vees note: Zach Funk who was signed prior to the Island road trip as a free agent was released by the Vees following that trip. Vees coach-general manager Fred Harbinson said Funk “wasn’t the right fit for us.” … The Vees announced Friday they traded forward Josh Laframboise to the Salmon Arm Silverbacks for the CJHL playing rights of forward Connor Chartier. Harbinson stated in a team release that the move will help the team immediately and in the future.
“We all know come playoff time, 20-year-old experience in junior hockey is critical,” said Harbinson. “Connor will add maturity to our lineup and undeniable passion for the game.”
Chartier, 20, was recently with the Spokane Chiefs of the Western Hockey League (WHL) where he spent parts of four seasons. Chartier has played in 209 regular season and 25 playoff games for the Chiefs.
Laframboise, 18, played in 21 games for the Vees and had three goals and eight points. The Regina, Sask., native came to the Vees from the Battlefords Stars Midget program. Laframboise is committed to the University of Minnesota-Duluth for the fall of 2016.
Chartier is expected to arrive in Penticton this weekend and will make his debut on Nov. 19 when they host the Langley Rivermen at the SOEC.
