The Vees got off to a shaky start but held on to beat the Trail Smoke Eaters 4-3 Friday night at the South Okanagan Events Centre.
Craig Martin opened the game up for the Smoke Eaters halfway through the first off a quick assist out of the face off from Jake Lucchini.
The Vees struggled to keep the puck out of their own end in the first, but Connor Chartier was able to make the best of a pass from Lewis Zerter-Gossage to tie it up late.
The Smoke Eaters quickly answered back with an unassisted goal from Kienan Scott 47 seconds later.
“For some reason we couldn’t make a play. We put a lot of pucks at each others feet, we couldn’t string two or three passes together. It was just one of those nights,” Head coach-general manager of the Vees Fred Harbinson said.
At the start of the second Hunter Miska replaced Vees net minder Brendan Barry who allowed two goals on ten shots in the first.
The Vees were able to muster up some energy in the second knocking three past the posts from Jost, Conroy and Newsome to grab their first lead of the game going ahead 4-2.
“The second period I thought we were great. We got back on track and then the third was a little stagnant again at a few different points,” Harbinson said.
Trail held on to make things interesting and Kienan Scott nabbed his second goal of the game with assists from Harlan Orr and Connor Brown-Maloski to put the Smoke Eaters within one with four minutes to go in the third.
Despite some close last second efforts from Trail, who left the net unguarded putting the pressure on with the man advantage, the Vees were able to hang on to the win.
“The third wasn’t bad but, there you go, all of a sudden you give up a goal late and they got life from it and it almost came back to haunt us,” Harbinson said.
Mitch Newsome led the Vees in points Friday night bringing home a goal and an assist .
“We had a tough start there, but everyone reconnected in the dressing room and we came out with a strong second,” Newsome said. “Obviously we wouldn’t like to give up that last goal like we did there, but we got the win thats all that matters.”
The Vees head to Trail for a rematch with the Smoke Eaters tonight.
