After a record-breaking inaugural WHL season, the Penticton Vees claimed their first victory of the preseason in overtime against the Kamloops Blazers.
The first goal came just under eight minutes in when Blazers forward River Arnason put the puck in the back of the net to give the Blazers a 1-0 lead. The Vees responded late in the period when Vegas Golden Knights prospect Noel Pakarinen put a shot past Blazers goaltender Logan Edmonstone to tie the game at 1-1 after the first period.
The only goal in the second frame saw Vees forward Gavin Katz give the Vees their first lead of the game. The Blazers quickly tied the game in the first few minutes of the third period as Ty Coupland put the puck past Vees goaltender Andrew Reyelts. With just over five minutes left in the game, the Blazers struck again, this time from forward Andrew Thomson, to give the Blazers a 3-2 lead.
Just after scoring the go-ahead goal, Blazers forward Cole Secord was given a double-minor penalty for slew-footing, giving the Vees a late power play. It only took the Vees 16 seconds to score the game-tying power-play goal, thanks to Gavin Katz’s second goal of the game. The third period ended with the teams needing overtime, tied at three.
Early in the extra frame, Blazers forward Vit Zahejsky was assessed a tripping penalty, giving the Vees another power play with a chance to secure the win. It took the Vees a bit longer this time to find the power-play goal, as Tyden Bergeson found the back of the net to give the Vees the overtime victory.
The Vees will be back in action Sept. 9 when they play host to the Kelowna Rockets.
