The West Kelowna jumped out to an early lead, and had another in the third period but it was the Penticton Vees who tied it late and won it in overtime 3-2 during Game 2 on Saturday night in Penticton.
Kyle Marino got the Warriors on the board just over two minutes in, as he banged home a rebound past Zach Driscoll with the Warriors on the power play.
For the rest of the period, it was the Warriors penalty kill who was pressed into action, killing off back to back minor penalties, before killing off a full two minutes of 5 on 3 action after a Roughing after the Whistle and Bench Minor call on the same stoppage.
The Vees would tie the game up just 18 seconds into the second period, as Demico Hannoun beat Matthew Greenfield on the glove side off the rush.
That is how the game would stay through to the third, as the Warriors penalty kill remained perfect on seven opportunities through 40 minutes.
West Kelowna finally got some time with the man advantage, as the Vees drew blood on a pair of high sticks of Warrior players, putting West Kelowna on an extended 5 on 3 opportunity.
Zach Driscoll and the Vees killers got the job done, as the 2200+ fans roared their approval, as West Kelowna mustered five shots but couldn’t score.
Just after that, an effective forecheck by Connor Sodergren got the puck to Garrett Forster who found Quin Foreman in the slot for a one-timer to give West Kelowna the lead.
After a timeout by the Vees and the net empty with two minutes remaining, Scott Conway scored from the left circle with 58.4 seconds remaining on the clock to force overtime.
In the extra frame, the Warriors had a pair of opportunities to score but just couldn’t find the back of the net. After Kylar Hope was taken down cycling out of the corner, the Vees rushed the puck up ice and tried for a shot on Matthew Greenfield.
The shot ended up in the corner, where the Vees recovered, throwing a pass out front and off the skate of a Warriors defender and past Greenfield for the victory.
West Kelowna finds themselves down 2-0 in the series heading back to Royal LePage Place on Monday and Tuesday night. Puck drops at 7 PM.
For tickets, call 250-769-7051 starting Monday at 9 am.
