PHOTO: Tami Quan
WEST KELOWNA, B.C. – The West Kelowna Warriors staged a late comeback and forced overtime with just seven seconds remaining but fell in the extra period to the Penticton Vees by a 2-1 score on Friday night at Royal LePage Place.
Chances were limited for both sides in the opening period as just one goal separated the teams after 20 minutes of play and it was the visiting Vees who struck at the 2:11 mark to gain the advantage.
Rorke Applebee came out of his net to go behind his goal to retrieve a puck but had a miscommunication with his defenseman as Connor MacPherson centered a pass for his brother Ryan who snapped a shot into the open goal to give Penticton a 1-0 lead in the game.
No scoring took place after the opening marker in the period as Applebee settled in to make saves on 8 of the 9 shots he faced in the period while Will Ingemann stood tall in the Vees crease, turning aside each of the five 1st period shots he faced.
The 2nd period saw a similar script but this time no goals were scored in the middle frame with the Warriors killing their lone penalty of the game to that time and converted that momentum to try and get some offensive chances including the best opportunity to score in the game on a goal mouth scramble late in the period.
Sean Keohane sent a puck to the front of the net from the mid point that was redirected in the slot by Trent Wilson and forced just wide of the net before Felix Caron pushed the puck to the right face-off circle as Jackson Kyrkostas slid the puck at the goal but Ingemann came across on the blocker side to make a strong save and keep the Vees lead at 1-0 heading into the 3rd period.
Much of the same progressed in the 3rd period with the Warriors having the better of the opportunities to try and equalize the game but Ingemann continued to shine in the Vees net to keep the game in Penticton’s favour before West Kelowna pulled their goaltender and found the back of the net in the nick of time.
In the final moments of regulation, the Warriors worked the puck into the offensive zone where Sean Keohane collected at the right point, spinning a pass to the top of the slot as Kyrkostas pushed the puck to the left face-off circle and Jack Pridham fired a bomb over the blocker shoulder of Ingemann with just 7.3 seconds remaining in the period to force overtime with his 19th goal of the year.
The Warriors had a golden chance to win the game in the opening part of the overtime period as Felix Caron was fed at the front of the net as he went from his forehand to his backhand and just had the puck slide wide of the blocker side of Ingemann to keep the game going as Penticton pushed the other way and won the game.
Deep inside the offensive zone, a puck was centered to the middle of the ice with Conyr Hellyer parked in the crease as it came off his stick, initially stopped by Johannes Løkkeberg and finished on the right side of the net by Francesco Dell’Elce with Applebee given no chance to cover that side of the goal. The Vees potted the winning marker 1:10 into the overtime period and handed the Warriors their 10th loss in overtime this season.
Rorke Applebee was strong in goal for the Warriors, turning aside 25 of the 27 shots thrown his way in his 7th overtime defeat of the year while Will Ingemann was equally as good in net for Penticton, making 24 saves on 25 shots in his 21st win of the year.
FINAL SCORE: 2-1 Vees (OT)
SHOTS ON GOAL: 27-25 Vees
WARRIORS PP: 0/1
WARRIORS PK: 1/1
3 STARS:
1) Will Ingemann (24 saves on 25 shots)
2) Rorke Applebee (25 saves on 27 shots)
3) Francesco Dell’Elce (1-0-1)
Fortis Energy Player of the Game: Trey Ausmus (0-0-0)
Attendance: 1,224
The Warriors (28-10-10-0) will continue on a three-game homestand as they host the Prince George Spruce Kings (14-30-3-0) on Saturday night at Royal LePage Place. Puck drop is slated for 7:00 PM with tickets available for purchase online on the Warriors website as well as in-person at the Box Office, open one hour ahead of the game.
