As the saying goes, it’s not how you start but how you finish, and the Penticton Vees took that to heart Monday. The Vees scored four unanswered goals in their 4-1 win over the Cowichan Valley Capitals at the Kraken Community Iceplex, on Day 2 of the BCHL Showcase.
Attila Lippai scored a pair of goals Monday afternoon to lead the Vees to their fifth-straight win, as Penticton extended their point streak to 10 games. Connor MacPherson and Daniel Buchbinder also scored for the Vees. Buchbinder notching his first BCHL goal.
Will Ingemann earned his sixth win as he stopped 18 of 19 shots to improve his record to 6-0-1-1. He now has a .923 save percentage and 1.81 goals-against average.
It was tied 1-1 through 20 minutes before the Vees took over in the final two periods. After being held to six shots in the opening frame, Penticton fired 42 shots at the Capitals’ net over the final 40 minutes.
Cowichan Valley forward Lars-Petter Eckholm opened the scoring in the first period, as he put the Capitals up 1-0 at 12:49. Eckholm found the loose puck in front of the net and squeaked it under the pad of Ingemann.
Lippai tied it with just over five minutes left in the first period. Anselmo Rego threw the puck cross-ice to Lippai who reached out and tipped it in past Capitals’ goaltender Emerik Despatie for his fourth.
After a scoreless second period, in which the Vees outshot the Capitals 23-4, Penticton broke through in the third. The Vees scored three times over the final 20 minutes to secure the win on Monday afternoon.
MacPherson broke the 1-1 tie just 73 seconds into the final frame. Brock Reinhart had his point shot knocked down in front, but MacPherson was there to put the rebound up under the cross bar. His sixth goal put the Vees ahead 2-1.
Lippai added an insurance marker less than two minutes later, as he scored at 3:07 to put the Vees up 3-1. Right from a face off in the Capitals zone, Thomas Pichette spotted Lippai at the back post for the tap in. His second of the game and fifth on the year.
Buchbinder put the game out of reach with his first BCHL goal just before the five-minute mark. The Buffalo, New York, product to a drop pass from Simon Meier and wired a wrist shot from the slot past Despatie.
