Morning Star Staff
Liam Blackburn scored midway through the third period, breaking a 1-1 deadlock, as the West Kelowna Warriors edged the Penticton Vees 2-1 in B.C. Hockey League playoff action Monday night at Royal LePage Place.
Penticton led the best-of-seven Interior final series 2-1, with Game Four back in West Kelowna Tuesday night.
Nic Jones scored for the Vees on the powerplay midway through the first and Zach Driscoll suffered his first loss of the playoffs, stopping 21 of 23 shots.
Jonathan Desbiens scored the Warriors first goal. Matt Greenfield took home second star honours after making 23 saves.
Tied 1-1 in the third, Blackburn found a rebound off the pad of Driscoll and poked the loose puck underneath the sprawled goaltender at 8:19. Driscoll stopped the blast from the blue-line but couldn’t do much about the rebound that Blackburn jammed in from the inside the crease.
Penticton did pressure late, trying to generate an equalizer but unlike Saturday there weren’t any late game heroics on Monday.
Penticton even had a late power-play that turned into a six-on-four advantage after they pulled the goalie but West Kelowna held them at bay.
Both Dante Fabbro and Tyson Jost ripped one-timers off each post during the same shift on a Vees’ two-man advantage. Later, Jones had a great rush down the middle but it ended with his shot clanking off the crossbar and out of play.
Scott Conway scored six-minutes into overtime as Penticton came from behind to beat West Kelowna 3-2, in Game 2, Saturday night.
Conway also scored the game-tying goal with 58 seconds left in regulation to force OT. Demico Hannoun scored the other goal in regulation for the Vees and Driscoll stopped 23 shots.
Conway, who scored four overtime goals in the regular season, banked in the game-winner off a defenceman’s skate from below the goal-line, and through Greenfield’s legs at 5:57 of OT.
The Chilliwack Chiefs were leading the Wenatchee Wild 2-1 heading to Game 4 Tuesday, while the Nanaimo Clippers were leading the Powell River Kings 3-0 going to a fourth tilt.