Zach Driscoll made 26 saves for his third shutout of the season, Dante Fabbro had the game-winner and Scott Conway added a hat trick as the Penticton Vees downed the host Vernon Vipers 6-0.
Fabbro’s power-play tally in the first would be all the offensive support Driscoll would need but Conway scored his first two goal in the second alongside tallies by Tyson Jost and another by Fabbro to put the Vees up five heading to the third.
Conway completed his hat trick just past the midway point of the final frame. Penticton fired 37 shots on Andrew Shortridge in the Vernon net.
A four-goal first period, including two tallies from Carson Bolduc, helped the Salmon Arm Silvebacks to a 5-2 win over the visiting Surrey Eagles. Bolduc opened the scoring and after Brett Stewart tied it for the Eagles, Bolduc scored again with Ross Heidt adding what would be the winner. Josh Laframboise had the other ‘Backs goal in the opening frame with Taro Hirose notching the final Salmon Arm goal in the second. Tyler Andrews had the other Surrey goal. Salmon Arm put 52 shots on Justin Laforest in the Surrey crease.
Thursday, Dec. 31
Mitch Lipon’s third-period goal allowed the Merritt Centennials to come back and defeat the visiting Coquitlam Express 5-4. Blake Hayward, Jackson Cressey and Austin McIlmurray scored in the first for the visitors to put them up 3-2 after 20 minutes. Colin Grannary and Cressey exchanged tallies in the middle frame as the Express led 4-3 going to the third but Tyler Ward tied the game with Lipon providing the winner just over five minutes later.
Josh Coblenz’s first BCHL goal was the winner in the first period, four others tallied in the second and Stefan Wornig made 26 saves for the shutout as the Powell River Kings defeated the Alberni Valley Bulldogs 5-0. Leading 1-0 after one, the Kings got goals from Rylan Ball, Carter Turnbull, Jeremey Leipsic and Gavin Rauser in the middle frame to take control of the game. The win moved the Kings past the Cowichan Valley Capitals into second place in the Island Division.
