Wild Fall in 2-1 in Overtime Thriller

The goaltenders stole the show on Saturday night at the South Okanagan Event Centre, putting on a memorable display of highlight reel saves. In the end, the Penticton Vees posted the win with :15 seconds left in overtime.

Wenatchee came out strong in the first period, and took a 1-0 lead on a Nick Cafarelli wrister from above the left circle, assisted by Nico Chmelevski at the 7:38 mark. The Vees were able to tie the game late in the first on a power play goal that bounced off a skate and found Danny Weight who tapped it inside the right post.

There was only one penalty called in the second and third period combined, resulting in a Vees power play that the Wild killed off successfully. Both teams had breakaway chances denied as Wenatchee’s Daniel Chenard and Penticton’s Carl Stankowski traded save after remarkable save. With the Vees pressing late, Wild defenders blocked a barrage of shots to help the cause, sending the game into overtime.

In the extra session, again each side had quality chances that were only to be turned aside by the red-hot netminders. Then, with :15 seconds left in the overtime session, Penticton notched the game winner when Tyler Ho lifted a shot under the crossbar from the left circle for the 2-1 final. Chenard stopped 31 of 33 shots and was named the game’s second star.

Wenatchee (11-10-3) has a quick turnaround, heading north to face Salmon Arm (18-6-1) on Sunday at 3 pm. The game will be broadcast on NewsRadio 560 KPQ.

Game recaps provided by Wenatchee Wild.