GAME RECAP: Eisele Lifts Vees To Ninth Straight Win In 5-4 Overtime Victory In Trail

PHOTO: Cherie Morgan/Cherie Morgan Photography

TRAIL, B.C. – Adam Eisele scored the overtime winner as the Penticton Vees collected their 9^th consecutive win in a 5-4 triumph over the Trail Smoke Eaters on Saturday night at the Trail Memorial Centre.

Scoring was a common theme in the opening period with five goals tallied between the two sides as Trail opened with the game’s opening marker at the 2:13 mark to push the Smoke Eaters ahead by a one-goal margin. A shot from the left point by Cam Moger was stopped by Vees netminder Kaeden Lane with the puck squeaking through his left side as Brady Hunter whacked the puck into the open goal as Trail made it a 1-0 game.

Just 33 seconds after that, at the 2:46 mark, Bradly Nadeau evened the score with his 15^th goal of the season to level things at 1-1. Adam Eisele got the puck below the goal line and centered a pass to the front of the net as Nadeau chipped it up and over the blocker side of Smoke Eaters goaltender Mason Dunsford to get the Vees back on even ground at 1-1.

Trail countered that with two goals in a 21 second span, beginning with Hunter’s second goal of the night at the 10:48 mark of the period to push Trail ahead once more. The Vees were caught on a partial change as Hunter moved down the right wing and snapped a shot off the rush from the right face-off circle that beat Lane below the blocker to give Trail a 2-1 advantage.

21 seconds after that, Charlie Strobel made it a two-goal Trail lead as he took advantage of a puck off of the end boards. Nic Remissong threw a shot off of the end boards with Strobel being the beneficiary of that, knocking the puck past the blocker side of Lane to make it a 3-1 Trail lead at the 11:009 mark of the opening period.

Before the second period commenced, the Vees were able to get one back and make it a 3-2 game heading into the middle stanza as Ethan Mann pushed the Vees within a marker. Luc Wilson set up the play from behind the net, throwing a strong pass to the blocker side as Mann tucked it past the blocker of Dunsford for his 9^th goal of the season at the 13:36 mark of the frame to push the game to 3-2 heading into the 2^nd period.

Wilson added a goal to his totals on the night at the 3:44 mark of the 2^nd period to get the Vees back to square once again and tie the game at 3-3. Frank Djurasevic put a point shot on goal that Wilson got a piece of at the front of the net and tipped it past Dunsford for his 21^st goal of the season and got the game to 3-3.

Just over two minutes later, the Smoke Eaters took the lead for the third time on the night as Remissong gave Trail a 4-3 advantage. A long shot from just inside the blue line by Teddy Lagerback that was stopped by the right pad of Lane before the rebound jetted right to Remissong, who dragged to his backhand and finished into the empty goal at the 5:53 mark of the 2^nd period to give the Smoke Eaters a one-goal lead once more and saw Lane’s night come to end as Carter Serhyenko came on in relief.

As they did all night long, the Vees battled back and forced the game to even terms at 4-4 thanks to Josh Nadeau and his team-leading 29^th tally of the season. The puck was chipped into the right corner as Mann worked on the forecheck, stepping around a Smoke Eaters defender and centering a pass for Josh as he buried past the glove side of Dunsford at the 16:51 mark to bring the game back to tied into the 3^rd period.

With so much scoring in the opening 40 minutes, the teams tightened up defensively in the final period and the game headed to overtime all tied at 4-4 with the Vees outshooting the Smoke Eaters by a 42-23 margin through 60 minutes of action.

After a good stop by Serhyenko at one end, the Vees brought the puck back and took their only lead of the game 1:37 into the extra frame as Adam Eisele played the hero with game winning goal. Eisele was sprung on a break down the right wing side as the Vees forward cut to the net from the face-off circle and beat Dunsford over the glove shoulder for his 8^th goal of the season and sealed the Vees victory by a 5-4 score in overtime.

Kaeden Lane turned aside 7 of the 11 shots he faced while Carter Serhyenko came on and stopped all 13 shots thrown his direction in his 3^rd win of the season while Mason Dunsford made 39 saves on 44 shots in his 1^st overtime loss of the season.

FINAL SCORE: 5-4 Vees (OT)

SHOTS ON GOAL: 44-24 Vees

VEES PP: 0/3

VEES PK: 1/1

3 STARS:

1) Brady Hunter (2-0-2)

2) Luc Wilson (1-1-2)

3) Nic Remissong (1-1-2)

Fortis Energy Player of the Game: Cam Moger (0-2-2)

Attendance: 1,195

The Vees (30-6-0-2) once again head to the Shuswap on a Wednesday as they will take on the Salmon Arm Silverbacks (30-6-2-1) at the Shaw Centre. Puck drop is slated for 7:00 PM with the game being broadcasted live on Bounce Radio 800 as well as streamed online on BCHLTV.ca beginning with the pre-game show at 6:40 PM.