The Cranbrook Bucks have found their mojo in extra periods, it seems. Visiting teams don’t come for a good time, they come for an overtime.
The Herd has dispatched tough rivals in overtime in the past three games, including the powerful Penticton Vees on Friday, Nov. 10
On Sunday, the Bucks also needed a fourth period to put away the Trail Smoke Eaters.
Last weekend, they beat West Kelowna on the road, in overtime.
The three-game streak gives the Bucks some momentum, pulling them out of eight place in the Interior Conference of the BCHL.
Friday’s game was a wild, emotional game against the conference-leading Vees (and second in the league).
Jack Silich scored just one minute into the contest, with assists from Luke Pfoh and Kaslo Ferner. Noah Urness made it 2-0 10 minutes later (Evan Brown assisting), but it only took 48 seconds after that for James Fisher to get Penticton on the board.
It was an wild first period, with Penticton getting 17 shots in on Danick Leroux, while Cranbrook got 12 on Andrew Ness, in net for the Vees.
Julian Frias, with his fifth of the season, and assists from his brother Donovan and Evan Brown, made it 3-1 in the last two minutes of the second frame, on the power play.
But in the third period, Penticton battled back to tie, with goals from Ryan MacPherson (on the power play) and Franceso Dell’Elce, who scored with 55 seconds left in regulation.
And so to overtime. It only took Donovan Frias 1:38 to get the puck past Ness, and cement the victory, 4-3.
Penalties were few all game — three called on the Vees, only two on the Bucks. Final shots were Vees 36, Bucks 31. 1,959 fans took in Friday night’s contest at Western Financial Place.
After a Remembrance Day off, the Bucks were back at WTF Sunday to face perennial rivals, the Smoke Eaters from Trail.
Once again, shots came thick and fast all game, but Carter Capton for the Bucks and Ryan Parker for Trail were solid in net.
It wasn’t until 9:10 of the second period the Noah Urness was able to open the scoring, with Evan Brown and Jarrod Smith assisting.
Ethan Warrener tied it for Trail in the third period — and so, once again, to overtime.
It took one minute for Urness beat the goaltender on a rush to score the OT winner (his second of the game), but the officials had to clear it, ensuring no interference had been committed, with the Trail defensemen losing his stick in a melee, leading to a Bucks’ break.
All clear, and the Bucks kept their winning streak intact, 2-1.
Total shots were 34 for Trail, 31 for the Bucks. 1,814 were on hand to take in the game.
Prior to the Buck’s Friday night game, the colour guard of Cranbrook’s Royal Canadian Legion Branch 24 together with anthem singer, Ellie Buck, participated in a Remembrance Day ceremony honouring those who gave their lives to serve our country.
On Sunday, Soren Mural sang the National Anthem on Sunday.
