The Nadeau Show was at it again for the Penticton Vees.
Josh Nadeau and his brother Bradley were pure poison to the Prince George Spruce Kings, each finishing with three points in a 6-2 victory Saturday night in Penticton in Game 2 of the BCHL Interior Conference semifinal series.
The Vees scored five unanswered goals (three on the power play, one shorthanded) after trailing 2-1 early in the second period to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.
Josh Nadeau led the Vees with two goals and an assist, Bradley Nadeau had a goal and two assists and Adam Eisele finished with one goal and one assist.
Kaeden Lane picked up his sixth win of the playoffs in goal for Penticton, making 23 saves as his team outshot the Kings 28-25
The Spruce Kings scored two goals in quick succession early in the second period to erase an early Penticton lead. Rowan Miller, who scored the overtime winner and the tying goal in the Kings’ series-clinching win over the Cranbrook Bucks in Game 6 a week ago, turned on the jets to get free of his check inside the Vees’ zone just as Nick Rheaume found him with a breakaway pass. Miller went from his backhand to his forehand and put the puck in along the ice just past the outstretched pass of Lane.
Less than two minutes later, on a Kings’ power play, Luc Laylin connected on a one-timer from the face-off circle and ripped a shot through the legs of the Vees’ goalie.
But the Nadeau boys from New Brunswick had an answer for that. Bradley went behind the net with the puck and came out the other side and found Josh in the slot for his fourth goal of the playoffs. Josh picked up his second of the game later in the period with a toe-drag move in the slot, scoring on a high wrister over the shoulder of Fairlie. That gave the Vees a 3-2 lead and that would stand as the gamewinner.
Penticton added three more goals in a dominant third period, all on special teams. Jackson Nieuwendyk scored shorthanded when he took the puck in deep and got poke-checked by Kings defenceman Josh Wright, but before Laylin could collect the puck, Brett Moracevic got to it and with the Kings heading the other way, he fed Nieuwendyk a cross-ice pass he buried in the net.
With the Vees on the power play, Moracevic redirected a pass into the slot and Eisele also scored with the man advantage, banking in shot off the skate of Kings defenceman Colton Cameron in front of the net.
The series now switches to Prince George for Game 3 and 4 at Rolling Mix Concrete Arena Monday and Tuesday nights. If a fifth game is needed it would be played Thursday in Penticton, with Game 6 scheduled for Prince George next Saturday and Game 7, if needed, slotted or Penticton on Monday, April 25.
The Kings lost Game 1 of the series 2-1 on a goal from Josh Nadeau with just five seconds left in the third period, set up with a pass from Bradley. The Nadeaus also connected for the Vees’ first goal in that game.
The Vees opened the scoring again Saturday, and it was their brother combination that did the damage. Kings defenceman Ben LeFranc was too soft with his chip-pass off the boards, trying to hit Kilian McGregor-Bennett on the left side. Josh Nadeau picked off the puck before it left the Kings’ zone and that set up an odd-man rush and he found his 16-year-old brother Bradley, who got down on one knee as he let go a shot that hit the goalpost and bounced in off the back of Fairlie.
Fairlie was making his second consecutive playoff start to replace first-round series starter Aaron Trotter, who sustained a head injury in a goalmouth collision with Zeth Kindrachuk in Game 6 against the Cranbrook Bucks. Trotter was not available as the backup and for the second-straight game his spot on the bench was taken by Colton Phillips-Watts. Phillips-Watts, a native of Quesnel, played this season in the KIJHL for the Kamloops Storm and also played in the BCHL with the Merritt Centennials.
The game also marked the BCHL debut of Kings winger Luca Primerino, 17, who had 23 goals and 58 points in 35 games this season with the Burnaby Winter Club U-18 prep team. The North Vancouver native played the right side on a line with Nathan Fox and Evan Fedele.
BCHL playoffs
Interior Conference semifinal
Prince George Spruce Kings. vs. Penticton Vees
(Vees lead best-of-seven series 2-0)
Game 2
Saturday summary
Spruce Kings 2 at Vees 6
First Period
1. Penticton, B.Nadeau 3 (J.Nadeau) 11:31
Penalties – Doyle Pen (slashing) 9:48, LeFranc PG (slashing) 13:44.
Second Period
2. Prince George, Miller 2 (Rheaume, Labelle) 4:06
3. Prince George, Laylin 6 (Wright, Herrington) 5:50 (pp)
4. Penticton, J.Nadeau 4 (B.Nadeau, Eisele) 9:02
5. Penticton, J.Nadeau 5 (Suniev, Doyle) 14:02 (pp)
Penalties – Eisele Pen (interference) 4:48, Eisele Pen (hooking) 12:14, Rheaume PG (tripping) 13:26.
Third Period
6. Penticton, Nieuwendyk 2 (Moracevic) 3:30 (sh)
7. Penticton, Moracevic 4 (Wilson, Arnott) 9:19 (pp)
8. Penticton, Eisele 2 (B.Nadeau, Suniev) 11:07 (pp)
Penalties – Pichette Pen (holding) 2:36, Cousins PG (boarding) 7:36, Marciano PG (roughing) 9:48.
Shots on goal by
Prince George 6 12 7 -25
Penticton 8 9 11 -28
Goal - Prince George, Fairlie (L,1-2); Penticton, Lane (W,6-1).
Power plays – PG: 1-3; Pen: 3-5.
Referees – Evan Dahl, Grant Tyson; Linesmen – Melissa Brunn, Anthony Leardo.
Attendance – 3,339.
