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Spruce Kings fall to Vees in shootout

Safe to say the Prince George Spruce Kings are no fans of the shootout. They're 0-for-5 in B.C.
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Safe to say the Prince George Spruce Kings are no fans of the shootout.

They're 0-for-5 in B.C. Hockey League shootouts and the Penticton Vees made the Kings their latest victims, taking advantage of the skills-contest tiebreaker format the league adopted this season to hand Prince George a 3-2 loss Friday in Penticton.

Eric Linell scored the only shootout goal, beating Kings goalie Logan Neaton with a high wrist shot over his trapper. Penticton goalie Jack LaFontaine stopped all three Kings' shooters he faced - Ben Poisson, Ben Brar and Nick Poisson - to lift the Vees to their fifth straight victory.

Their eighth win in their last nine games came in front of a crowd of 3,256 at South Okanagan Events Centre.

The Interior Division-leading Vees (29-12-1-2) moved three points ahead of the Spruce Kings (26-11-1-5) in the overall standings. The Kings remained second in the Mainland Division, now five points behind the first-overall Chilliwack Chiefs, 5-2 winners Friday in Surrey.

The Kings overcame a 2-0 first-period deficit. Patrick Cozzi kickstarted the offence when he scored on LaFontaine with a forehand-backhand deke with one second left in the second period, while the Kings were on their third power play of the period. The Kings dominated play in the period and outshot the Vees 18-7.

In the third period, Chong Min-Lee tied it 3:27 in when he banged in a loose puck after Ben Poisson shot from a sharp angle. For Lee, that was his fifth of the season. Neither team scored in the five-minute overtime session. Neaton came up with a sharp pad save in the final minute of OT after Lukas Sillinger dragged the puck into the middle of the ice and let go the shot.

The shots ended up 35-29 in favour of the Spruce Kings, who went 0-for-5 on the power play. The Vees failed to cash in their one power-play chance.