Simon Meier scored his first-career BCHL hat trick as the Penticton Vees defeated the Salmon Arm Silverbacks 5-2 on Friday night (Feb. 2) at the Shaw Centre.
Meier scored his third goal at 18:34 of the second period, leading the Vees to their first win against Salmon Arm (24-11-0-2) in four tries this season.
Cade Littler and Thomas Pitchette also scored for Penticton (26-7-2-2), who stayed two points up on the West Kelowna Warriors for first place in the Interior Conference.
“We focused on our own game,” said Matthew Vanden Berg, the Vees’ assistant coach. “We talked as a group about what we needed to do tonight, and we stuck to that process. We did a good job of getting to the net and because of that we scored a couple of greasy ones.”
Andrew Ness made 19 saves for Penticton to record his eighth win in his last nine starts. The Winnipeg, Man. product posted has 1.22 goals-against average and .948 save percentage over that stretch.
His counterpart on Friday, Eli Pulver, made 27 saves for the Silverbacks.
After Meier opened the game’s scoring on the power play in the first period, Salmon Arm’s Isaac Lambert responded with his 16th goal of the season.
Meier and Littler opened the middle frame with goals, extending the Vees’ lead to 3-1, before the Silverbacks found their second goal of the game from Riley Ashe.
After the Switzerland-born forward completed his hat trick, Pitchette iced the game with an empty-netter late in the third period.
Meier, who most recently suited up for Team Switerzland at the Sweden-hosted World Junior Hockey Championships, is the sixth member of the Vees this season to record a hat trick.
“For a smaller guy, Simon has been working on finding that next layer to his game and tonight is what he needs to do going forward,” said Vanden Berg. “He is starting to adjust to the North American game. I hope tonight is a realization for him that he can score in different ways.”
Penticton returns to the ice Sunday, Feb. 4, to battle the Merritt Centennials on the road.
The Silverbacks are back in action Saturday, Feb. 3, when they visit the Vernon Vipers at Kal Tire Place.
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