Ben Merrill scored two goals and Will Ingemann made 25 saves as the Penticton Vees doused the Trail Smoke Eaters with a 7-3 win at the South Okanagan Events Centre on Nov. 11.
Merrill, a sixth-round draft pick of the Montreal Canadiens, now has eight goals on the season and was named the game's first star.
Casey Brown, Ryden Evers, Louie Wehmann, Anselmo Rego, and Simon Meier also scored for the Vees (13-5-0-0), who have won back-to-back games and sit in sole possession of second place in the Interior Conference.
Ingemann recorded his ninth win of the campaign in front of more than 3,100 people at the SOEC for the team's annual Remembrance Day game. The 788 Dragoons Royal Canadian Army Cadets and 259 Panther Royal Canadian Air Cadets were included during a pregame ceremony.
Ridge Dawson had two goals for Trail, while goaltender Teagan Kendrick made 21 saves before being pulled in favour of Ryan Parker early in the third period. Stefanek also scored the Kootenay-based club.
The Smoke Eaters (10-6-1-1) jumped out to a 1-0 lead midway through the first period, thanks to Dawson's fifth goal of the season.
Brown scored his first career BCHL goal before Merill gave Penticton a 2-1 lead heading into the middle frame.
Early in the second period, Evers went end-to-end and tucked the puck around of pad of Kendrick to make 3-1 for the Vees. Wehmann, who joined Penticton's roster last week after starting his season in the United States Hockey League, scored seven minutes later to extend the Vees' lead.
After Stefanek scored late in the second period to cut into Penticton's lead, Rego, Meier, and Merrill scored in succession to make it 7-2.
Dawson notched his second marker of the night with less than one minute left in the final frame to put a wrap on the 7-3 final.
Penticton's win comes two days after it beat Salmon Arm Silverbacks 5-2 on Saturday night. The Interior rivals sit in second and third place in the conference, respectively, and are separated by just two points.
The Alberta-based Brook Bandits (16-1-0-0) remain in first place.
Penticton hits the road for a pair of games this weekend, as it visits Cranbrook on Friday and Trail one night later.
