Demico Hannoun scored the overtime winner for the Penticton Vees in a 4-3 road triumph Sunday over the Chilliwack Chiefs.
Penticton improves to 2-0 in the round-robin semifinals while Chilliwack falls to 0-2 with the two teams playing again tonight in Penticton.
On Sunday in Chilliwack, the teams exchanged two goals apiece in the first period starting with Matthew Serratore’s opener followed by the first of two for Chilliwack’s Bennett Morrison. Connor Chartier had the other Vees goal in the first while Jake Hand evened it up heading to the break
The Chiefs went up 3-2 on Morrison’s second, which came late in the middle frame on a two-man advantage. The score remained that way until Hannoun found the equalizer with a power-play tally of his own, to force OT. He would end it 11:29 into overtime, converting a Patrick Newell pass from behind the net.
A Penticton win in tonight’’s rematch would ensure them a spot in the BCHL finals. Chilliwack lost its opening game to the Nanaimo Clippers 7-3 on Friday.
A Chiefs win tonight in Penticton and a Nanaimo loss on Thursday to the Vees could set up a deciding game between Chilliwack and Nanaimo on Saturday. If the Vees sweep the two teams, the Chiefs will have to beat Nanaimo on Saturday to force the deciding tie-breaker game on Sunday.
The top two teams will play in the BCHL final best-of-seven match up starting on Apr. 10.