The Penticton Vees rode a four-goal first period outburst to a 5-1 win Saturday night, downing the Chilliwack Chiefs at Prospera Centre.
Easton Brodzinski and Dante Fabbro had two goals apiece for the visitors, who improved their league-leading record to 10-1-0-0.
Kohen Olischefski had the lone goal for the locals, who fell back to .500 at 4-4-1-2.
Two Vees goals in the first 90 seconds put the Chiefs in a hole they never dug their way out of.
Brodzinski opened the scoring for Penticton just 47 seconds in. Off an offensive-zone faceoff, the 19 year old Minnesotan loaded up from the top of the right faceoff circle, whipping the puck past Chiefs netminder Aidan Pelino for his fifth of the year.
Before his goal was announced they had another as Fabbro one-timed an Owen Sillinger feed past Pelino for his fourth.
Chiefs coach Jason Tatarnic called a timeout to settle his team down, and it seemed to pay off when Olischefski got Chilliwack on the board at 7:17.
The rookie’s second of the year cut the deficit in half, briefly, but back-to-back Penticton power play snipes restored the Vees lead and then some, sending them to the break with a three goal cushion.
Fabbro and Brodzinski both struck again and Penticton out-shot Chilliwack 25-9 through 20 minutes.
The next goal didn’t come until late in the third period.
Tatarnic got gutsy with 7:54 to go. When his Chiefs got an offensive-zone faceoff he pulled Pelino for an extra attacker. It’s a tactic that paid off for Chilliwack’s bench boss a couple times last year with dramatic comeback wins.
But this time it was Penticton’s Scott Conway scoring into the empty net to thwart Tatarnic’s plan and put this one away.
The three stars were a Vees sweep of Fabbro (first), Brodzinski (second) and Tyson Jost (Penticton, third).
The Fortis BC Energy Player of the Game was Chilliwack’s Kale Kane.
Announced attendance was 2,202.