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Tyler Ho does the impossible, notching shorthanded hat-trick in Vees playoff opener

In a wild and crazily entertaining playoff opener last night at the SOEC, where the busiest person in the rink may well have been the stats-keeper, there was one statistic that rose far above all others and pretty much told you all you need to know.

<who>Photo Credit</who> Tyler Ho scores his first of three shorthanded goals Thursday night at the SOEC

Tyler Ho scored three goals - every single one of them shorthanded.

From that one stunning, extraordinary stat, you'd likely gather that the Surrey native had quite the night. He did, especially when you consider one of his markers came during a two-man disadvantage.

<who>Photo Credit: NowMedia</who>

That it was perhaps the prettiest goal of the night, with a glorious cross-ice assist to Colton Kalezic, only added to its mystique.

<who>Photo Credit: NowMedia</who>

You'd also suppose the Vees took a lot of penalties. They did - far more than they should have in a contest they'd controlled from early in the first period through to the end. If they remain that undisciplined throughout their playoff run, it'll be shorter than it should be.

<who>Photo Credit: NowMedia</who>

And you might think that any team scoring three shorthanded goals in a single game must also have won that game. The Vees did just that, and in ridiculously convincing fashion.

The final tally read 7-1. Their opposition, the West Kelowna Warriors, came into the playoff matchup a huge underdog, and it showed throughout.

<who>Photo Credit: NowMedia</who>

Curiously, the lone Warriors goal gave them the lead. It happened, against the run of play, at 3:13 of the first.

The Vees then took four straight penalties. But even that wasn't enough to stop their momentum.

<who>Photo Credit: NowMedia</who>

When Liam Malmquist scored their first at 9:54, they already held a 12-2 shot edge. And when Ho potted his first of the night, two men down, and then when the Vees quite easily killed off the remainder of both penalties, the outcome seemed inevitable.

<who>Photo Credit: NowMedia</who>

Penticton outscored West Kelowna 5-0 the rest of the way and in the end outshot their rivals 43-23. Danny Weight notched a goal and two assists on the night, while Kalezic added three helpers and Yaniv Perets impressively opened the playoffs with a GAA of 1.00.

<who>Photo Credit: NowMedia</who>

One potential sour note. Late in the 2nd period, Lukas Sillinger blocked a power play shot, crumpled to the ice, then was forced to hobble around for a half minute until Penticton cleared the zone. There's no word on his condition so far, but he was seen limping to the dressing room in apparent distress.

<who>Photo Credit: NowMedia</who>

But it was Ho's night. How rare is a shorthanded hat trick? Consider that it's only been accomplished once at the NHL level, by Theo Fleury of the Calgary Flames in 1991 during an 8-4 drubbing of the St Louis Blues.

<who>Photo Credit: NowMedia</who>

So here's to you, Tyler. That's a heck of an accomplishment. Undoubtedly the Vees hope there'll be far less opportunity for shorthanded markers when the two teams meet again Friday night at the SOEC for Game 2.

<who>Photo Credit: NowMedia</who>



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