The Cowichan Valley Capitals will return home tied at one game apiece in their best-of-seven first-round playoff series against the Penticton Vees.
The Caps surprised the Vees with a 4-1 win in the series opener on Thursday, but the Vees bounced back on Saturday to beat the Caps by the same score to even things up.
Penticton opened the scoring on Saturday with a powerplay goal midway through the first period, but Brady Lynn replied for Cowichan a few minutes later, also on the man advantage. The Vees scored twice in the second, including a shorthanded marker, and added an empty-netter late in the third.
The Vees outshot the Caps 38-23, but Cowichan netminder Pierce Diamond was solid with 34 saves in a losing cause. Penticton’s all-star goalie Jack LaFontaine had 22 stops. Both teams went 1-for-3 on the powerplay.
The teams will play their next two games at the Island Savings Centre on Tuesday and Wednesday, both starting at 7 p.m. Game five will go in Penticton next Saturday.