"I'm happy for him," Blues Head Coach Mike Yeo said of Vannelli. "You go from being a young guy to one of the older guys in a big hurry, and he's wearing an 'A' on his jersey and he's relied on as a leader for the team. He knows it's an important year for him, and it was nice for him to be able to step up there and deliver with the game on the line."
Klim Kostin started the third-period rally, scoring his team-leading third goal of the tournament at the 13:11 mark of the third period. Defenseman Jake Walman followed up with a power-play goal, and Tage Thompson tied the game with 2:29 left in regulation.
Thompson and Jordan Kyrou each finished the game with one goal and two assists, while Kostin, Walman and Adam Musil each added a goal and an assist.
"It's not just one or two guys right now. There are a number of guys that are stepping up," Yeo said. "We've got a deep group and a number of quality prospects here, and that's what we expected... We saw a lot of players elevate their game to another level today.
"They showed the right attitude," Yeo added. "Every game, the intensity is going to pick up."
With the win, the Blues improved to 1-1 in the tournament and will meet the Columbus Blue Jackets at 2 p.m. on Monday. The game will be available on FOXSportsGO.com and on the FOX Sports GO app.
