The Penticton Vees (4-1-0) look to push their win streak to three this afternoon, when they face the Prince George Spruce Kings (1-4-1-0) at the BCHL Bauer Showcase in Chilliwack.
Owen Sillinger on his hat-trick Thursday
The Vees started their two-game Showcase schedule on the right note Thursday morning, scoring a 6-4 come-from-behind win over the Langley Rivermen, propelled by Owen Sillinger’s hat-trick. Penticton erased two separate two-goal deficits in that game, coming back from both 2-0 and 3-1 down.
PG raised some eyebrows last night in their opening game of the Showcase, thumping the Merritt Centennials 7-2 in the late game. The Spruce Kings actually scored on their first three shots chasing starter Jacob Berger from the net seven-minutes in. Maybe what was more impressive was the fact the Spruce Kings spread the scoring around, as they got goals from seven different players in the win; Tanner Campbell led the way with four assists.
Penticton has another streak on the go and it has been going on for quite some time. The Vees are a perfect 9-0 at this event since its inception back in September 2012 and for the fifth straight year, looking to sweep their Showcase schedule. The only other team that remains perfect is the Wenatachee Wild but this is just the second time they’ve participated in the event.
The Vees are going with the exact same line-up as yesterday morning, with the only change coming in goal. Nolan Hildebrand is making his second start of his young BCHL career and is looking to remain undefeated. The 18-year-old won in his BCHL debut last Sunday afternoon in Cowichan Valley but admittedly was battling some nerves. You’ll likely see a more calm and collected Hildebrand between the pipes this afternoon.
Prince George started Liam McCloskey yesterday against Merritt, so we might see Stefan Wornig today. Wornig faced the Vees back in PG on September 10th, stopping 47 of 51 shots in the 4-1 loss.
When it comes to the offense, it’s been a team effort for the Sprucies, with Jamie Huber, Chong Lee and Tanner Campbell all tied for the scoring lead with five points. Brett Mennear leads the Spruce Kings in goal-scoring with three so far.
After the game the Vees will return home to Penticton and fans have a chance to meet them on the weekend. The Vees will be at Boston Pizza on Sunday afternoon from 1-3 pm at their location on Main Street. Fans are encouraged to come down and have lunch and mingle with the team.
The pre-game show is set for just after 3:40 pm with puck-drop at 4 pm on www.fasthockey.com and streaming online at www.mixlr.com/penticton-vees.
