Season Series
Nov 26th: Chilliwack 2 at Penticton 3 (OT)
Feb 24th: Penticton 3 at Chilliwack 0
Fred Page Cup Schedule
GM 1: Penticton 2 at Chilliwack 4
GM 2: Penticton 5 at Chilliwack 1
GM 3: Chilliwack 2 at Penticton 5
GM 4: Chilliwack 3 at Penticton 4 (0T)
GM 5: April 22nd at Prospera Centre, 7 pm
GM 6: April 24th at SOEC, 7 pm *
GM 7: April 25th at Prospera Centre, 7 pm *
*If necessary
The Penticton Vees have a chance to win their 12th BCHL championship tonight against the Chilliwack Chiefs, in Game Five of the Fred Page Cup Final from Prospera Centre.
The Vees took a 3-1 series lead in the best-of-seven Final after a dramatic 4-3 come-from-behind overtime win Wednesday in Game Four. Down 3-0 in the second, the Vees got goals from Grant Cruikshank and Taylor Ward less than two-minutes apart, then another from Cassidy Bowes to tie it early in the third period. Ryley Risling was the OT hero, scoring two-minutes into the extra frame to complete the comeback.
Penticton has now won three straight, the first time they’ve done that all post-season and It’s the Chiefs first three-game winless stretch since November 26th; that too came against Penticton.
As the series shifts back to Chilliwack the Vees will be looking to build upon their last road performance. In Game Two it was the Vees scoring a 5-1 victory, bouncing back from a 4-2 loss in Game One. That was the Vees first road win since Game Three against Vernon. They’ve been excellent at home, owning an 8-2 record but they’re just 3-5 on the road. However, they should have some confidence going into Game Five, coming off that Game Two win and they’ve won two of three at Prospera Centre dating back to the regular season. Take it one step further, the Chiefs are just 5-5 at home in the playoffs and have lost three of their last four on home ice.
The youngsters continue to get it done for the Vees, as Bowes scored again Wednesday, his second of this series, and enters tonight with a goal and four points in five playoff games. The 18-year-old was inserted into the line-up ahead of Game Seven against Vernon and hasn’t looked back. Massimo Rizzo scored his first BCHL goal in Game Three and has looked quite comfortable centering a line with Duncan Campbell and Taylor Sanheim. Depth has been key for the Vees, as their veterans have also come up clutch; look no further than OT hero Risling. If the Vees are going to pull out a series win, on the road no less, they’re going to need everyone chipping in.
One key for the Vees is going to find a way to shut down, or at least try and slow down Jordan Kawaguchi. The Chiefs Captain has already scored four goals and compiled nine points in just four games in this series. Kawaguchi’s eight-game point streak is tied for the longest scoring streak of these playoffs and he has nine goals and 16 points in those eight games. Can the Vees find a way to keep him quiet tonight?
There’s been plenty of talk of Kawaguchi in this series and rightfully so, but the Vees Nicholas Jones has been rolling as well. The Vees Captain has seven points in this series and had five points, all assists, in the Vees two wins at home. The 20-year-old has nine goals and 24 points in 18 playoff games, which is second only to Kawaguchi in the BCHL scoring race.
Grant Cruikshank seems to find his scoring touch again, as he helped spur on the comeback with the Vees’ first goal in Game Four and has six points in this series. One name the may surprise some when it comes to point production is Griffin Mendel. The Vees standout shutdown defenceman has averaged a point per-game in this series, scoring in Game One and has picked up three assists since. Mendel is the reigning BCHL Player of the Week, after picking up three points in the opening two games of the series. It’s a big boost for the Vees to have their top shutdown guy produce at the other end.
One name we haven’t mentioned is Gabe Bast, who’s the top scoring defenceman in the BCHL playoffs with 16 points. Bast has a goal and five points in the last three games of the Fred Page Cup after being shutout in Game One.
Penticton will likely go with the same line-up they’ve had the last three games and that means Mat Robson will get the call between the pipes. Robson is 11-7 in the playoffs, owning a 2.27 goals-against average and a .919 save percentage. In his last start in Chilliwack he was the first star after 33 of 34 shots in a 5-1 win.
There’s a saying in hockey that goes along the lines of you can’t win a game in ten minutes but you can certainly lose one. The Vees had a slow start, more like a slow first ten minutes in Game One and that was the difference in a 4-2 loss. Penticton will have to be ready for a desperate, hungry Chiefs team off the get go. The first ten minutes of tonight’s game can go a long way in deciding a winner.
Fans can listen to tonight’s game starting at 6:40 pm with the pre-game show on EZ Rock AM 800 and on www.hockeytv.com, with Fraser Rodgers and Scott Austin.
