Thursday, July 12, 2012 - Submitted by Fraser Rodgers
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, July 12th
2012-2013 SCHEDULE RELEASED PENTICTON, BC– The Penticton Vees 2012-2013 BCHL schedule has been released and it will have a different look for the upcoming season. The schedule can be found on the Vees and BCHL website.
This past off-season, the BCHL reduced the length of the schedule from 60 to 56 games. Also, the league went under realignment. The BCHL moved to three divisions in two conferences; the Vees playing in the six-team Interior division.
Also new to this season is the first ever BCHL Showcase Weekend hosted in Chilliwack September 7th-9th. The Vees will play their first two regular season games, in Chilliwack, at the Prospera Centre against the Chiefs and Vernon Vipers.
The BCHL returns to a full interlock schedule this season, as the Vees will play the 10 Coastal Conference teams twice, both home and away. This means, Vees fans will be able to see every BCHL team at the SOEC. The Vees will play 34 games within their own division, which means seven games against Merritt, Salmon Arm, Trail and West Kelowna. The lone exception is playing Vernon six times outside of the BCHL Showcase Weekend.
SCHEDULE HIGHLIGHTS
The Vees play their first six games on the road, including the two at the BCHL Showcase Weekend in Chilliwack. Highlighting the road swing is a pair of visits to West Kelowna to face the Warriors. The Vees sole trip up north is on September 15th to face the Prince George Spruce Kings. The Spruce Kings are now in the Mainland division.
The championship banners go up September 29th in the Vees home opener at the SOEC, when they host the Powell River Kings; a rematch of the 2012 Fred Page Cup Final. The Vees play longtime rival the Vernon Vipers for the first time on October 5th on home ice.
Penticton’s annual Vancouver Island road trip starts in the provincial capital on October 12th, when they square-off against the new-look Victoria Grizzlies. The Vees make a stop in Cowichan Valley the following night. The trip comes to a close in Nanaimo, where they face the Western Canada Cup hosts Clippers on October 14th.
The Vees host the Clippers on December 15th. Following the game, they pause for 13 days Christmas break. They return to action December 28th against the Warriors.
Penticton will enjoy their longest home-stand in January, which will see them play seven straight games at the SOEC starting on the 25th. The Vees will host non-conference opponents Alberni Valley and Coquitlam during the stretch of games. The Vees wrap up their regular season schedule March 8th and 10th, with a pair of road games in Vernon and Trail respectively.
The Vees home schedule features plenty of weekend dates, of their 27 home games, 13 are on Friday’s, 10 on Saturday’s and two on Sunday’s with another two Wednesday games. All Friday and Wednesday games are 7pm starts, whereas all Saturday and Sunday games will be 5pm face-offs.
CONTACT: FRASER RODGERS Director of Broadcasting & Media Relations Penticton Vees Hockey Club FraserRodgers@gmail.com (250) 809-1390
