PHOTO: Cherie Morgan/Cherie Morgan Photography
The Penticton Vees (9-1-0-1) look to make their way back into the win column as they host the Trail Smoke Eaters (5-5-0-0) on Friday night at the South Okanagan Events Centre.
2021 REGULAR SEASON VS. TRAIL
Friday, April 2nd @ Trail (4-1 Vees) (BOXSCORE)
Thursday, April 8th @ Trail (6-0 Vees) (BOXSCORE)
Sunday, April 11th vs. Trail (6-1 Vees) (BOXSCORE)
Wednesday, April 14th vs. Trail (3-2 Smoke Eaters) (BOXSCORE)
Saturday, April 17th @ Trail (3-0 Vees) (BOXSCORE)
Friday, April 23rd vs. Trail (7:00 PM)
Monday, April 26th @ Trail (7:00 PM)
Thursday, April 29th @ Trail (7:00 PM)
Sunday, May 2nd vs. Trail (4:00 PM)
Saturday, May 8th vs. Trail (6:00 PM)
The Vees will look to rebound after a defensive battle on Wednesday night against the Cranbrook Bucks, which saw Penticton fall by a 1-0 score in a shootout. It marked the first time the Vees have been shutout since December 13th, 2019 in a 2-0 loss to the Vernon Vipers on that night. A tough luck loss for Kaleb McEachern in goal for the Vees, as he turned aside each of the 20 shots he faced in the game and overtime for his first career BC Hockey League shutout but fell in the shootout.
Penticton and Trail will meet for the sixth time this season on Friday night and the Vees will look to make it back-to-back wins against their foes from the West Kootenays after a 3-0 triumph over the Smoke Eaters on Saturday night. Luc Wilson scored twice in the game for the Vees while Liam Malmquist added a single in the victory with Kaeden Lane turning aside each of the 27 shots he faced in the game for the shutout and win in net.
Vees Leading Scorers:
Luc Wilson (7-10-17)
Liam Malmquist (4-9-13)
Jacob Quillan (6-6-12)
Ryan Upson (5-7-12)
Fin Williams (2-7-9)
The loss on Wednesday was a tough luck one for goaltender Kaleb McEachern, who finished the contest with his first career BCHL shutout. The Penticton, BC native turned aside each of the 20 shots he faced through 65 minutes of regulation and overtime but was beaten on two shooters in the shootout in the defeat. McEachern has been strong in his three games of action this season, posting a 0.65 goals against average and a .968 save percentage during that span.
For the second time this season, the Vees will be looking to rebound following a loss and, for the second time, they hope to do so in the fashion they did last week. Penticton dropped a 3-2 decision to Trail last week but bounced back after that with a convincing 7-1 victory over the Bucks the next night.
For the first time on the season, the Vees found themselves without a goal on the scoreboard on Wednesday, something that happens just three separate times over the course of the 2019/20 season. Penticton was 1-2-0-0 in games after a shutout last season, concluding with a 4-1 victory over the Vipers the last time the Vees were blanked.
The Trail Smoke Eaters come into action after three days off from their last matchup, which was a 5-3 victory over the Bucks on Monday night. Quinn Disher scored twice in the game while Ryan Helliwell, Noah Wakeford and Justin Ross each tallied singles in the win. Logan Terness turned aside 33 of the 36 shots thrown his way in the hockey game for the win in between the pipes.
Smoke Eaters Leading Scorers:
Quinn Disher (6-4-10)
Noah Wakeford (4-6-10)
Ryan Helliwell (3-6-9)
Kalen Szeto (2-5-7)
Brady Hunter (3-3-6)
Rookie Quinn Disher continues to lead the Smoke Eaters in scoring as the 17-year-old leads his team with 6 goals and 10 points on the campaign. The Fort St. John, BC native has scored four goals in his last four games, including a pair in Monday night’s win over the Bucks. Disher ranks in a tie for 3rd amongst rookies in the league with his 6 markers and sits in a tie for 9 with 10 points.
The Vees and Smoke Eaters drop the puck on the sixth of ten meetings between the two sides on Friday night at the SOEC. Puck drop is slated for 7:00 PM with the game available to listen on EZ Rock AM 800 as well as watch on pay-per-view at HockeyTV.com and Shaw Spotlight beginning with the pre-game show at 6:40.
