BROADCAST & TICKET INFORMATION
Tonight’s game will be broadcast on Bounce 800 am and Hockey TV, starting with the pre-game show at 6:40 pm. Tickets are just $17 for adults and $15 for seniors. Local youth under 19 are FREE, courtesy of Peters Brothers Construction.
Penticton Vees
GM & Head Coach: Fred Harbinson
2021-22: GP 54 43-8-1-2, 1st Interior Division
Returnees: 14
Rookies: 7
GP 0 0-0-0-0
Home: 0-0-0-0
Away: 0-0-0-0
Season Series:
September 23rd, at SOEC, 7:00 PM
October 29th, at SOEC, 6:00 PM
November 12th, at Cominco Arena, 7:00 PM
January 13th, at Cominco Arena, 7:00 PM
March 4th, at Cominco Arena, 7:00 PM
The Vees open the 2022-23 BCHL Regular Season tonight against the Trail Smoke Eaters in their Home Opener, sponsored by the Penticton Speedway. Penticton will have a special pre-game banner raising ceremony commemorating their 2021-22 championship season, as the team will raise banners for the BCHL Regular Season championship, the Interior Division Regular Season championship, the Interior Division Playoff championship, and of course, their Fred Page Cup championship. If you’re going to the game, be in your seats by 7:00 pm for the player introductions.
14 players have returned from last year’s squad, including three of their top five scorers in the 2021-22 Regular Season. Of the 14 back from last year, five are defencemen. Not many championship teams at the junior level can boast they have five of their seven defensemen back for the following season. There are new faces in the crease, led by tonight’s started Luca Di Pasquo. The soon-to-be 19-year-old played last season in the North American Hockey League for the Maryland Black Bears. Di Pasquo is committed to Michigan State.
Trail Smoke Eaters
GM & Head Coach: Tim Fragle
2021-22: GP 54 20-29-2-2, 8th Interior Division
Returnees: 11
Rookies: 10
GP 0 0-0-0-0
Home: 0-0-0-0
Away: 0-0-0-0
Tim Fragle’s club has 11 players back from a season ago when the Smoke Eaters finished 8th in the Interior Conference. Trail was the only team to beat the Vees in the 2022 Fred Page Cup Playoffs. The Smoke Eaters won Game One, before the Vees rattled off 16 consecutive wins.
Trail has their top scorer back in Brady Hunter. The 20-year-old led the Smokies with 56 points (21G, 35A) in 41 games a season ago. Hunter is committed to Merrimack College. In fact, two of their top four scorers from the 2021-22 Regular Season return, as 19-year-old Quinn Disher had 41 points (14G, 27A) in 50 games. Trail also has one of their two goalies back in Cole Tisdale. The 20-year-old will carry the load between the pipes and had .902 save percentage (SV%) is five starts last season. He played all five playoff games against the Vees last spring and sported a .908 SV%.
GAME ROSTER
Line Charts
(Lineups will be posted closer to puck drop).
