Photo: Tami Quan Photography
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Game Time: 7:00 pm PST
Location: Royal LePage Place, West Kelowna
Radio: Bounce 800 AM
Webcast: Flo Hockey
Season Series
Sep. 22 Penticton 3 at West Kelowna 5
Dec. 15 West Kelowna 2 at Penticton 3 (OT)
Dec. 16 Penticton 3 at West Kelowna 6
Feb. 17 West Kelowna 0 at Penticton 4
Mar. 8 Penticton 2 at West Kelowna 1 (OT)
Mar. 15 Penticton at West Kelowna, 7:00 pm
Mar. 31 West Kelowna at Penticton, 4:00 pm
Penticton Vees
GM & Head Coach: Fred Harbinson
Record : GP 48 36-7-3-2, 77 pts (1st, Interior)
Last Game: 5-2 win vs. Merritt (Mar. 9)
Home: 20-2-0-0
Away: 16-5-3-2
GF: 188
GA: 98
Power Play: (51/166) 30.7% 1st
Penalty Kill: (28/131) 78.7% 10th
Scoring Leader: Callum Arnott (25-22-47)
Penticton has won six in a row and with a point tonight can clinch their 12th consecutive Interior Division regular season title. The Vees are nine points ahead of the Warriors and have a game in hand, which gets made up tomorrow against Alberni Valley.
The Vees extended their win streak to six with their 5-2 win over the Merritt Centennials last Saturday at home. Penticton got out to a 3-0 first period lead on goals by Anselmo Rego, Ryan MacPherson, and Thomas Pichette. Merritt did fight back to make it 3-2 early in the third, before Conyr Hellyer and Pichette scored again.
Andrew Ness got the win last Saturday, making 29 saves and was named the game’s first star. Ness gets the start again tonight and likely both games this weekend as Will Ingemann is battling an illness. Ness has split his two starts against the Warriors. The 19-year-old is 7-1-1-0 in his last nine starts, carrying a .922 save percentage over those nine games.
The Vees will also be without defenceman Lucas Sorace who also is out with an illness. Nate McIsaac will dress in place of Sorace. Penticton is still without forwards Cade Littler and Zack Stringer who are sidelined with upper-body injuries.
Tonight, is meeting number six of seven in the season series. The Vees are 3-2-0-0 in their previous five games against the Warriors. It’s the second meeting in a week, as last Friday the Vees won 2-1 in overtime at Royal LePage Place.
Callum Arnott, Cade Littler, and Thomas Pichette all have five points against West Kelowna. Arnott has a team-best four goals.
Billy Renfrew has 10 points (4G, 6A) on his current five-game point streak. Ryan MacPherson has four points (2G, 2A) in his last four.
West Kelowna Warriors
General Manager & Head Coach: Simon Ferguson
2023-24 : GP 49 29-10-10-0, 68 PTS (2nd, Interior)
Last Game: 4-2 win vs. Prince George (Mar. 9)
Home: 15-4-6-0
Away: 14-6-4-0
GF: 189
GA: 148
Power Play: (33/148) 22.3% 6th
Penalty Kill: (42/179) 76.5% 13th
Scoring Leader: Felix Caron (28-34-62)
The Warriors split their two-game schedule last week, losing in overtime to Penticton, before bouncing back to beat Prince George on Saturday.
West Kelowna has points in seven-straight games (4-0-3-0) entering tonight, having won four of their last seven. The Warriors lead the league with 10 overtime losses, as they have played the most overtime games in the BCHL this season (16). Their last regulation loss came back on February 17th in Penticton, almost a month ago.
Jackson Kyrkostas is red-hot, having points in seven-straight games. Kyrkostas has four goals and nine points in his last seven. Felix Caron had three assists in Saturday’s win over Prince George. That was the ninth time this season Caron has recorded a three point or better game.
Goaltender Rorke Applebee has been a workhorse for the Warriors. Applebee leads the BCHL in games played (37) and minutes played (2152). The 20-year-old is 1-1-2-0 against the Vees, with a 3.39 GAA, and .892 SV%.
