BROADCAST INFORMATION
Game Time: 6:00 pm PST
Location: SOEC, Penticton
Radio: Bounce 800 AM
Webcast: Flo Hockey
Season Series
Mar. 16 Alberni Valley at Penticton, 6:00 pm PDT
Penticton Vees
GM & Head Coach: Fred Harbinson
Record : GP 49 37-7-3-2, 79 pts (1st, Interior)
Last Game: 4-3 OT win at West Kelowna (Mar. 15)
Home: 20-2-0-0
Away: 17-5-3-2
GF: 192
GA: 101
Power Play: (51/169) 30.2% 1st
Penalty Kill: (30/139) 78.4% 10th
Scoring Leader: Callum Arnott (25-24-49)
Penticton clinched their 12th consecutive Interior Conference regular season pennant last night, with their 4-3 overtime win over the West Kelowna Warriors. With that, the Vees have home ice advantage as the top seed in their conference.
Friday’s win was also their seventh in a row and extended the team’s point streak to 14 games (13-0-1-0). Penticton hasn’t lost in regulation since January 26th.
In last night’s win, the Vees came back from three, one-goal deficits and never led until the overtime goal by Thomas Pichette. Larry Keenan, Connor MacPherson, and Billy Renfrew scored in regulation. Andrew Ness picked up the win, as he stopped 27 of 30 shots.
The Vees now begin a five-game home stand to end the regular season. Tonight, is the only game in the regular season against the Alberni Valley Bulldogs. This, a rematch of the 2023 Fred Page Cup Final the Vees won in four games. Penticton has just two returnees from last year’s squad, in co-captains Callum Arnott and Thomas Pichette.
The big story tonight is goaltender Sharky Nowek making his first career BCHL start. The Penticton product and Penticton Minor Hockey Association graduate has served as the team’s third goaltender this season. Nowek has more than earned this opportunity with his work ethic and team-first approach. Should be a special night for him and his family.
Billy Renfrew has 12 points (5G, 7A) on his current six-game point streak. Francesco Dell’Elce picked up an assist last night and has points in four straight games.
The Vees are 7-1-0-1 against the Coastal Conference. Their only regulation loss came at home to Chilliwack on January 26th.
Alberni Valley Bulldogs
General Manager & Head Coach: Joe Martin
2023-24 : GP 48 28-19-1-0, 57 PTS (3rd, Coastal)
Last Game: 6-3 win vs. Powell River (Mar. 9)
Home: 15-7-1-0
Away: 13-12-0-0
GF: 185
GA: 150
Power Play: (36/197) 18.3% 16th
Penalty Kill: (39/201) 80.6% 4th
Scoring Leader: Nicholas Beneteau (15-42-57)
The Bulldogs have nine players back from the 2022-23 team that won their first ever Coastal Conference championship and were Fred Page Cup finalists. This is the first trip back to Penticton for the Bulldogs since last May.
Alberni Valley is coming off a 6-3 win over the Powell River Kings at home last Saturday. That win snapped their three-game slide. The Bulldogs are six points back of Chilliwack for second in the Coastal Conference and two points up on Nanaimo.
The Bulldogs were originally scheduled to play the Vernon Vipers Friday, but that game was rescheduled to Sunday, as Kal Tire Place in Vernon has had ice issues.
Nicholas Beneteau, one of their nine returning players, leads the team with 57 points in 48 games, which ranks him fifth in BCHL scoring. His 42 assists are third behind the Surrey dup of Caden Cranston and Aaron Schwartz. Hayden Stavroff, acquired in an off-season trade with Salmon Arm, leads the team with 30 goals which is second in the league.
Goaltender Callum Tung, who starts tonight, sits fourth in minutes played in the BCHL with 1978. Tung started Game Four of last year’s BCHL Final against Penticton.
