PHOTO: Cherie Morgan/Cherie Morgan Photography
The Penticton Vees look to get ahead 3-0 in their Interior Division Quarter Final against the West Kelowna Warriors as the best-of-seven series shifts to the Central Okanagan with Game #3 taking place at Royal LePage Place on Sunday afternoon.
REGULAR SEASON SCHEDULE vs. WEST KELOWNA
Friday, September 27th @ South Okanagan Events Centre (3-0 Vees) (BOXSCORE)
Saturday, September 28th @ Royal LePage Place (7-3 Vees) (BOXSCORE)
Friday, December 6th @ South Okanagan Events Centre (5-1 Vees) (BOXSCORE)
Saturday, December 7th @ Royal LePage Place (3-2 Vees) (BOXSCORE)
Tuesday, January 21st @ Royal LePage Place (5-2 Vees) (BOXSCORE)
Sunday, February 9th @ South Okanagan Events Centre (5-4 Vees/OT) (BOXSCORE)
PLAYOFF SCHEDULE vs. WEST KELOWNA
Game #1: Thursday, February 27th @ South Okanagan Events Centre (7-1 Vees) (BOXSCORE)
Game #2: Friday, February 28th @ South Okanagan Events Centre (4-1 Vees) (BOXSCORE)
Game #3: Sunday, March 1st @ Royal LePage Place (3:00 PM)
Game #4: Tuesday, March 3rd @ Royal LePage Place (7:00 PM)
*Game #5: Wednesday, March 4th @ South Okanagan Events Centre (7:00 PM)
*Game #6: Saturday, March 7th @ Royal LePage Place (7:00 PM)
*Game #7: Monday, March 9th @ South Okanagan Events Centre (7:00 PM)
*- If Necessary
Penticton comes into Game #3 looking to take a 3-0 series lead after earning a come-from-behind 4-1 victory over the Warriors on Friday night at the South Okanagan Events Centre. Jay O’Brien scored twice in the game while Liam Malmquist and Danny Weight added singles in a four-goal 3rd period. Yaniv Perets stopped 22 of the 23 shots he faced for the second straight night in his 2nd victory of the playoffs in the Vees crease.
Vees Regular Season Leading Scorers:
Jay O’Brien (25-41-66)
David Silye (20-42-62)
Danny Weight (25-35-60)
Lukas Sillinger (22-37-59)
Jackson Niedermayer (23-22-45)
Vees Playoff Leading Scorers:
Jay O’Brien (3-1-4)
Danny Weight (2-2-4)
Tyler Ho (3-0-3)
Liam Malmquist (2-1-3)
Conner Hutchison (0-3-3)
Finishing the regular season with a 10-game point streak, Vees forward Jay O’Brien has collected multi-point efforts in each of his first two playoff games, including a pair of 3rd period markers on Friday night to help the Vees to a Game #2 victory. The 19th overall selection in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft by the Philadelphia Flyers has three goals and one assist for four points in the playoffs after finishing the regular season with 25 goals and 41 assists for 66 points to lead the Vees in scoring. The Hingham, Massachusetts native picked up the game winning goal with his first of the night on Friday, a category he is all too familiar with after leading the BCHL with 9 game winning tallies during the regular campaign.
Goals in each of his first two playoff games in the BCHL has forward Liam Malmquist off to a strong start in the postseason. The Wisconsin University commit has two goals and three points in the opening two games of the series while closing out his first season with the Vees registering 16 goals and 23 assists for 39 points in all 58 games played. The Edina, Minnesota native earned the Vees Rookie of the Year award while also collecting the team’s Most Sportsmanlike Award, going to the penalty box just twice all season in collecting four penalty minutes.
The Vees head out on the road for the first time since January 21st after concluding the regular season with nine straight home games and playing the first two games of the series on home ice. Penticton’s last game away from home came in West Kelowna at Royal LePage Place, a 5-2 victory for the Vees, who had the most wins of any team in the league on the road this season. The Vees finished off the campaign posting a 22-7-0-0 record away from home and held the BCHL’s best goals for (115), goals against (73) and goal differential (+42) while on the road.
The West Kelowna Warriors will look to home ice to try and earn a win in the best-of-seven Interior Division Quarter Final after falling by a 4-1 score to the Vees on Friday night at the South Okanagan Events Centre. Tyler Cristall scored a 1st period power play with that lead holding all the way until the 3rd period before the Vees came back in the game. Johnny Derrick stopped 30 of the 34 shots he faced in his 2nd defeat of the playoffs.
Warriors Regular Season Leading Scorers:
John Evans (22-28-50)
Tyler Cristall (16-25-41)
Carter Wilkie (12-21-33)
Nicolas Ardanaz (4-28-32)
Brendan Pigeon (9-17-26)
Warriors Playoff Leading Scorers:
John Evans (1-1-2)
Tyler Cristall (1-0-1)
Colby Elmer (0-1-1)
Ryan Upson (0-1-1)
Returning to the lineup after missing Game #1, Warriors forward Tyler Cristall made immediate dividends with a power play goal in the opening period of Game #2 to give the Warriors a 1st period lead. The St. Lawrence University commit compiled 16 goals and adding 25 assists for 41 points in 53 games during his rookie campaign, placing 8th among rookie point getters. The Vancouver, BC native saw his offence increase after being acquired by West Kelowna in November, scoring 13 goals and 32 points in 33 games with the Warriors this season.
Points in back-to-back games for forward John Evans has him leading the Warriors in scoring through two games after concluding the regular season at 22 goals and 50 points in 57 games. The South Surrey, BC product was named to the All-Rookie Team in the league after his strong regular season and has played a part in each of the goals West Kelowna has scored in the series. Evans played a big part on the penalty kill during the season as well, amassing a league-leading 5 shorthanded goals while the Warriors, as a team, were tied for the BCHL lead with 10.
The series moves to the Central Okanagan and Royal LePage Place for Games #3 and 4, where the Warriors posted an 8-15-4-2 record on home ice this season. West Kelowna scored 82 goals during the regular season at RLP while surrendering 111 tallies on the year. West Kelowna finished the regular season with 3 wins in their last 6 home games, playing 9 of their final 12 games on the road to conclude the regular season while playing to a 1-0-1-0 record in Sunday afternoon games on home ice.
The Vees and Warriors will do battle in Game #3 of their best-of-seven Interior Division Quarter Final with Penticton leading the series 2-0. Puck drop is slated for 3:00 PM on Sunday afternoon with the game being broadcasted live on EZ Rock AM 800 as well as on HockeyTV.com beginning with the pre-game show at 2:40 PM with the Voice of the Vees, Trevor Miller.
