PHOTO: Cherie Morgan/Cherie Morgan Photography
The Penticton Vees (16-2-0-0) aim for their ninth straight win as they host the Wenatchee Wild (3-9-4-1) for the second time this season on Saturday night at the South Okanagan Events Centre.
REGULAR SEASON SCHEDULE vs. WENATCHEE
Saturday, October 9th @ South Okanagan Events Centre (3-2 Vees/OT) (BOXSCORE)
Saturday, December 4th @ South Okanagan Events Centre (6:00 PM)
Thursday, January 27th @ Town Toyota Center (6:00 PM)
Friday, January 28th @ Town Toyota Center (7:05 PM)
Saturday, January 29th @ Town Toyota Center (6:00 PM)
Penticton comes into Saturday night’s matchup looking to make it 9 wins in a row after a 7-1 victory over the Cranbrook Bucks on Friday night at the South Okanagan Events Centre. Brett Moravec scored a pair, including the annual Teddy Bear Toss marker, while Jackson Nieuwendyk, Fin Williams, Bradly Nadeau, Josh Nadeau and Spencer Smith all found the back of the net in the triumph. Kaeden Lane turned aside 20 of the 21 shots thrown his way in his 12th victory of the season while 16-year-old affiliate netminder Kenneth Marquart played the final 8:55 of the game, making 4 saves on 4 shots in his BC Hockey League debut.
The Vees and Wild will meet for the second time on Saturday night after the two teams tangled in the second game of the season, which was a 3-2 overtime victory for Penticton at the SOEC. Josh Nadeau scored twice in the game, including a 3rd period marker with just under 8 minutes remaining in the game to force overtime before Fin Williams found the back of the net in the extra frame. Colin Purcell started the game for the Vees, making 19 saves on 21 shots for the win in between the pipes.
Vees Leading Scorers:
Josh Nadeau (15-11-26)
Luc Wilson (12-14-26)
Fin Williams (7-18-25)
Brett Moravec (8-11-19)
Bradly Nadeau (10-7-17)
The goal scoring streak of Vees forward Josh Nadeau continued once again on Friday night, tallying in his eighth consecutive game and posted a goal and two assists for three points on the night. In those 8 contests, the University of Maine commit has posted 9 goals and 5 assists for 14 points over that span while registering 5 multi-point games in that time. Nadeau currently sits 5th in the league in points with 26, tied with teammate Luc Wilson, while also placing in a tie for 3rd in the BCHL in goal scoring with 15 goals, evening himself with West Kelowna Warriors forward and fellow Maine commit Felix Trudeau.
Another two-goal performance for forward Brett Moravec has propelled him to 8 goals on the season while collecting 5 in his last 3 games. The Airdrie, Alberta native has points in three of his last four and five of his last seven games, including a pair of multi-goal contests and last night’s performance of two goals and an assist for three points. The University of Wisconsin commit has 5 goals and an assist for 6 points in his last three games.
The Vees power play continues to shine and find the back of the net with regularity, scoring a goal in the man advantage in each of their last 15 games heading into Saturday night’s action. On the season as a whole, Penticton’s power play ranks 3rd in the BCHL at 29.1%, scoring 25 goals while up a man, which is tops in the league. That also goes hand-in-hand with how dominant the Vees have been on home ice this season, owning a 9-0-0-0 record at the SOEC while outscoring their opposition by a 52-13 margin.
The Wenatchee Wild come into the end of the weekend’s action looking to find their way into the win column after a 4-3 overtime loss to the Merritt Centennials on Friday night at Nicola Valley Memorial Arena. Ean Somoza, Cade Stibbe and Cade Littler each found the back of the net for the Wild while Tyler Shea made 22 saves on 26 shots in his 2nd overtime loss of the season.
Wild Leading Scorers:
Ean Somoza (5-10-15)
Cade Littler (6-8-14)
Owen Bohn (8-4-12)
Mario Gasparini (1-8-9)
Landon Parker (2-6-8)
Coming to Wenatchee shortly after their first visit to see the Vees, forward Ean Somoza has been a catalyst in the offensive game for Wenatchee, boasting a team leading 10 assists and 15 points in 13 games played. The University of Western Michigan commit has posted points in three straight games and five of his last six games, registering 4 goals and 4 assists for 8 points in that span. The Simi Valley, California native has been a strong fixture on the Wild power play as well, tallying three goals on the man advantage on a Wild power play that is operating at 25.9%, ranking 4th in the league.
The Wild have been putting on the miles so far this season with border restrictions early in the season limiting teams from travelling to the United States. Wenatchee will be playing in their 12th road game on Saturday in Penticton while playing just 6 home games so far this season at Town Toyota Center. The Wild have posted points in 6 of their 11 games on the road this season, owning a 3-5-3-0 record while still searching for their first win on home ice.
The Vees and Wild play in the second of their five-game season series and their final game in Penticton on Saturday night at the South Okanagan Events Centre. Puck drop is slated for 6:00 PM with tickets available at the Valley First Box Office at the SOEC as well as online at valleyfirsttix.com. The game will also be broadcasted live on Bounce Radio 800 as well as streamed on BCHLTV.ca beginning with the pre-game show at 5:40 PM.
