PHOTO: Jack Murray
The Penticton Vees (28-6-0-2) remain home in search of their eighth straight win and 300th regular season victory at the South Okanagan Events Centre as they host the Vernon Vipers (16-14-3-3) on Wednesday night.
VEES VS. VIPERS REGULAR SEASON SCHEDULE:
Friday, October 8th @ South Okanagan Events Centre (4-2 Vees) (BOXSCORE)
Saturday, November 27th @ Kal Tire Place (4-3 Vees) (BOXSCORE)
Friday, December 17th @ South Okanagan Events Centre (6-0 Vees) (BOXSCORE)
Wednesday, February 9th @ South Okanagan Events Centre (6:30 PM)
Sunday, February 27th @ Kal Tire Place (5:00 PM)
The Vees enter play on Wednesday night searching for their eighth win in a row after a strong performance on Saturday night in an 8-2 victory over the Trail Smoke Eaters at the South Okanagan Events Centre. Josh Nadeau tallied his first career hat trick while Adam Eisele scored a pair of goals in the win. Thomas Pichette, Bradly Nadeau and Ethan Mann each found the back of the net with singles in the victory with Kaeden Lane turning aside 13 of the 15 shots thrown his way in his 21st win of the season.
Penticton and Vernon will meet for the fourth of five times this season with the Vees having earned wins in each of the three matchups so far in the campaign, including a 6-0 triumph in the middle of December at the SOEC. Fin Williams scored twice in the game with Luc Wilson, Thomas Pichette, Stefano Bottini and Josh Nadeau adding markers in the win. Mason Dunsford was in the Vees goal that night, making 13 saves for a shutout.
Vees Leading Scorers:
Luc Wilson (20-31-51)
Josh Nadeau (28-22-50)
Fin Williams (12-25-37)
Bradly Nadeau (14-18-32)
Brett Moravec (18-13-31)
After a hat trick and four-point night on Saturday against Trail, Vees forward Josh Nadeau was named the BC Hockey League’s First Star of the Week, finishing with 4 goals and 6 points over the course of the Vees three-game week. The University of Maine commit has registered 28 goals on the season, ranking 3rd overall in the BCHL and leading Penticton in goal scoring and sitting just one point back of Luc Wilson for the team lead in points. Nadeau has posted points in each of his last four games, compiling 4 goals and 3 assists for 7 points over that span and also has points in 8 of his last 9 contests.
Making his Vees and BCHL debut on Wednesday will be forward Aydar Suniev, who will wear number 19 for Penticton for the remainder of the season. Suniev was added to the Vees roster for the remainder of the season on Monday and comes from the St. Andrew’s College program in Ontario and had a very successful opening part of the season, leading the Saints in scoring with 12 goals and 9 assists for 21 points in just 9 games played.
Wednesday night could be a very special night for the Vees on their home ice as Penticton will look to win their 300th regular season game at the South Okanagan Events Centre when they host the Vipers. The Vees own a record of 299-51-16-9-4 in 379 games played at the SOEC, which opened its doors in 2008 with Penticton’s most successful season during the 2011/12 season, going 29-0-1-0 on home ice in a year that they won the National Championship followed up by the 2015/16 season which the Vees recorded a 27-1-0-0 record at the SOEC.
The Vernon Vipers also come into Wednesday night’s action with a long winning streak having been victorious in each of their last nine games, including a weekend sweep against the Cranbrook Bucks in the East Kootenays, concluding with a 2-1 shootout victory at Western Financial Place on Saturday night. Seiya Tanaka-Campbell scored his first BCHL goal in regulation while Luke Buss and Anthony Cliche scored in the shootout to help in the win. Ethan David made 35 of the 36 shots he faced in regulation and three of the four shooters in the shootout in his 5th win of the season.
Vipers Leading Scorers:
Luke Buss (12-15-27)
Cam McDonald (10-15-25)
Reagan Milburn (11-12-23)
Ryan Shostak (10-13-23)
Matthew Culling (7-11-18)
The Vipers have climbed their way in the standings up to 6th in the Interior Conference thanks to their current long win streak of nine games and sees the two teams with the longest win streaks going head-to-head on Wednesday. During that nine-game stretch, the Vipers have won seven of those games beyond regulation with five of those being won in a shootout including each of their last six games having been won away from home.
All signs point toward second-year netminder Roan Clarke getting the start for the Vipers in Penticton on Wednesday and he has been a major helping hand in Vernon’s win streak having won each of his last seven games. In that span, the Cloverdale, BC native has posted a 1.64 goals against average and a .949 save percentage while allowing no more than three goals during that stretch of play.
The Vees and Vipers play in the fourth of their five game season series on Friday night at the South Okanagan Events Centre. It is another Wicked Wednesday with tickets priced for just $10! Puck drop is slated for 6:30 PM with tickets available for purchase 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 BCHLTV.ca beginning with the pre-game show at 6:10 PM.
