The Penticton Vees (13-2-0-0) hit the road once again and will look for their sixth straight win as they take on the Vernon Vipers (4-8-3-2) on Saturday night from Kal Tire Place.
VEES VS. VIPERS REGULAR SEASON SCHEDULE:
Friday, October 8th @ South Okanagan Events Centre (4-2 Vees) (BOXSCORE)
Saturday, November 27th @ Kal Tire Place (6:00 PM)
Friday, December 17th @ South Okanagan Events Centre (7:00 PM)
Wednesday, February 9th @ South Okanagan Events Centre (6:30 PM)
Sunday, February 27th @ Kal Tire Place (5:00 PM)
Penticton comes into Saturday night looking to continue their winning ways after an 8-0 shutout victory over the Merritt Centennials on Friday night at the South Okanagan Events Centre. Ethan Mann and Casey McDonald each found the back of the net twice while Fin Williams, Brett Moravec, Josh Nadeau and Luc Wilson added singles in the win. Kaeden Lane was terrific in goal for the Vees, turning aside each of the 22 shots thrown his way in his 9th win of the season and 7th career BC Hockey League shutout.
The Vees and Vipers have met once in their five-game season series so far with Penticton coming away victorious on the opening night of the BCHL, defeating Vernon by a score of 4-2 at the South Okanagan Events Centre. Josh Niedermayer scored a pair of goals in the game while Fin Williams and Casey McDonald added singles in the victory. Kaeden Lane got the nod in goal, turning aside 12 of the 14 shots thrown his way in the win.
Vees Leading Scorers:
Luc Wilson (11-12-23)
Josh Nadeau (12-8-20)
Fin Williams (6-14-20)
Bradly Nadeau (9-7-16)
Brett Moravec (4-10-14)
Goal scoring has been something the Vees have excelled at this season and have had their offence come from all different aspects of their lineup, boasting 11 players who have 10 or more points this season. The Vees sit atop the BCHL standings with their 13-2-0-0 record and also lead the league in both goals for (78) and goals against (32), possessing a goal differential of +46 through 15 games played. Through their five-game winning streak, the Vees have been particularly potent, outscoring the opposition by a 29-8 margin.
Consistency has been something Vees forward and captain Fin Williams has preached through most of the season and his stats as of late are reflective of that, registering a goal and an assist in each of his last three games. The University of Michigan commit has points in five straight games, and goals in three consecutive contests, good for 3 goals and 5 assists for 8 points over that stretch. Of the North Vancouver, BC product’s six goals this season, four of them have been the Vees first goal of the game, including the season opening marker and a goal and assist performance in the last meeting between the Vees and Vipers.
While the goals have come for the Vees, preventing the puck from going in the net has also been a strong point and the backbone of that, particularly over the last three games, has been 20-year-old netminder Kaeden Lane. The University of Northern Michigan commit earned his 7th shutout in his BCHL career on Friday with 22 saves against the Centennials, pushing him to 11th on the all-time BCHL shutout list after his 5 blankings last season. The Burnaby, BC native has won each of his last six starts, posting a 1.32 goals against average and a .944 save percentage during that span.
The Vernon Vipers come into Saturday night’s game looking to avenge a loss to the Prince George Spruce Kings, falling by a score of 3-1 on Friday night at Kal Tire Place. Luke Buss scored the lone goal just under 30 seconds into the game before the Spruce Kings rattled off three straight for the win. Ethan David got the start in goal for the Vipers, making 24 saves on 27 shots in his 3rd loss of the season.
Vipers Leading Scorers:
Luke Buss (7-8-15)
Reagan Millburn (5-6-11)
Ryan Shostak (5-5-10)
Cameron MacDonald (4-6-10)
JoJo Tanaka-Campbell (2-7-9)
Rookie forward Luke Buss has enjoyed a fair bit of success this season on a Vipers team that can struggle to find the back of the net. The Columbus, Ohio native has earned points in three consecutive games, scoring a pair of goals and adding three assists for five points over that course of time. Buss has made his way to the top of the scoring charts for Vernon, leading the team with 7 goals and 15 points on the campaign.
The month of November has been a rough one for the Vipers, who have won just one regulation game over the course of their nine-game month. Vernon has, however, collected points in the of overtime and shootout defeats, earning three points off of those losses and five overall. In terms of goal scoring, Vernon will be looking for more production as they sit in 17th in the league with 41 goals for on the season, leading both the Wenatchee Wild and Merritt Centennials, who each have three games in hand on the Vipers.
The Vees and Vipers will play the second of their five-game season series on Saturday night in Vernon from Kal Tire Place. Puck drop is slated for 6:00 PM with the game being broadcasted on Bounce Radio 800 as well as BCHLTV.ca beginning with the pre-game show at 5:40 PM.
