The Penticton Vees (11-1-0-0) finish off a busy stretch of three games in four nights when they host the Nanaimo Clippers (6-5-0-1) at the SOEC tonight; face-off is 6 pm. The Vees have won nine in a row and are vying for their 10th straight win, against a Clippers team that has won back-to-back games and has points in three of their last four.
The Vees needed to conjure up some overtime magic Friday to keep the win streak intact, as Owen Sillinger scored in double-OT, as the Vees prevailed 5-4 over the Langley Rivermen down in the Lower Mainland. Twice the Vees had two-goal leads and twice the Rivermen came back to tie, before Sillinger’s OT heroics two-minutes into three-on-three.
Nanaimo started their road trip off on the right note, picking up a 4-3 win in Trail, snapping the Smoke Eaters four-win streak in the process. Nanaimo almost squandered a 3-0 first period lead but Jake Harris scored the game-winning goal with just over five-minutes left in the third period. Nanaimo wraps-up their three-game Interior road trip tomorrow afternoon in Merritt.
The Vees return to the SOEC where they’re 3-0 this season and 30-1-1-0 since the start of last year. The Vees beat the Clippers 3-2 in double-overtime last season at the SOEC, in the Clippers only visit to Penticton; Demico Hannoun scored the game-winning goal. The Vees won both games against the Clippers, as they thumped the boatmen 6-1 in Nanaimo in February.
Penticton is 2-1-0 against the Island Division this season and was 10-1-0-0 against Island teams last year. Nanaimo picked up their first win against the Interior last night, as they were 0-3 before their victory in Trail.
Mat Robson will likely get the start in goal for the Vees and is coming off a 24-save performance in Langley for his ninth win. Robson is now 9-1, with a 1.71 goals-against average and owns a .934 save percentage.
The Vees dressed 11 forwards and seven defencemen last night, as Gabe Bast and Jacob Kamps sat out due to injury. Kamps status for tonight is a game-time decision.
19-year-old Evan DeBrouwer has started the last two games for the Clippers and is 2-3-0, with a 4.29 goals-against average and a .859 save percentage. 18-year-old Austin Roden has played in seven of Nanaimo’s 12 games and is 4-2 with a 1.96 goals against average and owns an impressive .927 save percentage.
The Clips’ have returned seven players from last year’s team that won the Island Division regular season and post-season pennant. It has been a bit of a retooling for the Clippers as they graduated their top nine scorers from last season, including 59-goal man Sheldon Rempal. Their top line of Rempal, Devin Brosseau and Matt Hoover accounted for 124 goals and 275 points.
It’s a more balanced approach this year for the Clippers, as Trent Crozier leads the team in scoring with nine points in 12 games. Nine Clippers have five or more points and five have three or more goals.
Ty Amonte still leads the Vees in scoring with 15 points and is followed by Owen Sillinger (13), Nicholas Jones (13) and Grant Cruikshank. Cruikshank leads the team in goals with nine and trailing him is Sillinger (6), Amonte and Ryley Risling (5).
Fans can listen to tonight’s game on EZ Rock AM 800, online at http://www.iheartradio.ca/ez-rock/ez-rock-penticton, or they can watch at www.myhockeytv.com
