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Game Preview: Vees Kick-Off Thanksgiving Weekend Series with Merritt

The Penticton Vees (7-1-0-0) welcome another Interior Division opponent to the SOEC tonight in the Merritt Centennials (5-3-1-0), in a matchup of first versus second. The Vees have won five straight after their dramatic 3-2 double-overtime win over the Trail Smoke Eaters last Saturday. Merritt also beat the Smokies in their last outing, 4-2, back on Wednesday at Cominco Arena.

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Vees Line-Up

Centennials Line-Up

Captain Nicholas Jones was the OT hero in the Vees’ home opener, scoring with less than a second on the clock, as the Vees completed a dramatic comeback against Trail. With that goal, Jones now has scored the game-winning goal in the Vees’ last two wins; the ‘C’ on his chest stands for more than just Captain.

Merritt has won three of their last four games and all three of those wins have come on the road. In fact, they’ve been road warriors this season, as they’re undefeated in five games, sporting a 4-0-1-0 record. One of their “road” losses was at the BCHL Showcase in Chilliwack against Cowichan Valley.

*Update* The Centennials made two moves on their blue-line this morning. They first traded defenceman Mark O’Shaughnessy to the Truro Bearcats of the Maritime Junior Hockey League. Then, in a corresponding move, they acquired 19-year-old defenceman Zach Bleuler from the Langley Rivermen. Bleuler will play tonight.

Penticton’s record at the SOEC has been well documented and going back to last year, they’re 28-1-1-0 in their last 30-games at home. The Vees were also 5-2 in seven games against the Cents’ last season, with both losses coming on the road.

Tonight is the first of seven meetings between the two clubs, with three of the seven being played at the SOEC, including tonight’s contest. It’s a home-and-home weekend as well, as the two teams reconvene in Merritt tomorrow night for the back-half of the Thanksgiving weekend series. After this weekend, the Vees face Merritt again on October 21st in Merritt and their next home game against the Cents’ is on November 19th.

Mat Robson is your likely starter for the Vees and leads the BCHL in wins (6), goals-against average (1.66) and save percentage (.939); Merritt will likely counter with Jacob Berger, the 19-year-old from Minnetonka, Minnesota. Berger is 4-2 on the season with a very respectable 2.71 goals-against average and tidy .922 save percentage.

Ty Amonte comes into the weekend still holding down the Vees’ scoring lead with 12 points in eight games. Grant Cruikshank, Nicholas Jones and Owen Sillinger follow closely behind as each has nine points. Cruikshank leads the team in goals with seven.

Gabe Bast remains out of the line-up with an upper-body injury and he’s now joining him on the injured list is Jacob Kamps. The Vees forward will miss tonight’s game and likely tomorrow’s with a lower-body injury.

Second-year forward Michael Regush leads the Cents’ offence with 11 points in nine games. The Surrey, BC, native is committed to Cornell University. 17-year-old returnee Tyler Ward has a team-best six goals thus far.

Penticton needs a disciplined approach tonight and limit their trips to the penalty-box. Merritt owns the BCHL’s best power-play, as the Cents’ PP is clicking at just over 35 percent. Merritt has already scored 12 power-play goals this season, which is only second to the Vernon Vipers (14).

Special teams remain one area of concern for Penticton, as their power-play and penalty-kill are both in the bottom four of the BCHL. Their PK has made some positive strides however, as they’ve killed-off six of the last seven opposition power-plays. It will need to be at its best tonight.

Fans can listen to tonight’s game on EZ Rock AM 800 starting with the CIBC Wood Gundy pre-game show at 6:40 pm. The game will also be streamed on the BCHL’s pay-per-view platform, www.hockeytv.com