PHOTO: Garrett James Photography
The Penticton Vees (12-2-0-0) return to home ice and look to earn their fifth win in a row as they host the Merritt Centennials (0-12-1-0) on Friday night at the South Okanagan Events Centre.
2021/22 REGULAR SEASON SCHEDULE VS. MERRITT
Friday, November 26th @ South Okanagan Events Centre (7:00 PM)
Tuesday, December 7th @ Nicola Valley Memorial Arena (7:00 PM)
Friday, January 21st @ South Okanagan Events Centre (7:00 PM)
Friday, February 4th @ Nicola Valley Memorial Arena (7:00 PM)
Friday, February 25th @ South Okanagan Events Centre (7:00 PM)
Saturday, February 26th @ South Okanagan Events Centre (6:00 PM)
Wednesday, March 2nd @ Nicola Valley Memorial Arena (7:00 PM)
Penticton will look for their fifth win in a row after a 6-3 victory over the West Kelowna Warriors on Tuesday night at Royal LePage Place. The Vees dominated the special teams, scoring three power play goals and two shorthanded markers as Spencer Smith, Fin Williams, Josh Nadeau, Stefano Bottini, Frank Djurasevic and Ethan Mann all found the back of the net. Kaeden Lane was terrific for the second straight start in between the pipes, turning aside 37 of the 40 shots thrown his way in his 8th win of the season.
The Vees and Centennials are slated to meet for the first of seven times on Friday night with two teams having not seen each other since a matchup on January 24th, 2020. Penticton defeated Merritt in each of the six games they played against the Cents that season, outscoring the opposition by a 35-8 margin during their season series in the 2019/20 season.
Vees Leading Scorers:
Luc Wilson (10-11-21)
Josh Nadeau (11-7-8)
Fin Williams (5-13-18)
Bradly Nadeau (9-7-16)
Brett Moravec (3-10-13)
The Vees will have a new face in the lineup to help patrol the blue line as Owen Simpson will suit up for his first game in Penticton. The 6’2”, 175-pound rearguard posted 2 goals and 3 assists for 5 points in 18 games with the Cowichan Valley Capitals this season as the Vees picked him up from the Coquitlam Express in a three-team trade. The Toronto, Ontario native has secure a post-junior scholarship to play hockey at the University of Connecticut.
Tuesday night showed plenty of emotions on both sides of the puck in a battle between the Vees and Warriors and Penticton dominated in the special teams department, scoring three power play goals and two shorthanded markers. It was the second time this season the Vees have scored a trio of goals on the man advantage while Penticton had not scored while down a man before Tuesday night. The Vees power play has been scoring at will over the last number of games, tallying a goal in each of the last eleven contests.
The Vees and Centennials will meet for the first time in the new season on Friday night and it has been a season series each year that has been dominated by Penticton, with the Vees outscoring the Cents by just under 30 in their last six-game season set. Historically speaking, the Vees have boasted a 17-1-0-0 record against Merritt in the past five seasons, including six straight victories against the Centennials.
The Merritt Centennials have not played since November 12th before tragedy struck the city with floods that have forced the Cents out of their home rink. Merritt fell by a 7-6 score in overtime to the Coquitlam Express on that night as Sam Ward, Blake Astorino, Ryan Mulrenin, Ben Ward, Davide Patella and Wyatt Marlow each tallied goals on the night. Keegan Maddocks stopped 30 of the 37 shots thrown his way in between the pipes for Merritt in his 1st overtime defeat of the season.
Centennials Leading Scorers:
Talon Zakall (3-8-11)
Jerzy Orchard (5-5-10)
Jacob Dewitt (2-5-7)
Levi Carter (0-6-6)
Ryan Mulrenin (2-2-4)
The Centennials will be playing their first game since the tragic weather that pushed them out of their homes and city with flooding struck on November 15th. With that in mind, the Vees will be collecting donations at a table at the top of the front entrance as well as all of the proceeds from the BC Hockey Hall of Fame 50/50 and Chuck-A-Puck being donated to the Merritt flooding relief fund.
In his fourth season with the Centennials, Merritt native Talon Zakall is the backbone of the team as the group’s elder statesman. The Dartmouth University commit has posted a career 14 goals and 46 assists for 60 points in 133 regular season games with the Centennials and currently leads the team with 8 assists and 11 points on the year. Zakall currently has points in three of his last four games, including a pair of assists in the 7-6 overtime loss to the Express back on November 12th.
The Vees and Centennials meet for the first of seven times this season on Friday night at the South Okanagan Events Centre. Puck drop is slated for 7:00 PM with tickets available for purchase at the SOEC Box Office as well as online at ValleyFirstTix.com. If you can’t make it to the game, the broadcast on Bounce Radio 800 as well as a stream on BCHLTV.ca begins at 6:40 PM.
