PHOTO: Jack Murray
The Penticton Vees conclude their weekend on Vancouver Island and look for their sixth straight win to open the season as they face-off against the Nanaimo Clippers for a Sunday matinee at Frank Crane Arena.
REGULAR SEASON SCHEDULE VS. NANAIMO
Sunday, September 22nd @ Frank Crane Arena (2:00 PM)
Saturday, October 19th @ South Okanagan Events Centre (6:00 PM)
Penticton comes into Sunday afternoon’s game after their first shutout of the season, earning a 6-0 victory on Saturday night against the Cowichan Valley Capitals at the Cowichan Community Centre. Tristan Amonte, Lukas Sillinger, Alex DiPaolo, Jackson Niedermayer, David Silye and Jay O’Brien tallied the goals on Saturday night while Yaniv Perets turned aside all of the 18 shots he faced in his first career BCHL shutout and third win of the season.
The Vees and Clippers split their season series a year ago as each team won on home ice in two games against each other. Penticton earned a 4-1 win at the South Okanagan Events Centre in early January before the Vees travelled to Nanaimo and fell to the Clippers in late January at Frank Crane Arena by a 4-2 score.
Vees Leading Scorers:
Jay O’Brien (4-5-9)
Danny Weight (4-4-8)
David Silye (2-5-7)
Tristan Amonte (4-2-6)
Liam Malmquist (2-4-6)
University of Nebraska-Omaha commit Lukas Sillinger had a big game on Saturday night, posting a goal and two assists for his second career games tallying over two points. The Regina, Saskatchewan native has points in three of his last four games including scoring his first goal of the season in the Vees 6-0 win on Saturday night in Cowichan. Sillinger is tied for the team lead in assists this season with five, even with Danny Weight and Jay O’Brien for the team lead in helpers.
Yaniv Perets gave the Vees their first shutout of the season on Saturday night with an 18-save effort and Derek Krall will now man the crease in his hometown. The Nanaimo, BC native will make his second start in Nanaimo, turning aside 19 of the 23 shots he faced in a defeat to the Clippers but comes into this game with terrific numbers, boasting a 1.96 GAA and a .937 SV% in two starts this season.
The Vees come into Sunday’s afternoon affair with the best goal differential in the BCHL, sitting at +20 on the early season and are second in the league in goals for, scoring 28 times in 5 games this season. Penticton sits in the league lead in goals against this season, allowing just 8 goals in their 5 games played while their opponents in the Clippers have scored a league low 8 goals this campaign.
The Nanaimo Clippers enter Sunday’s matinee after falling to a 2-2-0-1 record with a 2-1 loss to the Alberni Valley Bulldogs on Saturday night at Weyerhaeuser Arena in Port Alberni. Travis Walton got the Clippers on the board late in the 3rd period to make it a one-goal game but that would be all the offence Nanaimo would get. Jordan Naylor made 28 saves on 30 shots in his first loss of the season after coming back off the injured reserve.
Clippers Scoring Leaders:
Travis Walton (3-1-4)
Ethan Scardina (1-3-4)
Tyler Williams (1-2-3)
Devon Mussio (0-3-3)
Joshua Borne (2-0-2)
The Clippers have plenty of familiar faces back in the lineup this season as 12 players are back from the team that fell in the opening round of the playoffs against the Powell River Kings in 2019. Captain Ethan Scardina is joined by forwards Tyler Williams, Thomas Samuelsen, MacKenzie Merriman, Kyler Kovich, Joshua Borne, Connor Wetsch and Zack Dallazanna back from last season. Defenders Robby Drazner, Aiden Hansen-Bukata and Devon Mussio are back on the blue line while Jordan Naylor returns in between the pipes.
Nanaimo has been looking to find their offensive game and forward Travis Walton may just be the right piece to turn that around. The 6’5”, 201-pounder has three of the Clippers eight goals this season, including points in each of his last four games. The Vancouver, BC native has scored in three of his last four games and is tied for 19th in terms of goal scoring throughout the league with his three tallies.
Although the goal scoring may not be there, the Clippers have been getting outstanding play in between the pipes as Zach Bennett and Jordan Naylor have combined for just 10 goals against in 5 games. Naylor just came off of the injured reserve for his first game in Alberni Valley on Saturday while Bennett has been strong, posting a 1.30 GAA and a .952 SV% through his three games played this season after being acquired from the Selkirk Steelers of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League.
The Vees and Clippers play the first of their two-game regular season series this afternoon at Frank Crane Arena. Puck drop is slated for 2:00 PM with the game being broadcasted live on EZ Rock AM 800 as well as HockeyTV.com with the pre-game show beginning at 1:40 PM with the Voice of the Vees, Trevor Miller.
Penticton returns home for their home opener on Friday, September 27th against the West Kelowna Warriors at the South Okanagan Events Centre. Puck drop is slated for 7:00 PM with single game tickets going on sale at 10:00 AM on Monday, September 23rd at the SOEC Box Office. Season tickets are still available for as low as $28 a month, contact Director of Ticketing and Merchandise Laura Carleton for more information.
