The Penticton Vees (10-1-0-0) will look to cap off their Okanagan Cup round robin play with a victory as they welcome the Vernon Vipers (3-5-1-2) to the South Okanagan Events Centre to conclude their weekend home-and-home set on Saturday night.
PENTICTON VEES OKANAGAN CUP SCHEDULE:
Friday, September 25th vs. Salmon Arm Silverbacks (7-0 Vees) (BOXSCORE)
Saturday, September 26th vs. Salmon Arm Silverbacks (8-2 Vees) (BOXSCORE)
Friday, October 2nd vs. West Kelowna Warriors (3-2 Vees) (BOXSCORE)
Saturday, October 3rd @ West Kelowna Warriors (3-2 Vees/SO) (BOXSCORE)
Wednesday, October 7th vs. Vernon Vipers (4-0 Vees) (BOXSCORE)
Saturday, October 10th @ Vernon Vipers (4-1 Vees) (BOXSCORE)
Friday, October 16th @ West Kelowna Warriors (7-3 Vees) (BOXSCORE)
Saturday, October 17th vs. West Kelowna Warriors (6-0 Vees) (BOXSCORE)
Friday, October 23rd vs. Salmon Arm Silverbacks (3-2 Vees) (BOXSCORE)
Saturday, October 24th @ Salmon Arm Silverbacks (4-2 Silverbacks) (BOXSCORE)
Friday, November 6th @ Vernon Vipers (4-0 Vees) (BOXSCORE)
Saturday, November 7th vs. Vernon Vipers (6:00 PM)
The Vees are hoping to close out the round robin play of the Okanagan Cup with a win as they take on the Vipers after a 4-0 victory on Friday night at Kal Tire Place in the North Okanagan on Saturday night. Tyler Ho scored a pair of 3rd period goals while Liam Malmquist and Matteo Costantini added singles in the win. Kaeden Lane was outstanding in between the pipes for the Vees, turning aside each of the 25 shots thrown his way in his 2nd shutout of the Okanagan Cup and 5th victory of the tournament.
Vees Okanagan Cup Leading Scorers:
Matteo Costantini (5-11-16)
Liam Malmquist (1-13-14)
Quinn Hutson (6-5-11)
Luc Wilson (4-6-10)
Jackson Niedermayer (6-3-9)
After missing two games due to a suspension, Vees forward Tyler Ho made a triumphant return to the lineup, tallying a pair of goals in Penticton’s 4-0 victory over Vernon on Friday night. The former Viper has had a knack for scoring while down a man this Okanagan Cup tournament, tallying twice while shorthanded and has three goals total in the extended training camp. The Surrey, BC native scored one shorthanded marker of his 13 regular season goals with the Vees last season while registering 4 in the playoffs.
A goal in Friday night’s game moved forward Matteo Costantini farther ahead in the team point lead as he vaulted to 16 points in 11 Okanagan Cup games. The St. Catharines, Ontario native now has points in four of his last five games, scoring two goals and five assists for seven points in that span. The 131st overall selection in the 2020 National Hockey League Entry Draft by the Buffalo Sabres is tied for first in team power play goals with two and is second in team scoring on the power play with five points.
The Vees penalty kill was a big part of their success from a night ago, going 7-for-7 on the PK and not allowing Vernon to gain any momentum when up a man. Penticton’s penalty kill has been strong throughout the course of the Okanagan Cup, killing at a rate of 91.7% and have allowed just four goals against on the PK in 4e8 attempts. The Vees have also had their fair of chances to score while down a player, registered a league-high three shorthanded goals in the extended training camp.
The Vernon Vipers look to get their offensive stride back after falling by a 4-0 score to the Vees in Friday night’s contest in the North Okanagan. Koen MacInnes made 28 saves on 32 shots in his 1st Okanagan Cup loss while the Vipers were shut out for the second time in this tournament with both coming at the hands of the Vees.
Vipers Okanagan Cup Leading Scorers:
Nicholas Kent (0-6-6)
Cameron MacDonald (2-3-5)
JoJo Tanaka-Campbell (2-3-5)
Will Arquiett (3-1-4)
Ethan Mercer (3-1-4)
The Vipers special teams will look to find their way in this game, to help with scoring, after an 0-for-7 night on the power play. Vernon currently sits with a 15.7% power play percentage, 3rd amongst Okanagan Cup teams, scoring 8 goals on 52 attempts in their 11 games. Vernon has surrendered 9 goals against on the penalty kill, after going 4-for-4 on the PK in last night’s game.
The Vees and Vipers conclude their Okanagan Cup tournament round robin schedule tonight at the South Okanagan Events Centre. Puck drop is slated for 6:00 PM with the game available with a FREE live audio stream at mixlr.com/pentictonvees–2 as well as on pay-per-view at BCHLTV.ca.
