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GAME PREVIEW: Vees Make Final Trip South Of Border To Battle Wild

PHOTO: Cherie Morgan/Cherie Morgan Photography

The Penticton Vees (23-8-1-0) make their final trip south of the border in the regular season as they face-off against the Wenatchee Wild (15-12-3-1) on Wednesday night at the Town Toyota Center.

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REGULAR SEASON SCHEDULE vs. WENATCHEE

Friday, October 5th @ South Okanagan Events Centre (5-3 Vees) (BOXSCORE)

Friday, November 8th @ Town Toyota Center (4-1 Vees) (BOXSCORE)

Saturday, November 9th @ Town Toyota Center (5-3 Vees) (BOXSCORE)

Saturday, November 16th @ South Okanagan Events Centre (2-1 Vees/OT) (BOXSCORE)

Wednesday, December 4th @ Town Toyota Center (6:00 PM)

Friday, February 21st @ South Okanagan Events Centre (7:00 PM)

Saturday, February 22nd @ South Okanagan Events Centre (6:00 PM)

Penticton looks to make it three wins in a row after capturing a pair of wins over the weekend against the Merritt Centennials, with the latest being a 5-0 triumph on Saturday night at the South Okanagan Events Centre on Pink the Rink Night in front of 4,415 fans. Colton Kalezic, Lukas Sillinger, David Silye, Jack Barnes and Jackson Niedermayer each found the back of the net while Yaniv Perets turned aside each of the 20 shots he faced for his 13th win of the season and league-leading 4th shutout on the campaign.

The Vees have defeated the Wild in each of the four games that the two teams have squared off in, including a 2-1 overtime victory for Penticton on home ice in the middle of November at the South Okanagan Events Centre. Danny Weight scored a power play goal in regulation to even the score at 1-1 before Tyler Ho was the overtime hero with just 15 seconds remaining in the extra frame. Carl Stankowski turned aside 26 of the 27 shots he faced in the Vees net for the win.

Vees Leading Scorers:

Jay O’Brien (15-31-46)

Danny Weight (15-19-34)

Lukas Sillinger (12-22-34)

David Silye (11-20-31)

Colton Kalezic (10-13-23)

Colton Kalezic became the 5th Vees forward to amass double digit goals this season, collecting his 10th marker of the season to open the scoring in Penticton’s 5-0 win over Merritt on Saturday. The Northern Michigan University commit has tallied goals in each of his last two games and carries a three-game point streak into Wednesday night. The Toronto, Ontario native has two goals and an assist for three points over that span.

Another Vee that holds a three-game point streak coming into tonight’s matchup in Wenatchee is forward Tristan Amonte. The Norwell, Massachusetts native has generated four assists in his past three games while gathering 18 points in his 32 games of action this season. Amonte has had plenty of success while on the road, as well, with all eight of his goals coming away from the South Okanagan Events Centre.

The weekend was good to the Vees in the special teams department as well as the win column with Penticton’s power play scoring three goals in their last two games, ranking 6th in the BCHL. The penalty kill has also seen a strong stretch as of late, killing off each of the last 13 penalties they have taken, spanning over their last 11 periods. The Vees PK has also risen in the league standings, moving to 8th overall at 81.4% this season.

The Wenatchee Wild come into the mid-week matchup against the Vees after a 3-2 victory over the Langley Rivermen on Saturday night at the Town Toyota Center. Brian Adams and Jerrett Overland each tallied in the 2nd period for the Wild before Hunter Hastings scored the game winning marker in the 3rd period. Daniel Chenard turned aside 15 of the 17 shots thrown his direction in his 10th victory of the season.

Wild Leading Scorers:
Nick Cafarelli (13-17-30)

Brian Adams (15-10-25)

Tyler Young (5-20-25)

Brett Chorske (7-13-20)

Matt Dorsey (5-15-20)

The leading scorer amongst rookies in the BCHL comes into Wednesday’s game riding a four-game point streak and continues to head the Wenatchee offensive attack. Middleton, Massachusetts native Nick Cafarelli has scored a goal and added five assists for six points in his last four games played while the University of New Hampshire commit has tallied three goals and an assist for four points in four games against the Vees this season.

Wenatchee got a big boost offensively with the return of forward Sam Morton, who spent the last season and a half with Union College in the NCAA. The Lafayette, Colorado native scored 3 goals and 10 assists for 13 points over 42 collegiate games and is no stranger to Wenatchee, having spent two seasons there from 2016-2018. Morton has suited up for 101 career games with the Wild, registering 36 goals and 43 assists for 79 points in that span.

The Wild play the fourth of their four-game home stand tonight against the Vees while holding a 2-1 record in the previous three contests. Wenatchee has tallied a power play goal in two of those three games and hold the 3rd ranked man advantage in the BCHL while on home ice, operating at a 26.9% in 17 home games.

The Vees and Wild play the fifth of their seven-regular season contests tonight and the final one at the Town Toyota Center. Puck drop is slated for 6:00 PM with the game available to listen on EZ Rock AM 800 as well as watch on HockeyTV.com beginning with the pre-game show at 5:40 PM with the Voice of the Vees, Trevor Miller.

The Vees annual Teddy Bear Toss will take place on Friday, December 6th against the West Kelowna Warriors at the South Okanagan Events Centre. Fans are encouraged to bring a new or gently-used stuff animal, a pair of socks, pajamas or diapers to throw onto the ice after Penticton’s first goal of the game. Tickets can be purchased at the Valley First Box Office as well as online at ValleyFirstTix.com.