The Penticton Vees (37-12-1-2) kick-off their final home stand of the regular season tonight when they host their rivals, the West Kelowna Warriors (26-25-0-2) at the SOEC. It’s a busy weekend for the Vees, with three home games in two and a half days, as after tonight they host Salmon Arm Saturday and Victoria on Sunday afternoon.
Season Series
September 30th Vees 3 at Warriors 1
October 22nd Vees 6 at Warriors 3
November 22nd Vees 4 at Warriors 1
January 11th Warriors 2 at Vees 4
January 21st Warriors 2 at Vees 4
February 11th Warriors at Vees
February 21st Vees at Warriors
Vees Scoring vs. Warriors
| Nicholas Jones | 8-3-11 |
| Chris Klack | 1-4-5 |
| Grant Cruikshank | 1-3-4 |
| Jonny Tychonick | 0-4-4 |
| Owen Sillinger | 2-1-3 |
Warriors Scoring vs. Vees
| Connor Sodergren | 4-2-6 |
| Quin Foreman | 1-5-6 |
| Braiden Epp | 0-3-3 |
| Chase Stevenson | 2-0-2 |
| Tyler Jutting | 0-2-2 |
Penticton has hasn’t played in six days, as their last game was that much publicized 2-0 victory over the Wenatchee Wild in front over 4,100 fans at the SOEC last Saturday. Duncan Campbell and Nicholas Jones scored in the second and third period for the Vees, and Mat Robson made 33-saves for his fourth shutout of the season.
West Kelowna played just a couple of nights ago, picking up a 4-3 road win in Salmon Arm. It was a win highlighted by special teams, as the Warriors scored twice on the power-play, which is pretty significant considering their power-play is ranked 16th in the BCHL. Tonight is their final game of a four-game stretch away from home, as they head back to Royal LePage Place tomorrow to face the Victoria Grizzlies.
This is the sixth of seven meetings between the two teams and the final regular season meeting at the SOEC; the Vees have won the previous five encounters, including a 4-2 win back on January 21st. These two long-time South Okanagan rivals wrap-up their seven-game season series Tuesday in West Kelowna.
The Vees have been rolling in February winning five of their first six games this month and have picked up points in all six; they haven’t lost in regulation since January 28th. The Vees are looking for their fourth consecutive win and they haven’t done that since December 14th. The Vees are 19-4-1-1 at the SOEC, 20-4-1-1 overall as the home team but one of those wins came at the BCHL Showcase in Chilliwack in September.
West Kelowna has alternated wins and losses in their last five games (3-2-0-0) but they’ve won two of their last three games. Through 26 games on the road this season the Warriors sport a 10-14-0-2 record and have lost both games in Penticton by identical 4-2 scores. The Warriors last regular season win at the SOEC was back on November 29th, 2014; they’ve lost their last seven trips to the SOEC.
Mat Robson is likely starter in the Vees’ net and is 31-11-1-1 on the season, sporting a 2.08 goals-against average and .925 save percentage. Sam Rossini, Mitch Meek and Taylor Sanheim remain out of the Vees’ line-up as all three are injured.
Gabriel Morency has won his last three starts in the West Kelowna crease and is 4-1-0-1, owning 2.98 goals-against average and a .918 save percentage. Morency stopped 31 of 34 shots in the win Wednesday and his start before that he picked up a 33-save shutout over Prince George. His partner, Cole Demers, owns a 7-14-0-1 record, to go along with a 3.22 goals-against average and a .908 save percentage; his season has been split between West Kelowna and Vernon. Both Morency and Demers have lost their only starts against the Vees; West-K has used five goalies in the season series.
Nicholas Jones is trying to wrap up the Vees’ scoring title, as the 20-year-old Captain has 56 points in 52 games, 10 points clear of Grant Cruikshank who sits second with 46. Cruikshank is knocking on a door of a significant milestone himself, as he’s two goals away from 30.
Against the Warriors, no one has done more damage on the Vees than Jones, who has eight goals and 11 points in just six games. That’s six points better than any other Vee, as Chris Klack has five points against West-K, followed by Cruikshank (3-1-4) and Jonny Tychonick (0-4-4).
Quin Foreman has led the Warriors in scoring for pretty much the onset of the season. The 20-year-old, who is committed to Dartmouth, leads his team in goals (24), assists (40), points (64), short-handed goals (2) and game-winning goals (4); he’s their undisputed team MVP. Behind him in the scoring race is fellow 20-year-old Connor Sodergren (24-30-54) and then Logan Mostat (18-22-40).
Sodergren loves playing against the Vees, as he has a team-best four goals and 12 points in six games. Foreman has a goal and six points and behind him is Braiden Epp who has three assists.
Emotions boiled over the last time these two teams played on January 21st, as they combined for 26 penalties and over 140 penalty-minutes. Eight players didn’t finish the third period and there was two major penalties handed out in that final frame. The rivalry is alive and well it seems despite the uncertain future of the Warriors franchise.
Tonight’s game can be heard on EZ Rock AM 800 locally, or via the iHeartRadio app on your iPhone, iPad, smartphone and or tablet. The game is also available via the BCHL webcast at www.HockeyTV.com
