PHOTO: Jack Murray
The Penticton Vees open up their final weekend of exhibition play with a pair of games against an Alberta Junior Hockey League foe beginning on Friday night as they host the reigning National Junior ‘A’ Champion Brooks Bandits at the South Okanagan Events Centre.
PRESEASON SCHEDULE
Wednesday, August 21st @ West Kelowna Warriors (2-1 Vees) (BOXSCORE)
Friday, August 23rd vs. Merritt Centennials (3-1 Vees) (BOXSCORE)
Saturday, August 24th @ Merritt Centennials (5-2 Vees) (BOXSCORE)
Wednesday, August 28th vs. West Kelowna Warriors (9-1 Vees) (BOXSCORE)
Friday, August 30th vs. Brooks Bandits (7:00 PM)
Saturday, August 31st vs. Brooks Bandits (6:00 PM)
The Vees come into the weekend set after a strong opening to the preseason, having won each of their four exhibition contests including a triumphant 9-1 victory over the West Kelowna Warriors on Wednesday night. Captain David Silye and Tristan Amonte each tallied twice in the game while Danny Weight, Jay O’Brien, Alex DiPaolo, Lukas Sillinger and Liam Malmquist added singles in the victory for the Vees. Derek Krall and Yaniv Perets split time in net with Krall stopping 7 of the 8 shots he faced in the win while Perets turned aside all 7 shots thrown his way.
Penticton and Brooks have a storied history of playing on big stages, including matchups at the Western Canada Cup in 2016 and RBC Cup as well but have also seen each other twice in the preseason in previous years. The two sides clashed in 2015 with the Bandits travelling to Penticton before the Vees made their way to Southern Alberta in 2017 for a pair of exhibition contests.
Helping in the Vees offensive surge on Wednesday night was four points from assistant captain Jay O’Brien, who registered a goal and three helpers for his night of work. The 2018 1st round NHL draft pick of the Philadelphia Flyers has goals in each of his preseason appearances this season and five points.
Lattingtown, New York native Danny Weight has come out strong in his first preseason with the Vees, tallying points in each of his first three games. Weight earned a goal and an assist in Wednesday’s 9-1 victory over West Kelowna and has a goal and four assists for five points in his exhibition play thus far. The Boston College commit had a big summer as he attended New Jersey Devils Development Camp.
In between the pipes tonight for Penticton will be the likes of Yaniv Perets as he will see all 60 minutes of tonight’s game. The Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Quebec native has been terrific in his first appearances in a Vees jersey, going 31-for-33 in a 5-2 victory over the Merritt Centennials last Saturday before turning aside all 7 shots he faced in his outing on Wednesday night.
The Brooks Bandits come into the weekend after a pair of midweek exhibition victories over the Okotoks Oilers in Brooks. The Bandits picked up a 5-4 shootout win on Tuesday before earning a 6-2 victory over the Oilers on Wednesday night. Bobby Harrison scored twice while Devin Phillips, Chris Pappas, Randy Hernandez and Jakob Lee added singles in the Bandits win. Pierce Charleson made 27 saves on 29 shots in the victory.
The Bandits enter the 2019/20 season after a historic 2018/19 campaign, capturing the National Junior ‘A’ Championship on home ice in May with a victory over the Prince George Spruce Kings. Randy Hernandez, Jakob Lee, Bobby Harrison, Taylor Makar, Ethan Lund, Corson Ceulemans, Jordan Di Cacco and Pierce Charlseon all return with rings from last year’s championship team.
The first of the doubleheader between the Vees and Bandits goes at 7:00 PM tonight with tickets just $5 for the preseason tilt and available at the SOEC Box Office. If you can’t make it to the rink, the game will be broadcasted live on HockeyTV.com with the Voice of the Vees, Trevor Miller.
Season tickets are on sale now and the regular season just two weeks away with Penticton travelling to Trail to take on the Smoke Eaters on Friday, September 6th. The Vees home opener is slated for Friday, September 27th against the West Kelowna Warriors. Contact Director of Ticketing & Merchandise Laura Carleton for more information on season tickets and watching the Vees live this season.
