The Penticton Vees (15-2-0-0) head across the border to visit the Mainland Division leading Wenatchee Wild (12-2-0-1) tonight at the Toyota Town Center; puck drop is 7 PM.
It’s a showdown of the top two teams in the BCHL’s overall standings, as they Vees sit first with 15 wins and the Wild are second with 12 wins and 25 points. The Wild are two points up on the Chilliwack Chiefs for top spot in the Mainland Division.
The Vees stretched their win streak to four Friday night, doubling up the Vernon Vipers 4-2 at Kal-Tire Place. Taylor Ward and Grant Cruikshank each scored twice in the win and Mat Robson stopped of 30 of 32 shots for his league-leading 12th win.
Penticton has made a few changes to their roster in the last 24-hours. Friday they announced the acquisition of forward Matt Gosiewski (98) from the USHL, and Saturday they announced the signing of former Brandon Wheat Kings’ forward Duncan Campbell (96). To make room, the Vees sent forward Jacob Kamps (97) to the Brooks Bandits of the Alberta Junior Hockey League.
Gosiewski played parts of the last two seasons with the Cedar Rapids RoughRidgers, collecting seven goals and 13 points in 44 games. The Wilton, Connecticut, native is committed to Harvard University. He’ll make his debut tonight in Wenatchee, skating on a line with Ty Barnstable and Turner Ripplinger.
Campbell is a 20-year-old forward who played parts of the last three seasons playing in his hometown of Brandon, Manitoba. Campbell played in 148 career regular season games in the WHL and another 38 playoff games. Campbell played in two WHL Finals with the Wheaties, winning in 2016 and played in the 2016 MasterCard Memorial Cup. Campbell is expected to arrive in Penticton on Sunday and will make his debut next weekend.
One intriguing story line to follow tonight is what record will better the other? The Vees own the BCHL’s best road record, winning 10 of their first 11 road games, and the Wild have yet to lose at home, sporting a 6-0-0-0 record; they’re the only undefeated team at home this season. The Wild are coming off a 5-3 win over the visiting Merritt Centennials; they outshot Merritt 52-18.
The Wild boast an explosive offense, as they’re the highest scoring team in the BCHL, with already 84 goals in just 15 games; they have scored 10 more goals than any other team. They have scored five or more goals in nine of those 15 games. Furthermore, they have eight players on their roster with 15 or more points and six that have six or more. Their offense has been led by the trio of Brendan Harris, Charlie Combs and Troy Conzo, who are one, two, and three in team scoring. Harris leads the wolf pack with 31 points, followed by Combs (26) and Conzo (24).
The Wild aren’t bad on the other side of the puck either, as their 43 goals against is second only to the Penticton Vees in the league. Impressive considering their top goaltender, returner Garrett Nieto hasn’t played since October 8th, after being sidelined with an injury. Anthony Yamnitsky has seen the bulk of the action since and has won four of his last six starts.
The Vees will ice nearly the same line-up as they did last night, with one change being newcomer Matt Gosiewski making his Vees debut on the third line. Mat Robson will start once again and is 12-2-0-0 on the year, with a 1.72 goals-against average, and owns a very impressive .931 save percentage.
With his first period assist last night, Vees’ Captain Nicholas Jones extended his personal point streak to four games. He leads the Vees in scoring with 20 points in 17 games, followed by Ty Amonte (16) and Grant Cruikshank (16).
Fans can listen to tonight’s game on EZ Rock AM 800, on their smartphone via the iHeartRadio Canada app, or online at www.iheartradio.ca The game is also available on www.hockeytv.com
