CRANBROOK, B.C. – Will Ingemann is unbeatable. The Penticton Vees’ goaltender registered his fourth consecutive shutout, as the Vees blanked the Cranbrook Bucks 4-0, Saturday at Western Financial Place.
Ingemann made 13 saves as he earned his 19th win and was named first star. He now has six shutouts on the season, one back of the BCHL single season record of seven. He hasn’t allowed a goal in over 240 minutes.
“Regardless of how many shots you face in a game, you still have to make the saves, and Will made a few big ones tonight. He probably had three or four grade ‘A’ chances he turned away. You can tell he’s really dialed in,” remarked Vees’ Assistant Coach Matthew Vanden Berg post-game.
James Fisher, Connor MacPherson, Conyr Hellyer, and Zack Stringer scored for Penticton. The Vees now have points in eight-straight games (7-0-1-0) and sit five points up on West Kelowna for top spot in the Interior Conference.
“It was the way we started. We’ve talked as a group how we had started slowly here in the past, but tonight we didn’t give them an inch. We were physical, we were playing our system, and moved pucks well. That was our best start we had on the road in a while. If we didn’t have that start, I don’t know if the game finishes the way it did.” commented Vanden Berg.
James Fisher with a BOMB! 💣
🎙️ @Fraser_Vees#BCHL | @PentictonVees pic.twitter.com/6tRZEWNi4O
— BCHL (@BCHockeyLeague) February 25, 2024
Fisher put the Vees ahead 1-0 midway through the first period with his power play goal at 9:41. The goal was Fisher’s 19th and his team-leading seventh power play marker this season. That goal a measure of revenge for Penticton, as they capitalized after Cranbrook took a blatant goalie interference penalty a minute earlier.
MacPherson doubled the Vees’ lead early in the second period. MacPherson scored from the circle as he put a wrist shot over the Bucks’ goaltender’s at 6:11. His 10th gave the Vees a 2-0 lead. It was a determined shift for MacPherson, who scored his first goal since January 13th, when he had a pair against the Bucks.
Hellyer made it 3-0 with less than five minutes left in the middle frame. The veteran forward muscled his shot through the goalie’s pads from the slot, after he cut into the middle from the wing.
String added one for good measure in the final frame, as he made it 4-0 at 3:32. Stringer cleaned up a rebound in the crease, after Callum Arnott threw the puck off the pad and it skipped right to Stringer who scored his first since January 12th.
GAME NOTES
Callum Arnott extended his point streak to eight games with his assist Saturday. He has 11 points in his last eight. James Fisher’s point streak now sits at six games. Fisher has scored in four of his last six. Penticton posted a 4-0-1-0 record against the Bucks this season. The Vees improved to 23-1-1-0 when scoring first.
GAME STATS
Shots: 32-13, Vees
Vees Scoring: James Fisher (19), Connor MacPherson (10), Conyr Hellyer (11), Zack Stringer (6)
Vees Goaltending: Will Ingemann (W) 60:00 13/13, SO
Power-Plays
Vees: 1/4
Bucks 0/3
Three Stars:
1) Will Ingemann
2) Connor MacPherson
3) Patrick Murphy
NEXT GAME: The Vees (31-7-3-2) visit the Trail Smoke Eaters (21-16-6-0) on Sunday, February 25th; puck drop is 3:00 pm.
