Arena: SOEC, Penticton
Game Time: 7pm
Radio: EZ Rock AM 800
Watch: Fasthockey Pay-Per-View
The Penticton Vees have the brooms out, as they look to sweep their seven-game season series with the Trail Smoke Eaters. The Vees have won all six meetings against the Smoke Eaters this season, including all three thus far at the SOEC.
It’s a special night at the SOEC, which will no doubt have an emotionally charged atmosphere. The Vees are donating 50 percent of walk-up tickets sales to team chaplain Jamie Weberg and family, as he was recently diagnosed with a form of bone cancer; a large crowd is expected.
The Vees are looking to make it two wins in a row, after snapping a two-game slump on Tuesday against their arch-rival West Kelowna Warriors, in a 6-3 win. After trailing 1-0 after the first period, the Vees scored five unanswered goals over a 25-minute span. Max Coatta, Nic Pierog (2), Riley Alferd and Alex Coulombe all scored in the win for the Vees. Olivier Mantha was brilliant in goal, stopping 37 of 40 shots en route to his 16th win of the season.
That win has the Vees two points ahead of the West Kelowna Warriors for top spot in the Interior Division heading into tonight’s slate of games. A Vees win tonight for Penticton would clinch them no worse than second in their division, regardless of what would transpire in their final three games.
Hunter Miska gets the start in net for the Vees and is undefeated this season against Trail. Miska is 4-0 against the Smokies this season, sporting a 1.75 goals-against average, while maintaining a sparkling .924 save percentage; he shutout Trail back on September 14th, 7-0. Miska owns a 17-7-2-4 record with a 2.31 goals-against average and a .913 save-percentage in 31 games this season.
Travis Blanleil will suit out his second straight game, as he is nursing a lower-body injured picked up on February 15th against Victoria. Either Cam Amantea or Josh Blanchard will fill Blanleil’s spot in the line-up tonight. Also returning to the line-up is Erik Benoit, who missed Tuesday’s game in West Kelowna after battling a bout of the flu.
The Vees have had their way with the Smokies in the last seven seasons, owning a 32-8-0-7 record against Trail and are 21-2-0-1 at home versus the Smokies since 2007-2008. Trail has just one win in their last 10 visits to the SOEC; an overtime win back on March 1st, 2013.
Trail’s struggles have been well documented this season; they sit sixth in the Interior with a 9-38-2-4 record and have lost 10 in a row. Their last win came back on February 17th, when they scored a 5-3 victory in Surrey. They’re on pace for their second-worst finish in their BCHL history, as they finished with just 21 points in 1999-2000, when they posted an 8-47-0-5 record.
Despite all that, the Vees won’t be taking their opponent lightly, and the Smokies have a formidable trio to lookout for in Jesse Knowler, Scott Davidson and Bryan Basilico; the three have combined for six goals and 14 points since Knowler has returned from injury (three games).
Brad McClure leads all Vees in scoring against Trail, as the Vees leading scorer has four goals and 10 points in six games against the Smokies. McClure finished with five points in the Vees last win against Trail back on February 5th.
After tonight the Vees are in Vernon tomorrow, before a home-and-home with the Salmon Arm Silverbacks next weekend to wrap up the regular season.
Trail is a well-rested bunch, as they haven’t played since February 12th, a 7-3 loss at home to Vernon. In that contest, the Vipers stunned the Smokies, scoring three goals in the opening 56 seconds. After tonight, Trail plays their final three games of the season against West Kelowna. Tomorrow they make a trip to Royal LePage Place, before hosting the Tribe on February 28th; the two meet again in West Kelowna on March 1st.
VEES STATS
Scoring vs. TRA:
McClure 4-6-10 Dalpe 4-0-4 Hilderman 0-2-2 Amantea 0-1-1
Coatta 3-4-7 Serratore 2-1-3 Rygus 0-2-2 Blanleil 0-1-1
Ramsey 2-5-7 Cooper 1-2-3 Stoykewych 0-2-2
Benoit 2-4-6 McColgan 1-2-3 Blanchard 1-0-1
Beauvais 2-3-5 Coulombe 0-3-3 Pierog 1-0-1
DePourcq 1-4-5 Sexton 2-0-2 Alferd 0-1-1
Point Streaks:
Alferd: Goals in back-to-back games
Last 5 Games:
Record: 3-2-0-0 (14 GF, 10 GA)
PP: 4/23 (17.39%)
PK: 22/26 (84.62%)
Since Trade Deadline: 8-6-0-1
Vees Post-Christmas Record: 9-6-1-1 (13-8-0-2 post-Christmas break last season)
PK: Allowed goals against in last 2 games
Scoring: Every Vees player has at least 1 point against the Smokies
Sweep: Vees have never swept Smokies in a season series
Leaders:
Goals: McClure (38) (2nd in BCHL)
Assists: Beauvais (43) (4th in BCHL)
Points: McClure (73) (3rd in BCHL)
PIMs: Sexton (60) (41st in BCHL)
PPG: McClure (12) (2nd in BCHL)
PPA: Beauvais (23) (T-1st in BCHL)
SHG: Pierog (3) (T-5th in BCHL)
SMOKE EATERS STATS
Scoring vs. PEN:
Bowen 1-1-2 Wheeldon 1-0-1
Davidson 1-1-2 Cross 0-1-1
Mascarin 1-1-2 Lucchini 0-1-1
Schartz 0-2-2
Basilico 1-0-1
Brandt 1-0-1
Point Streaks:
Basilico: 4 game point streak (3-3-6)
Davidson: 4 game point streak (5-1-6)
Knowler: 3 game point streak (0-4-4)
Last 5 Games:
Record: 0-5-0-0 (17 GF, 33 GA)
PP: 3/21 (14.29%)
PK: 11/17 (64.71%)
PP: Scored a goal in last 2 games (2/8)
PK: Haven’t allowed a goal in 2 games (3/3)
Leaders:
Goals: Basilico (13) (T-70th in BCHL)
Assists: Knowler (21) (T-76th in BCHL)
Points: Knowler (27) (Outside of Top 100 in BCHL)
PIMs: Davidson (93) (5th in BCHL)
PPG: Basilico (4) (T-49th in BCHL)
PPA: Davidson/Schartz (6) (T-69th in BCHL)
SHG: None
