Arena: Kal-Tire Place, Vernon
Game Time: 7pm
Radio: EZ Rock AM 800
Watch: Fasthockey Pay-Per-View
The Penticton Vees (34-15-2-4) travel to Vernon to face the Vipers (29-16-4-6) tonight and are looking to run the table on their schedule this week. The Vees have won the first two of three games that are on their schedule this week, including Friday’s 4-2 come-from-behind win over the Trail Smoke Eaters.
Down two goals to start the third period, the Vees scored four unanswered en route to their second consecutive win. Brett Beauvais scored twice in the third, including the game-winner on the power-play, and the Vees also got goals from Erik Benoit and Cody DePourcq (power-play). The Vees scored three of their four goals in a 1:58 span, starting with Beauvais’ wrap-around goal at 3:16. 20 seconds later it was Benoit charging the net and forcing a back-hand past Trail’s Dustin Nikkel. Beauvais capped up the flurry with his second, on the power-play, at 5:14.
After a scoreless first period, Trail’s Scott Davidson opening the scoring 10:52 into the second with a power-play goal. His line-mate Jesse Knowler doubled the Smoke Eaters lead 1:25 later, when his wrist-shot from well out eluded Hunter Miska’s blocker.
Tonight the Vees will be seeking some revenge on the Vipers, who handed the Vees a home-ice loss eight days ago. Last Friday, Michael McNicholas and Dexter Dancs scored for the Vipers, as they edged the Vees 2-1 at the SOEC. Dancs scored the game-winner on a penalty-shot just shy of the seven-minute mark of the third period. McNicholas tied the game midway through the second, after Patrick Sexton opened the scoring for the Vees just 17 seconds into the game.
This is the seventh and final meeting between these two in the regular season, with the Vees holding a 4-2 advantage through six games. The Vees last trip to Vernon produced a 6-1 win back on January 24th. Cody DePourcq scored twice in that game and Erik Benoit, Josh Blanchard, Jarod Hilderman and Shane McColgan also found the back of the net.
Olivier Mantha will get the start in goal tonight and is 16-8-0 on the season, with a 2.21 goals-against average, while maintaining a .915 save percentage. Mantha was brilliant in the Vees last trip to Vernon, stopping 31 of 32 shots, including all 13 in a first period surge by Vernon.
Travis Blanleil will once again sit out for the Vees, as the forward recovers from a lower-body injury, and once again it’s either Cam Amantea or Josh Blanchard filling his spot in the line-up.
The Vipers seem to be peaking at the right time, as they’ve won four in a row, including their last two coming in overtime. Friday, they erased a two-goal first period deficit against Salmon Arm, winning 3-2 in the extra frame, courtesy of TJ Dumonceaux’s game-winner three minutes into the four-on-four period.
That win clinched the Vipers their first playoff spot in three seasons, as they last made the BCHL Fred Page Cup playoffs in 2011. Vernon sits in third spot in the Interior Division with 68 points, seven up on the fourth place Merritt Centennials. Vernon is only four points back of West Kelowna for second and home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
The Vees are 20-9-1-2 against their own division and after tonight meet the Salmon Arm Silverbacks in a home-and-home series next weekend to conclude the regular season portion of their BCHL schedule.
