Venue: SOEC, Penticton
Game Time: 6pm
Radio: EZ Rock AM 800
Webcast: Fasthockey Pay-Per-View
It all comes down to this. Game Seven between the Penticton Vees and Vernon Vipers at the SOEC, to decide the Interior Division Champion. The Vees staved off elimination Friday at Kal-Tire Place, shutting out the Vipers 2-0 in front of a packed house.
Jarrod Hilderman scored the eventual game-winning goal just four minutes into the first period and Brad McClure sealed the victory with an empty-net goal with one minute left in the third period. Between those two tallies, Oliver Mantha and the Vees defense was terrific, as they shut down the Vipers attack. Mantha made 28 saves for his second shutout of the playoffs, highlighted by a 14-save second period.
Friday was the only second time in this series, in which the team that scored first actually won; the two were a combined 1-4 through five games. Also the road team is now 4-2 in this series, as the Vees and Vipers have won two of three on the road.
Brad McClure spear-headed the offense last night, finishing with two points, as he had the only assist on Hilderman’s goal and had the empty-netter in the third. McClure still leads the BCHL in playoff scoring, with nine goals and 18 points, and now has four goals and 10 points in this series.
No official confirmation on the Vees line-up but you would assume they’ll be icing the same line-up as game six. Oliver Mantha, after a 28-save shutout is your probable starter and now has a very sound .921 save percentage in the post-season.
The last time these two rivals played a game seven was six years ago, in the second round of the 2008 BCHL playoffs. The Vees, on the strength of two goals by Denver Manderson, scored a 5-2 win at Memorial Arena in front of over 21 hundred fans. Vees Assistant Coach, Michael Hengen, was patrolling the blue-line for the Vees that season, as a 20-year-old defenseman.
Vernon can take comfort in the fact they’ve won two of three games at the SOEC in this series thus far, including a 3-2 come –from-behind victory in game five on Thursday.
If the Vees were to win tonight, they would capture their third consecutive Interior Division Championship and fourth in the last seven years.
