After a dramatic comeback Thursday, the Penticton Vees (42-6-1-0) continue their Island Division road trip tonight against the Nanaimo Clippers (33-16-1-1), in a rematch of last season’s Fred Page Cup Final.
The Vees were the buzz of the BCHL Friday, a morning after rallying from a 5-1 deficit, to beat the Grizzlies 7-5 at The Q Centre. The Vees scored a season-high five goals in the third period alone, picking up their third straight win and 11th in their last 13 games.
It was a milestone night for Scott Conway who not only scored his 50th goal of the season but also picked up his 100th point in the comeback win. Conway is the first player in 16-years in franchise history to reach the 50-goal plateau and the first in six seasons to reach 100 points.
Luke Voltin (2), Dixon Bowen, Mitch Brooks, Demico Hannoun and Owen Sillinger also scored for the Vees, who improved their record to 7-0-1-0 against Island teams this season. Anthony Brodeur started Thursday but Zach Driscoll came in relief after the fifth Grizzlies goal and picked up his 16th win.
Tonight is the second and final meeting between these two teams in the regular season, as the Vees scored a 3-2 double-overtime win back at the SOEC on November 7th; Demico Hannoun was the OT hero.
Nanaimo is well rested as they haven’t played since last Sunday afternoon, when they torched the Grizzlies for seven goals, in a 7-2 win on the road. The Clips’ have won three of their last five and six of their last eight; they have got points in seven of those eight games.
Nanaimo, who were runners-up to the Vees last year, are well on their way to securing the Island Division regular season pennant. The Clippers are 11 points ahead of second place Powell River and their magic number to clinch the division is 5.5 (nine points). After tonight they have just six games remaining on their schedule and all six are divisional games.
There’s plenty of story lines that are weaved throughout tonight’s game, including the fact it will feature the two top scorers in the BCHL and the league’s two 50-goal scorers in Conway and Nanaimo’s Sheldon Rempal. Up until this season the BCHL hadn’t had two 50-goal scorers since the 2007-2008 season, when Vernon’s Hunter Bishop and Burnaby’s Brodie Reid hit the mark.
This game also features the top five scorers in the league, with Rempal (103) leading the pack, followed by Conway (100), Tyson Jost (80), Nanaimo’s Matt Hoover (78) and Devin Brosseau (72). Factor in Gavin Gould (59), Yanni Kaldis (56), Easton Brodzinski (55) and Dante Fabbro (53), and this game has nine of the Top 20 scorers; three of the top four highest scoring defensemen too.
The Vees will go with the same line-up, as Anthony Brodeur will get the start again tonight after not finishing last night but that was a reflection on the men in front of him, rather his own performance. Brodeur is 24-1-1-0, with a 1.99 goals-against average and a .934 save percentage. He was the winning goalie when the Vees beat Nanaimo back on November 7th.
Nanaimo doesn’t have Guillaume Decelles anymore, as the hulking goalie has since graduated but Evan Johnson has done an admirable job in filling the void in net. After some musical chairs earlier in the season with their goaltending, Johnson, who came back from the WHL, has seized the job and has 18 wins this season, while owning a .906 save percentage.
Penticton hasn’t had a whole lot of success over the last few years in Nanaimo, as they’re just 1-1-0-2 in their last five trips in the regular season to Frank Crane Arena. Last year in the regular season, the Vees lost 3-2 in overtime and 2-0 in the BCHL round-robin, but won all three games in the Fred Page Cup Final on Nanaimo’s home ice.
