Penticton, BC: The Penticton Vees (20-10-1-2) are coming off a tough two games against the Wenatchee Wild last weekend, and are looking to rebound against a team they’re 3-0 against this season, the Trail Smoke Eaters (12-17-5-2).
Saturday the Vees found themselves down 3-0 at the 10:48 mark of the first period against Wenatchee before battling back to eventually tie the game at three.
Eric Linell scored late in the first, to claim bragging rights for the annual teddy bear toss goal, before Ryan Sandelin deflected in a shot from James Miller in the second to make it 3-2 after two.
Sandelin then scored his second of the night with 8:37 remaining in regulation, before the Wild would regain the lead with a shot that deflected off the stick of Kenny Johnson and over Jack LaFontaine with four minutes left. That goal stood as the deciding one as the Vees lost 4-3.
The Smoke Eaters were last in action Wednesday night when the hosted the Vernon Vipers to Cominco Arena. After fighting back from a 2-0 deficit following the first period, the Smoke Eaters couldn’t cap off the comeback as Vernon scored 1:04 into overtime.
The loss was Trail’s eighth in their last 10 games as they continue to fight for traction in the ultra-competitive Interior Division. Despite playing as many as three more games than every other team in the division, the Smoke Eaters still find themselves in seventh place with 31 points.
This weekend is the second home-and-home series between the Vees and Smoke Eaters in the past two weeks. November 30 Penticton took a 7-4 win on the road before a 3-2 win on home ice the following night.
The Vees lineup for the weekend will still be as shorthanded as it was against Wenatchee, as three players are still off at the World Junior ‘A’ Challenge in Bonnyville, Alberta and Lukas Sillinger has two games remaining on his suspension.
Team Statistics
Leading Scorers
Penticton Vees
James Miller – 15G 28A 33GP
Eric Linell – 20G 20A 35GP
David Silye – 13G 27A 31GP
Trail Smoke Eaters
Carter Jones – 10G 19A 36GP
Chase Stevenson – 13G 15A 35GP
Braeden Tuck – 10G 17A 36GP
Special Teams
Penticton Vees
Power Play – 20..6 per cent (4th in BCHL)
Penalty Kill – 82.6 per cent (6th in BCHL)
Trail Smoke Eaters
Power Play – 19.0 per cent (10th in BCHL)
Penalty Kill – 75.8 per cent (16th in BCHL)
Season Series
November 10, 2018 – Vees 4 vs Smoke Eaters 3 OT Boxscore
November 30, 2018 – Vees 7 @ Smoke Eaters 4 Boxscore
December 1, 2018 – Vees 3 vs Smoke Eaters 2 Boxscore
December 14, 2018 – Vees vs Smoke Eaters
December 15, 2018 – Vees @ Smoke Eaters
February 13, 2019 – Vees @ Smoke Eaters
