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Preview: Vees look for weekend sweep in Surrey

Penticton, BC: The Penticton Vees (17-7-1-2) just saw the Surrey Eagles (7-22-0-1) four nights ago and will try to sweep the three-game season series, as well as the weekend road trip tonight at 7:00.

Friday the Vees held off a late push by the Coquitlam Express in a 4-3 win. James Miller and Drew Elser scored just over two minutes apart in the first, chasing starting goalie Kolby Matthews 5:12 into the game.

After the Express tied the game early in the second, Cole Shepard scored on a breakaway to give Penticton a 3-2 lead after two periods. Miller added his second of the game in the third before Coquitlam scored a power-play goal with 4:43 remaining.

With the net empty for the Express, the Vees held on as Coquitlam poured on the pressure and hit the post with just seconds remaining. The win was Penticton’s fourth in a row, a season high.

When the Eagles were in Penticton Wednesday, the Vees were in full control right from puck drop, cruising to a 6-1 win. Massimo Rizzo, James Miller, Ryan Sandelin, David Silye and Cole Shepard all had a goal and an assist while Jack LaFontaine finished with 20 saves in net.

With the Vees win and Merritt’s overtime loss in Trail Friday, the Vees head into Saturday’s action in sole possession of first in the Interior Division. 

Penticton will look to extend Surrey’s home losing streak to 10 games Saturday night. Overall, Surrey has posted a 1-10-0-2 record at the South Surrey Arena.

Newly acquired defenceman Carson Kosobud has joined the team and is expected to make his Vees debut tonight.

Team Statistics

Leading Scorers

Penticton Vees

David Silye – 11G 25A 27GP

James Miller – 15G 19A 27GP

Eric Linell – 15G 16A 29GP

Surrey Eagles

Ty Westgard – 9G 24A 23GP

Corey Clifton – 4G 14A 29GP

Jeremy Smith 8G 8A 24GP

Special Teams

Penticton Vees

Power Play – 20.3 per cent (4th in BCHL)

Penalty Kill – 82.9 per cent (6th in BCHL)

Surrey Eagles

Power Play – 14.8 per cent (16th in BCHL)

Penalty Kill – 76.1 per cent (15th in BCHL)

Season Series

September 20, 2018 – Vees 4 vs Eagles 1 (Showcase) Boxscore

November 21, 2018 – Vees 6 vs Eagles 1 Boxscore

November 24, 2018 – Vees @ Eagles