Penticton, BC: The Penticton Vees (37-16-3-2) clinched an eighth straight Interior Division title and Fred Harbinson won his 500th career BCHL game all in one as the Vees shutout the Salmon Arm Silverbacks (27-26-4-1) 4-0 Saturday night. T
The game started off with a bang as Andre Ghantous fired a shot from the right wing boards that caught Ethan Langenneger by surprise just 69 seconds into the game.
Off the next faceoff, Ty Pochipinski skated into the slot and beat Langenegger on the glove hand side just eight seconds later to extend the lead to 2-0.
Ryan Sandelin added another goal off a rebound eight minutes later as the Vees were up 3-0 less than 10 minutes into the first period.
The Silverbacks got back to back power plays during the remainder of the period, but Jack LaFontaine stood tall to keep Salmon Arm off the board through 20 minutes.
David Silye extended the lead to 4-0 with a great effort on the forecheck. After stealing the puck away from Matthew Verboon at the Salmon Arm blue line, Silye skated to the right circle and beat Langenegger under the glove for a shorthanded goal.
LaFontaine shut the door for the rest of the game, recording his third shutout of the season with 23 saves.
The win was the 500th regular season victory for Fred Harbinson in 12 seasons at the helm of the Penticton Vees, joining Harvey Smyl, Kent Lewis and Bill Bestwick as the only coaches to win at least 500 in BCHL history.
The win will also hang another banner as the SOEC as the Vees clinched the division for the eighth straight year, extending their own league record.
Penticton will host the Cowichan Valley Capitals for game one at the SOEC Thursday night at 7:00.
Announced attendance was 3,488.
