Where: SOEC
When: 7pm
Who: Vees vs. Smoke Eaters
On a night the Penticton Vees (20-7-1-3) plan to giveaway a car, there’s no intention of giving away two points. The Vees meet the Trail Smoke Eaters (7-23-2-1) for the third time this season and for the first time at the SOEC this season; puck drop is 7pm.
The Vees took the first two games of the seven-game season series back in September, sweeping a weekend set in Trail, and outscored the Smokies 12-1 in the process. Max Coatta registered a hat-trick and Hunter Miska picked up his first BCHL shutout, highlighting the weekend series in the West Kootenays.
Penticton is riding high, as they’ve won four in a row and will be looking to push their win streak to a season-best five games tonight. The Vees rolled over the Surrey Eagles 7-1 on Saturday, as six different Vees hit the scoresheet, including Captain Brad McClure who scored twice and finished with a game-high three points. McClure is just one goal and five points back of Salmon Arm’s Landon Smith for top spot in the BCHL scoring race. McClure is also on a six-game point streak, in which he has nine goals and 14 point points; the streak dates back to November 26th. Brett Beauvais is also on a bit of a tear, as the rear-guard has goals in five straight games and points in six.
Hunter Miska will get the nod in goal and has won three of his last four starts and his last two. Miska helped the Vees two a pair of wins last week over the Merritt Centennials in a home-and-home set. Miska’s only shutout came against Trail back on September 14th, when stopped all 32 shots in a 7-0 win at Cominco Arena. Cam Amantea and Josh Blanchard are still side-lined due to injury but the Vees welcome back Travis Blanleil, as he’s done serving his two-game ban. To help fill the void upfront, the Vees have also called-up Kienan Scott from the Summerland Steam; he’ll wear number 23.
The Trail Smoke Eaters have had their fair share of struggles in the past two months. Since they last played the Vees, the Smokes have departed with 11 players and their Head Coach Bill Birks. The new bench boss is Nick Dechenes, who came up from the Grand Forks Border Bruins of the KIJHL; eight other new faces dot the Smokies roster. There have been some growing pains for this young group, as the Smokies have lost seven in a row and eight of their last 10.
Their struggles can be somewhat misleading, as the Smokies have been involved in eight one-goal games in their last nine outings. It's a young team, with eleven 18-year-olds, two 17-year-olds and just three 20-year-olds. One of their 20-year-olds, Travis Stephens, leads the team with nine goals.
Tickets are just $5 and beer is just $2.50 at tonight's game, which is sponsored by Morpheus Graphics, Smartshopper and Market Place IGA. Also, the Vees will be raffling off a 2002 Pontiac Aztek for just $2, courtesy of Michelle Jamieson of Royal LePage.
