Photo: Cherie Morgan
PENTICTON, B.C. – The Penticton Vees have a history of breaking record books over the years and they’re in the middle of rewriting history yet again.
When the Vees beat the Victoria Grizzlies 6-3 at the South Okanagan Events Centre (SOEC) on Saturday, November 18, it was their 50th consecutive win at home, which is a B.C. Hockey League record.
The previous BCHL record for an unbeaten streak at home was 42, set by the Surrey Eagles during the 1996-97 season. They went 28-0-2 (W-L-T) in the regular season and 12-0 in the BCHL Playoffs. The old franchise mark for most consecutive home wins was 38 (regular season & playoffs), set by the 1985-86 Penticton Knights.
The current home win streak started on April 1, 2022, when the Vees beat the Trail Smoke Eaters 5-1 in Game Two of their first round BCHL playoff series. Penticton lost the opening game of that series, 5-3, but went on to win 16-straight games to capture the first of back-to-back BCHL Fred Page Cup championships. The streak carried over into the 2022-23 season and the Vees kept winning. They went 26-0 at the SOEC in regular season and won all nine home playoff games. They repeated as BCHL champions last May when they swept the Alberni Valley Bulldogs in the league final.
How good have the Vees been on home ice? All-time, the Vees are 341-52-9-17-4 (W-L-T-OTL-SL) at the SOEC dating back to 2008. That’s .842 win percentage over the last 15 years. This season, Penticton is 8-0 at the SOEC and have outscored the opposition 49-20. The Vees are averaging just over six goals per game at home.
To put the Vees’ 50 consecutive home wins into perspective, here’s how they stack up to the four major pro sports records for longest home win streaks:
- NHL: 24 (Philadelphia Flyers 1975-76)
- NFL: 27 (Miami Dolphins 1971-74)
- MLB: 26 (New York Giants 1916)
- NBA: 54 (Golden State Warriors 2014-15)
The Vees home win streak will span 607 days or 1 year, seven months, and 28 days when they play their next home game on November 29th, coincidentally against the Smoke Eaters.
Penticton sits first overall in the BCHL with a 15-1-2-1 record entering this weekend’s action. The Vee haven’t lost in regulation since opening night, back on September 22nd, as they have collected points in 18-straight games.
