By: Tim Hogg, Vees Digital Media Coordinator, Broadcaster
Penticton Vees
President, General Manager & Head Coach: Fred Harbinson
2024-25 Record: GP 39 30-6-3-0, 63 PTS (1st, Interior Conference)
Last Game: 3-2 overtime loss vs. Trail Smoke Eaters (Feb. 7)
Home: 15-1-3-0
Away: 15-5-0-0
GF: 151
GA: 96
Power Play: (29/121) 24% 7th BCHL
Penalty Kill: (21/108) 80.0% 6th BCHL
Scoring Leader: Ryden Evers (16-23-39)
The Penticton Vees had were less than a second away from their seventh-straight win on Friday, but had to settle for just a single point, in a 3-2 overtime loss to the Vernon Vipers at the SOEC. The Vees were up 2-0 with less than four minutes to go in regulation, before the Vipers scored twice, including Will Schumacher’s game-tying goal with just 0.2 seconds left on the clock. Vernon’s Tyson Zimmer ended the game 45 seconds into three-on-three overtime, stunning the over 4,300 fans in attendance on Pink the Rink night.
The line of Tristan Petersen, Ryden Evers, and Simon Meier did all the scoring, as they had both goals and a combined six points. Petersen scored late in the second and Meier scored early in the third, as the Vees were up 2-0 and looking well on their way to their seventh straight win. Will Ingemann was very sharp in net, despite the loss, as he stopped 16 of 19 shots.
How rare was Friday’s late game collapse? The Vees were 20-0-0-0 when leading after two periods going into Friday’s game. Vernon was 0-15-1-0 when trailing going into the third period.
Penticton looks like they will get some good news upfront as forward Luke Posthumus will be a game-time decision. He will make the trip to Trail after missing Friday’s game with an illness. Posthumus is on a nine-game point streak (9-5-14) heading into Friday night and has collected points in 15 of his last 16 games. He’s been a goal per-game contributor (16-6-22) in those 16 games dating back to November 28th, in Langley to start an Coastal Conference road trip.
The Vees are still missing defenceman Zach Nyman (lower-body) and forward Anselmo Rego (upper-body). Nyman is likely to play next weekend, but Rego is sidelined until late March after sustaining an injury February 7th against Brooks.
Ethan Buenaventura gets the start tonight. The 20-year-old has won nine of his 10 starts and has yet to lose in regulation. Buenaventura has .921 save percentage and 1.77 goals-against average. He won his first start with the Vees, against Trail, back on November 16th at Cominco Arena.
A great challenge for the Vees tonight, as the Smoke Eaters have won 12 in a row, yes 12, and own the BCHL’s top home record at 16-3-0-0. Trail has won nine straight games at Cominco Arena. Their last home loss? November 16th against the Vees.
Trail Smoke Eaters
Season Series:
October 25th, Penticton 1 at Trail 4
November 11th, Trail 3 at Penticton 7
November 16th, Penticton 4 at Trail 1
January 4th, Trail 3 at Penticton 2 (OT)
February 8th, Penticton at Trail
February 14th, Trail at Penticton
General Manager & Head Coach: Tim Fragle
2024-25 Record: GP 39, 28-8-2-1, 59 pts (2nd, Interior Conference)
Last Game: 7-4 win vs. Sherwood Park (Feb. 7)
Home: 16-3-0-0
Away: 12-5-2-1
GF: 173
GA: 113
Power Play: 26/120 (21.7%, 12th in BCHL)
Penalty Kill: 22/133 (83.5%, 3rd in BCHL)
Scoring Leader: Jason Stefanek (22-23-47)
All of a sudden and seemingly very quietly outside of the city of Trail, the Smoke Eaters have put together quite the trio of months in November, December and January. They’ve gone win for win with Penticton, winning 12 straight games and collecting points in 18 of 19 since a visit to the SOEC on November 16th. The stretch has catapulted Tim Fragle’s team to second in the BCHL standings behind only Penticton, whom they trail by four points.
Not only are they winning games but scoring goals by the boat load in the process. They’ve scored five or more goals in a game 11 times in those 18 contests and are firing on all cylinders entering play this weekend when they host Sherwood Park on Friday and the Vees on Saturday night.
The friendly confines of Cominco Arena have been beneficial to the Smoke Eaters, boasting an old-style feel and a great atmosphere thanks to a revitalized fan base, the old barn in downtown Trail has become extremely difficult for opposing teams to play in for the first time in many years. Thanks to the work of the team’s owners, Rich Murphy and family, the facilities got a major upgrade over the past three seasons making it much more friendly both for the fans and for the players who call it home during the season.
Both Murphy and the long-time fans of the team have been rewarded this season, watching their team go an impressive 15-3-0-0 through their first 18 home games of the season. In those 18 games the Smokies have scored 5 or more goals 11 times and have amassed an impressive +44 goal differential.
Laden with veteran talent throughout their lineup, the orange and black clad Smokies waltz into the weekend with as much confidence as they could have. A potent offense with a plethora of weapons up front, rock solid defenders and the league’s best goaltender by the numbers among qualified goalies proves extremely difficult for the opposition to crack. They arrive with swagger that they’ve earned in full over the past three months and are on the charge to the BCHL Playoffs with home ice advantage and even first overall in the standings well within their sights.
