Penticton Vees
President, General Manager & Head Coach: Fred Harbinson
2024-25 Record: GP 37 29-6-2-0, 60 pts (1st, Interior Conference)
Last Game: 6-1 win vs. Cowichan Valley Capitals
Home: 14-1-2-0
Away: 15-5-0-0
GF: 143
GA: 92
Power Play: (27/115) 23.5% 8th BCHL
Penalty Kill: (21/99) 78.8% 9th BCHL
Scoring Leader: Luke Posthumus (21-16-37)
The Penticton Vees (29-6-2-0) extended their win streak to six games on Friday, with their 6-1 victory over the visiting Cowichan Valley Capitals at the South Okanagan Events Centre (SOEC).
With the win, Penticton also extended their point streak to 16 games (14-0-2-0), as they have not lost in regulation since November 22nd. The Vees enter Saturday’s game five points ahead of the Trail Smoke Eaters for top spot in the Interior Conference.
Tonight, is the fourth and final meeting in the regular season between the Vees and Brooks Bandits. Just under a week ago, Penticton grinded out a 2-1 win over the Bandits in Alberta. Nolan Stevenson and Luke Posthumus scored for the Vees. A win tonight and the Vees would earn a split in the four-game season series.
In last night’s win over Cowichan Valley, Max Heise recorded his second hat-trick of the season and third of his career. His line combined for eight points, as Eli McKamey had three points (1G, 2A) and Caton Ryan had a pair of assists. Anselmo Rego and Luke Posthumus also scored. Will Ingemann was very sharp in goal, as he stopped 20 of 21 shots.
Only lineup change for the Vees is in goal, as 20-year-old Ethan Buenaventura gets the start. The Winnipeg, MB, product is 8-0-1-0 in nine starts and owns a 1.85 goals-against average and .917 save percentage. He picked up the win against Brooks last Friday.
The Vees are missing forward Ben Merrill and defencemen Landen Hilditch and Callum Stone due to injury. Merrill and Stone could play next weekend against Vernon and Trail. Hilditch is still recovering from an upper body injury he sustained in November.
Brooks Bandits
Season Series:
September 27, Penticton 1 @ Brooks 4
November 2, Brooks 6 @ Penticton 2
January 24, Penticton 2 @ Brooks 1
January 31, Brooks @ Penticton
General Manager & Head Coach: Ryan Papaioannou
2024-25 Record: GP 35, 26-7-0-2, 54 PTS
Last Game: 5-2 Win vs Spruce Grove, January 25th
Home: 13-4-0-1
Away: 13-3-0-1
GF: 150
GA: 72
Power Play: 38/157 (24.2%, 5th in BCHL)
Penalty Kill: 16/127 (87.4%, 1st in BCHL)
Scoring Leader: Nathan Free (22-24-47)
For the second time in eight days the Brooks Bandits and the Penticton Vees will do battle Saturday night, this time in Penticton for the fourth and final meeting of the season. Brooks won the first two, with Penticton picking up the victory in the latest contest on January 24th. Brooks will begin their weekend in the Shuswap with a stop in Salmon Arm Friday night before their arrival at the SOEC on Saturday.
Brooks comes into the weekend on the back of a 5-2 win last Saturday night against the Spruce Grove Saints. Still without top talent Nick Peluso, the Bandits did get Matej Tepley and Davide Patella back from suspensions Saturday night to fill a roster that looks different now than it did the last time Brooks visited the SOEC on November 2nd.
While different, the Bandits remain one of the top three teams in the BCHL along with Penticton and Trail. While still awaiting the first meeting of the season with the two teams at full roster strength, Penticton and Brooks played a tight, thrilling hockey game last weekend in Brooks. The two put their best foot forward in a playoff like setting and went toe-to-toe in a game that was scoreless through two periods.
With two new goaltenders settling into the BCHL, the Bandits have had to weather the storm with roster changes, injuries and suspensions since the holiday break in December. Zach Zahara and Chris Quizi have come together quickly to form a brand new goaltending tandem for the Bandits, splitting starts since the arrival of Zahara from the Medicine Hat Tigers on January 10th. The 19-year-old from Rockyview, AB arrives to Brooks with nearly 50 games of WHL experience under his belt split between the Tigers and the Wenatchee Wild over the past four seasons. He was the goaltender of record last Friday against Penticton, but it figures to be Quizi’s turn in the rotation this coming Saturday when Brooks comes to the SOEC for the final regular season meeting with the Vees.
