Round Two Preview: Vees, Vipers renew playoff rivalry

BROADCAST INFORMATION

Game Time: 7:00 pm PST

Location: South Okanagan Events Centre

Radio: Bounce 800 AM

Webcast: Flo Hockey 

Penticton Vees

GM & Head Coach: Fred Harbinson

Regular Season Record : GP 54 | 38-10-3-3, 1^st in the Interior Conference

Playoff Record: 4-0-0

Last Series: 4-0 Series Win vs. Prince George

Home:  2-0-0-0

Away: 2-0-0-0

GF: 12

GA: 4

Power Play: (1/8) 12.5%

Penalty Kill: (8/10) 80%

Scoring Leaders: Callum Arnott | Anselmo Rego | Zack Stringer (2-1-3)

The Vees get set for the second round of the Rogers BCHL Playoffs this week after dispatching the Prince George Spruce Kings in four-straight in Round One. After winning the first two games 3-0, Penticton battled out a pair of 3-2 wins in Prince George to take the series and earn a sweep of the stingy Spruce Kings in a hard-fought set up north.

With the Interior Conference Semi-Final set to begin on Friday, Penticton turns its attention to its oldest rival, the Vernon Vipers. It will be the first time the two have faced one another in the playoffs since 2017, a series that Penticton won in seven games on their way to a Fred Page Cup Championship. These two teams faced one another in the BCHL Playoffs in four-straight seasons, from 2013 to 2017. Overall, this is the 25^th series between these wo rivals, dating back to 1966. Each team has won 12 times.

As for the regular season, the Vees were undefeated in regulation against Vernon, going 4-0-0-1 in five games. Penticton’s only loss to Vernon was in a shootout in November. The powerplay was a big factor during the season series, scoring at least once in all five contests and going 6-for-16 (37.5%).

In typical fashion for Penticton, the goaltending duties were split in the season series with the Vipers and will likely continue that way in this series. Will Ingemann started twice against Vernon, while Andrew Ness played the final three games of the series. Ness was outstanding against Vernon, winning all three starts and allowing just three goals on 71 shots. He also posted one shutout.

James Fisher led the way in scoring up front during the season series, collecting seven points (3-4-7) in five meetings, including a hat-trick on October 27^th.

Vernon Vipers

Assistant Coaches: Colton Sparrow, Lukas Lomicky

Regular Season Record: GP 54 | 33-19-2-0, 4^th in the Interior Conference

Playoff Record: 4-1-0

Last Series: 4-1 Series Win Vs Trail

Home: 2-1-0-0

Away: 1-1-0-0

GF: 20

GA: 10

Power Play: 4/14 28.6%

Penalty Kill: 13/17 76.5%

Scoring Leader: Owen Kim (4-3-7)

Vernon, the last BCHL franchise to win three consecutive Fred Page Cup titles (2009-2011), now stands in the way of the Vees trying to do the same. They do so with a new coaching tandem behind the bench as a late season change saw them mutually part ways with Head Coach and GM Jason McKee. Lukas Lomicky, and former Viper Colton Sparrow, both assistants under McKee, remained with the club and assumed coaching duties in mid-March. The Vipers won five of the six remaining regular season games after the coaching change and took care of the Trail Smoke Eaters in five games in the opening round of the playoffs.

Vernon scored 20 goals in those five games against the Smokies, including a 6-2 statement win in Game Five to close out the series. Suddenly, they’ve won 10 of their last 12 games going back to the regular season and roll into the Interior Conference Semi-Final with the hot hand.

Hank Cleaves led the Vipers in scoring during the regular season with 51 points (15-36-51), while Isaac Tremblay led them in goals with 23. Tremblay also led the Vipers in the season series with the Vees, collecting three points (2-1-3) in five regular season meetings. One thing Vernon will surely look to improve upon is their power play numbers from the season series, where they went just 1-for-11 against the Vees’ penalty kill in five games.

Expect a heavy dose of Ethan David in the Vipers’ crease throughout the series, as the 20-year-old from Vancouver did the heavy lifting in Vernon’s series win over Trail. He started all five games, posted one shutout and.944% save percentage. David was the goaltender of record in three of five regular season contests against the Vees, with Colin Reay played the other two games.

Game One gets underway Friday night at 7:00 pm at the South Okanagan Events Centre in Penticton. Tickets are available at the Valley First Box Office at the SOEC. For group tickets please contact Vees’ Director of Ticketing, Amanda Lysohirka, at 250-493-8337 or by email at amanda@pentictonvees.ca.