vees:blog

1, 2, 3, 4, DONE. Well, that was quick! The Vees certainly made short work of the Westside Warriors in the Interior Conference Finals, needing just 6 days to break out the brooms on their South Okanagan rivals.

The writing was on the wall in a sloppy Game 2 where the Vees surrendered more than their usual share of chance, but managed to eek out a 6-5 win in overtime. When the Warriors couldn’t beat a less than stellar Vees club on a rare off night from Alex Evin, you knew they were in trouble when the Penticton club tightened up their game. The short series was predictable; this broadcaster wasn’t the only person in attendance draped in black clothes, as the Westside Warriors were laid to rest.

In the Warriors defense, they weren’t the same club they were in mid-season due to the early February injury of highly touted goalie Nathan Lieuwen. The 16-year-old 6’5” Kootney Ice prospect was injured in early February and came into the series against the Vees with no momentum, no playing time in a month and a half, and a nice collection of goaltending rust – which more often than not shows itself in the form of rebounds and bad angles. The Vees took advantage, beating the Warriors’ “1b” puckstopper, Stephen Caple, with regularity (as they did in the regular season) in Games 1 and 3, while getting to a less than perfect Lieuwen in Games 2 and 4.

The silver lining for the Warriors is that beyond the crease, they should have a ton of talent return for next year, including likely to be drafted Justin Schultz. If the Warriors can dig up a goaltender for next year they’ll be right back in the mix at the top of the Interior Conference.

As for those Vees? They just keep getting better. After a hard-fought 2nd Round match-up against Vernon, the Club looked battle hardened and poised against the Warriors. They found a way to win Game 2, when perhaps they shouldn’t have, and that seems to be the markings of a good hockey club.

The depth shown by the Vees is astounding.The top three lines have been excellent offensively while the energy line has lived up to its billing on a regular basis. No matter who is in the line-up the Vees have looked strong upfront.

On the back end the three duos have been solid, with standout performances from all 6 rear-guards in Games 3 and 4.

In the crease, Alex Evin has been himself. That’s about as good as a Junior ‘A’ goalie can be, if you aren’t familiar with the gaudy numbers posted by the Castlegar product.

As the Vees prepare for the BCHL Championship, they have to feel they are in great shape: they are healthy, they are playing well, and they are enjoying an 8 day span where they will heal some bumps and bruises while the Coastal Conference Finalist are battling for the right to advance.

Fred Page Cup Tickets for Game 1 & 2 are on sale Monday – Friday, 9-5 at the Vees Ticket office in Memorial Arena and on the phone at (250) 493-8337.