vees:blog

The Penticton Vees have returned home with three of four points from a two game, three-day coastal road swing.

After suffering a 2-1 overtime setback in Powell River on Friday, the Vees beat Burnaby 3-1 in the lower mainland on Saturday to sweep their season series with the Express.

Rookie sensation Beau Bennett recorded his first BCHL hat trick, striking twice on the power play in the second period and once into an empty net to ice the game late in the third. Bennett now has 20 goals in just 24 games and trails just 20-year-olds Trevor Bailey (Westside) and Mitch MacMillan (Alberni Valley) in goals scored this season.

Denver Manderson had a pair of assists in the win, and now sits just 3 points back of Mark Zengerle with a game in hand for the BCHL lead in points.

The Vees penalty kill stood tall early in Burnaby as Luke Curadi was given a two-minute and five-minute penalty as well as a ten-minute misconduct for an altercation with former Vees pest Luke Challier in the first period. The Vees were short handed for seven minutes straight including two minutes down two-men when Matt Paltridge took a minor. The Vees ended up surrendering just a single goal on six Burnaby opportunities.

The Vees power play finished 2 for 8 with Bennett notching both goals scored while up a man. Burnaby got their lone goal on the power play in the first period as former Vees defender James Bettauer popped in his first of the season in just his second game of the year.

Joel Rumpel earned his tenth victory of the season on Saturday as he stopped 21 of 22 shots. The rookie net-minder has ten win and just two losses, a 2.01 GAA, and a .922 Save Percentage.

Absent from the line-up for the Vees was Bo Dolan, who will be out until the New Year with a lower body injury, and Sean Bonar who is recovering from the Swine Flu.

Next up for the Vees is a three game weekend that kicks off Friday with the Williams Lake Timberwolves in town. Saturday Prince George makes their first visit to the SOEC this season, and Sunday afternoon the Vees play in Trail in their maiden trip to Cominco Arena this season.

You can catch all the Vees action on Penticton’s Hockey Home EZ Rock AM 800, on MyEZRock.com or at the BCHL.ca Audio Scoreboard.