Murray is back in studio as we are posed with the dilemma of what to do on the heels of two losses to the Westside Warriors. The Vees had won 10-in-a-row heading into Friday’s action and have now lost two straight for the first time this season.
Baseball enthusiast and Salmon Arm Silverback voice Patrick Haas helps us tee up Wednesday’s tilt between the Vees and ‘backs, and pumps the tires of Jason Bay.
Also on the program we hear from Westside Warriors Prez/GM/Managing Partner (read: CZAR) Gary Gelinas on desparity between rich and poor in the BCHL, a new chapter in the history of the Warriors, and the growing South Okanagan rivalry.
The staples (Interior Conference Power Rankings, Murray’s Answering Machine & Highlights) are also in the mix, as well as some great news for Joey Holka and Logan Johnston and the usual tomfoolery.
It’s our last show for a couple weeks, so get your fill of Vees chatter before a brief hiatus.
After suffering just their 3rd regulation loss of the season, the Penticton Vees won’t have any issues identifying why they ended up losing 5-4 last night in Penticton. On the flip-side of the coin, the blue, black and white know exactly where they’ll need to be better if they want a road win tonight.
1) A Slow Start: The Vees had just 3 shots in the first period last night and while they did have possession in the Westside end, they did not make an emphasis of putting the puck on net in the first period. When the Vees were getting pucks to the net later in the game, they were great. In the final 40 minutes they out-shot the 34 to 18 and looked like a hungrier hockey team than they did in the first.
2) The Goaltending Battle: No doubt that Kevin Jebson was the better ‘tender last night at the SOEC. Sean Bonar’s 2009/2010 season has been dazzling, but he’d be the first to tell you last night he wasn’t sharp. Sean’s status as the Vees #1 and a candidate for Top Goalie in the BCHL haven’t changed since last night’s game, and I expect Fred Harbinson to go right back with ‘Bones’ tonight. If the Bonar can out-duel Jebson, it’s tough to see the Vees losing this game.
3) Top Line Battle: As good as the Vees top line was at time last night they were outscored 4-1 at even strength. Shutdown Bailey’s line and the Vees are in good shape. They couldn’t do it last night at home with last change. Can they do it tonight with Darren Yopyk getting to match lines?
HOLKA ON (ST.) CLOUD 9
19-year-old forward Joey Holka has committed to St. Cloud State for the 2011/2012 season. File this under ‘win-win-win situtation’ Joey gets a scholly to a fantastic NCAA hockey program in a state that lives and breathes hockey (Minnesota), the Vees get to keep Joey for next season where he’ll be a monster in the BCHL as a 20-year-old power forward, and St. Cloud State gets a player they now will be ready for the WCHA when he arrives (they also know the coach fairly well).
Heading into training camp I had no idea what Joey’s role would be withe the club. After a fantastic off-season in Phoenix he’s without question the most improved Vees player from last season. Congrats to Joey.
LOCAL LOGAN
The man who smiles when he fights has been given a letter by the Vees. Pentictonite Logan Johnston was named ‘A’lternate Captain of the Vees on Wednesday immediately after Adam Zamec’s departure.
Logan is a character guy who has always been tough and defended team-mates, but is now an integral part of the team’s success. A PK specialist, shutdown forward, and a bone-rattling power forward; Logan has also added an offensive touch this season (7-9-16).
Johnston (the 2nd) is a great choice for an alternate captain, and a player the city of Penticton should be very proud of.
Sean Bonar was named tournament MVP after standing on his head in the gold medal game, making 34 saves on 34 shots. Bonar - who is committed to Princeton - was also named Canada West player of the game for the second time in the tournament.
Coming home to the Okanagan with gold is Beau Bennett, the leading rookie scorer of the BCHL this season. Beau was the only non-USHL player on the American roster and compiled 3 goals and 4 points in 5 games played (not to mention a pair of posts in Sunday’s gold medal game). Having visited Denver and Colorado earlier in the season, Beau seems to have narrowed his decision on an NCAA club down to two.
Joey LaLeggia was his productive self as the tournament contributing 4 assists over 5 games from Canada West’s blue-line. The 17-year-old Burnaby product is committed to New Hampshire, and was the Captain of the Vancouver Major Midget Giants last year.
The trio will return home with medals around their necks (and perhaps bags under their eyes) after a long day of travel from the Maritimes later this afternoon (there is a 4-hour time change). Coach Harbinson has stated he wants to meet with each of them before deciding their status for Wednesday’s game.
Just three teams remain in the hunt for gold at the world Jr A Challenge in Summerside, PEI.
Beau Bennett scored this morning against Russia
The defending champions from the USA are through to the gold medal game after hopping out to a commanding 4-0 lead on the way to a 6-3 victory over the Russians earlier today.
Beau Bennett had a goal in the third period for the American side.
Sean Bonar stretches to make a stop for Canada West
In an all Canadian match-up this afternoon (3PM PST), East will be pitted against West with a trip to the gold medal game on the line. Canada East has been perfect since the puck dropped in exhibition, while Canada West is rounding into form having outscored their opponents 13-6 in back-to-back wins over Sweden and Belarus.
Joey LaLeggia (4 assists) and Beau Bennett (3 goals, 1 assist) each have 4 points and sit in the top 10 in tournament scoring, while Sean Bonar is tied for the tournament lead with a pair of wins. Bonar has a save percentage of .897 and a goals against average of 2.68.
***UPDATE***
Team Canada West plastered Team Canada East 9-1… Ugly. So it will be the match-up featuring all three Vees in the gold medal game as Beau Bennett and Team USA will face Joey LaLeggia, Sean Bonar and Team Canada West.
VEES vs. LANGLEY
For the third time in two seasons, the Langley Chiefs will see the Penticton Vees without their best players. Last season the Chiefs beat a Vees club that was missing Brodie Reid, Curtis McKenzie and Denver Manderson in in their only meeting of the season, while this season’s home-and-home today and tomorrow will be missing Vees puck stopper Sean Bonar, D-man Joey LaLeggia, and super-rook Beau Bennett. Also, out for the Vees is Bruins draft pick Ben Sexton who suffered an upper body injury in Alberni on October 25th.
The last time the Vees played the Chiefs outside of the WJAC, was back in 2007 when the team got in an accident on the way to the rink, delayed the start of the game and then promptly shellacked the home side in one of their most thorough efforts of that championship season.
A player to watch tonight for the Chiefs is rookie defender Tim Daly. The 18-year-old 17-year-old is one of just five BCHL players on the NHL Watch List (a list of draft eligible prospects that NHL Central Scouting throws together every Fall). Also, Daly has just committed to St. Cloud State of the WCHA (NCAA), where Fred Harbinson served as assistant coach before arriving the Okanagan.
Jake Johnson has been especially productive for the Vees since arriving from the Sioux City Muskateers of the USHL. The 20-year-old from Minnesota has 9 points in 8 games with the Vees and will be looking to extend his point streak to 8 games tonight.
Langley has been lurking in the weeds in the Coastal Conference, quietly putting together a tidy winning percentage of .650 with teams like Powell River and Surrey getting all the limelight and attention. The Chiefs have a sparkling 6-2-1-0 record at their new rink - The Langley Events Centre, while the Vees are the BCHL’s best on home ice having gone 8-0-0-1 at the SOEC.
Here’s a sneak-peek at Langley’s barn courtesy of broadcaster/blogger/funny-man Evan Hammond of the Alberni Valley Bulldogs.
Pre-game broadcast starts at 6:45 with Al Formo and myself on EZ Rock in the South Okanagan and Similkameen, MyEZRock.com, the BCHL.ca Audio Scoreboard, and the BCHL Pay-Per-View.
One third of the way into the 2009/2010 campaign, the Penticton Vees are on pace for their highest output since being renamed the Vees in 2004.
The Vees wait on the bench for another flood at practice
In fact since junior hockey arrived in Penticton in the 1961 no team has never eclipsed 100 points, though through a third of the season the Vees are ahead of that mystical century mark as 17-2-0-1 is a pace for a 105 point season. While that is just a projection, there are reasons to believe that maybe, just maybe, the Vees can continue to roll at their current pace.
For budding historians in the crowd 52 wins is the BCHL record set by the New Westminster Royals in 89-90 and the Vernon Vipers of 98-99. That New-West club also had 108 points, which stands as the BCHL record. The Royals beat Fred Harbinson (the player) and the Calgary Canucks that year in the Doyle Cup… Crazy.
Clearly this club is deep and talented. Clearly they are among the best teams in Junior ‘A’ in Canada. Clearly there are players who will be selected in the NHL Entry Draft this coming June in LA (Beau Bennett, Luke Curadi, Joey LaLeggia, Sean Bonar, and Isaac MacLeod are on scouting radars). The rest is still to be determined.
With the first 20 games in the history books, let’s pour a scotch, light the fireplace, and take a closer look at how the season has gone to this point. (more…)
The Vees have signed USHL forward Jake Johnson (89) to join the club. Jake represents the Vees last import and 20-year-old spot on the roster, as each BCHL team can carry six 20’s and 8 imports.
Where Johnson fits into the Vees picture is yet to be seen. Johnson arrived in Penticton today and skated with the club in their pre-game ice-time.
ANOTHER COLLEGE COMMITMENT
Late cut from training camp F - Steve Iacobellis (93) - who captains the Vancouver Major Midget Giants - has accepted a scholarship to the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Iacobellis joins fellow 16-year-old Stephan Nicholishin as a future Maverick.
“We are very excited for Steven, he can now focus on playing the game knowing where he will be for the next six years of his career. I look forward to helping develop Steven over the next two seasons”
~ Vees Head Coach and GM Fred Harbinson
The Vees have 8 players committed to NCAA programs on their roster not including Iacobellis who is a safe bet to join this Vees club next season.
VEES VS. COWICHAN VALLEY CAPITALS
- The Cowichan Valley Capitals arrive in the Okanagan today as one of the youngest teams in the BCHL. The Caps are carrying just three 20-year-old, and have 4 players who are 16 or 17 years of age.
- The Caps are averaging a league worst 2.9 goals per game played, and have no players with over 3 goals. The Vees by contrast have seven.
- The Vees have now killed off 11 straight penalties dating back to their loss in Merritt last Tuesday.
- Lost amid his torrid scoring pace is Denver Manderson’s 11 game point streak. The Vees captain has recorded at least a point in each game of the season. Quietly, rookie forward Alex Szczechura has recorded point in each of his last 7 games.
- Adam Zamec will make his season debut tonight for the Vees. The alternate captain has been out recovering from off-season injury, but has been skating with the club for a few weeks now. Zamec will play with Hayden Trupp and Stephan Nicholishin on the 4th line.
- Puck drop is 7:05 from the South Okanagan Events Centre. Catch the broadcast of the game at 6:45 with Chad Campbell (who is pinch hitting for Al Formo) and myself on EZ Rock, at BCHL.ca or at myezrock.com
* Isaac MacLeod has watched all the scrimmages in training camp from the stands as a minor Summer injury has him on the shelf and out of contact for the short term.
I caught up with the 6′5 200 lbs. D-man this morning to discuss his decision to commit to the Boston College Eagles. See below for the interview.
Monday Scrimmage #1 - Team Orange & Team White tie 7-7 (what no shootout??!)
* Game was 2-1 after two periods, ironically the goals piled up while the ice was in it’s worst shape of the day, as the sheet was flooded after the first frame but not the second.
* Three goalies are in camp. Faust and Rumpel are battling to back up Bonar, who finished his rookie season on the upswing.
* Big Luke Curadi had all in attendance talking, and why not. It’s rare a 6′5, 258 pound defender shows up in the BCHL and his mobility seems to surprise. Curadi, who attended Rangers prospect camp, has only played three years as a defender and is looking to improve his positional play before graduating to college hockey.
* Beau Bennett has some nifty moves and is playing with Manderson and Milan. Perhaps an audition for LA kid on the top line??! Beau was playing with a full face mask, and when asked about the ‘cheese grater’ he noted he has never played with a visor (US kid), but will.
* Of the 40 plus players on the ice, none looked out of place in the scrimmage, which is most certainly a pat on the back to the whole scouting staff of the club.
Monday Scrimmage #2 - Team White 7 - Team Orange 6
* A late goal with an empty net brought Team Orange within one, but a final flurry couldn’t tie things up. The evening ice-time was more physical and heated than the morning, with one battle nearly leading to a fight.
* Logan Johnston was on of the players throwing his weight around. That’s 218 pounds if you are curious, up 20 from last year’s camp.
* Garrett Milan had a nice bar down goal and was showing off that stellar speed of his. The fan favorite sure knows how to finish, expect another big year for the 18-year-old who potted 25 goals and 57 points last year as a rook.
* Eric Filliou had the dish of the day on a beautiful backdoor pass that lead to a goal for Team White. Filliou is a 20-year-old forward who is committed to U-Mass and was acquired for Brodie Reid this Summer.
* Age range is 15 years old to 20 years old (’94-’89 birth years) with all 3 goalies born in ‘91.
* I chatted with Derik Johnson following the second scrimmage to see how the veteran was enduring training camp…
