vees:blog

More on the Doyle Cup from Edmonton Media

Kodiaks’ Day Off

Kodiaks’ Familiar Lead

Coffee With Cam

With the Oilers & Flames (NHL), Oil Kings, Rebels, Tigers & Hitmen (WHL) done for the year, just the Lethbridge Hurricanes and Camrose Kodiaks are left playing hockey in Alberta… That means lots of media coverage!

The Vees and Salmon Kings (ECHL) are left playing hockey in BC. Tonight is the 84th game of the season for the Vees including Pre-Season.

Jonathan Huntington in the Edmonton Sun

Coffee with Cam Tait - Blog

Our friends at the CJAHL National Ranking Headquarters are giving up hope. The Vees have dropped form 3rd to 7th. Camrose remains in 2nd spot. Saturday’s Rankings.

Cam Tait of the Edmonton Journal is following the Doyle Cup. Here is more from the 30 year sports reporter.

A bunch of Doyle Cup coverage in today’s Edmonton Sun.

Jonanthan Huntington is covering the Kodiaks.

Game Recap

Brett Hextall Feature

Kodiaks’ Olsen Injured

There’s your daily quota of hockey reading, on a winter-esque day in Camrose, Alberta.

The Doyle Cup opens tonight in Camrose.

Here’s the Edmonton Sun’s Jonathan Huntington on the Camrose Kodidak’s approach against the Vees, and on ‘the trade’ which we’re sure to hear more about as this series unfolds.

Here’s my weekly Penticton Western News column

The AJHL Powerhouse Camrose Kodiaks stand between the Penticton Valley First Vees and their first National Championship in over 2 decades. The Doyle Cup kicks off tonight in Camrose, Alberta, pitting the BCHL’s best against the AJHL’s best for the right to represent the ‘Pacific’ region at the 2008 Royal Bank Cup in Cornwall, Ontario.

A franchise just 11 years young, the Camrose Kodiaks have quickly become recognized as the best hockey program in the AJHL with Boris Rybalka acting as the brains of the operation for the last decade.

Tuesday’s 2-0, Game 7 victory over the Fort McMurray Oil Barons marked the 5th AJHL title for the Kodiaks including their second straight Enerflex Cup, and 3rd in 4 years.

Not only have the Kodiaks been the cream of the Alberta Jr. ‘A’ Hockey League, but the team also has a perfect record in Doyle Cup showings, winning all four of the best of seven series they’ve battled in. The Kodiaks have advanced to the National Championship in 2007, 2005, 2003 and winning the Royal Bank Cup in 2001 in their maiden trip to the tournament.

If the Vees were looking for a stiffer test after reeling off nine consecutive victories in the BCHL playoffs against the best the league had to offer, the blue, black and white may have found a worthy adversary.

Penticton has home ice for the series, as action moves from Alberta to B.C.. The format of the Royal Bank Qualifier is as such; the series opens with a pair in the brand new, 40 million dollar, 2500 seat - 2008 home of the World Jr. ‘A’ Challenge, Encana Arena (in the Edgeworth Centre). Should the Vees or the Kodiaks win both games the series will return to Penticton for Game 3 and the remainder of the series. Should the opening pair be split between the foes, Game 3 will be Sunday in Camrose (3rd Game in 3 days) before the remainder of the series is played in Memorial Arena. The scheduling is confusing at first glance, but is designed to keep travel as minimal as possible, while trying to split the series evenly between the two communities.

Call the Vees office at 493-8337 for tickets and take painkillers for headaches caused by the scheduling.

Interestingly, these two clubs were involved in a deal mid-season that saw Eric Kroshus swapped for Alex MacLeod and Nigel Dube. As weird as it may sound, it is a deal that has paid dividends for both teams. Any slight edge in the deal will likely be based on how this series tips.

For the first time in this post season, the Vees will open a series on the road. The BCHL Champs have had quick starts thus far in the playoffs: 6-0 in the opening pair of each series. Another opening pair would go a long way in securing a berth in the Royal Bank Cup.

Radio 7:00, Puck Drop 7:30.

Congratulations are due all around as the Penticton Valley First Vees are 07/08 BCHL Champions, for the first time in 22 years.

With 9 consecutive victories and back-to-back (4-0) sweeps of the Westside Warriors and Nanaimo Clippers, the Vees knocked off the best possible foe in each Conference, and left little doubt about which team was the best of the BCHL. The 9 game winning streak matches the regular season high for the club, but comes against the best the BCHL has to offer and vaults the team to the Doyle Cup.

Scott Carter and his ownership group, now in their 4th season, have turned this franchise around and back into a perennial contender. This championship puts the Vees back where they belong: among the heavy hitters of Jr. ‘A’ Hockey in this country.

When the buzzer sounded Wednesday Night in Nanaimo, the Vees had completed a thorough beating of the Coastal Conference Champions, who had lost each of the first three games by just a single goal. Game 4 wasn’t close. The depth of the Vees roster was quite evident and the team had the good luck of avoiding serious injuries in the post-season to decisively end the Clippers season.

The defense core was solid with Ryan Wagner and Nic Knudsen shutting down the Clippers best, and the rest of the group stepping up their game for a 4 game sweep.

Up front the Vees super-rookies were their top guns in the final. Zac Dalpe and Austin Smith were all over the score sheet in Nanaimo, with Smith leading all players in the Fred Page Cup with 6 goals, including the first in each contest. The Vees ‘energy’ unit was much better than any 4th line we’ve seen play against the club this season, and the group of 4 lines was much more physical than a talented Clippers crew, that must have been shocked at what they faced.

Between the pipes, Alex Evin showed the Clippers what they probably already knew, mainly that he is the best goalie in the BCHL. Evin earned his 2nd shutout of the season in the final and fourth game.

It’s been some time since the Vees have had to organize travel plans in Alberta, but that is what lies ahead for the freshly minted ‘Best of B.C.’ The team will play the Camrose Kodiaks or Fort McMurray Oil Barons of the AJHL, both teams are currently battling for the Enerflex Cup: the league’s championship series.

The format of the Doyle Cup is as such: the Alberta winner will host Games 1 & 2 of the Royal Bank Cup Qualifier, and if one team wins both games the scene will switch to Penticton Memorial Arena. Should both teams split the opening pair, a third game will be played before the Vees will host the remainder of the series at home.

“Hockey or Beer?” that’s the question people around Penticton have be asking themselves with the Okanagan Fest-of-Ale and Games 1 & 2 of the Fred Page Cup sharing centre stage this weekend. 40 of the best Junior ‘A’ hockey players in North America or over 75 of the best beers in North America? That’s a tough decision!

After much debate, I will be climbing the ladder of the Al Formo Broadcast Gondola in Memorial Arena and choosing hockey over beer. Too bad these two very special events didn’t overlap, but hey I’m sure we can find some sort of a compromise (and I don’t mean a drunken radio broadcaster). Maybe a two-event Saturday, a hand held radio, or a seat in the beer drinking section of Memorial Arena is the way to soak up the best of the Okanagan this weekend.

So while I do know a thing or two about beer, why don’t we move to a topic I know even more about: the Penticton Vees. Tonight and tomorrow the Vees will host the Clippers in the opening two game of the Fred Page Cup, in what should looks like a scintillating best-of-seven.

While Round 2 against Vernon was a hard-fought, physical affair, and Round 3 against Westside was fairly one-sided, this Nanaimo series should be a showcase for how entertaining Junior ‘A’ Hockey can be. 14 college commitments (4 to Ivey League Schools), 10 players averaging over a point per game in the playoffs, and two well run, well supported franchises; the BCHL brass has to be happy with the match-up they’ve got this year.

With two teams that both have great talent and depth, it’s hard to find an edge one way or another. Nanaimo’s Power Play has been red-hot, but Alex Evin has been the BCHL’s best goalie this year. The Vees 3rd and 4th lines are more effective, but the Clippers have last year’s BCHL Championship to draw upon. The two Defense corps are close enough to call a push with Nanaimo having hulking Matt Irwin and the Vees having more depth among the 6 rear-guards.

There is a Penticton theme to this year’s Clippers club, with 3 members of the Coast’s best starting the season with the Vees. Local Netminder Evan Smith was beat out by Bryan Mountain for the right to back-up Alex Evin in training camp, Local Forward Dustin Johnson played a hand-full of games as an AP with the Vees before being snapped up by Nanaimo. Johnson, who lit up the KIJHL early this season, has just an assist in the 9 games he’s played in the playoffs. On the back end the Clippers liked what they saw from Michael Boivin when he dressed against them in December with the Vees, He now patrols the blue-line alongside Matt Irwin on the Island. Are they good enough to be on this Vees club? Certainly not all of them are, although they will be motivated to face their former team.

No matter how you size up the BCHL Final, it seems this series won’t be a short one. Game Time is 7:00, Pre-game 6:30 tonight and tomorrow on EZ Rock.

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.

The Penticton Valley First Vees look to end the Vernon Vipers’ season tonight at Penticton Memorial Arena. Up 3-1 in the Interior Conference best-of-seven the Vees survived a OT split up in Vernon mid-week, losing Tuesday 3-2 before winning 4-3 Wednesday Night.

After blowing the Vipers out of the water 7-2 in Game 1, the Vees have played 3 very close contests. Game two was scoreless until 14:20 of the 3rd period with the Vees striking first, and adding a pair of empty net goals, Game 3 needed extra time, where the Vipers ended play on a unusual and mildly controversial goal from Kellen Jones and Game 4 was another nail biter that saw Denver Manderson play hero, returning from injury to set up the overtime winner scored by Michael Guzzo. Don’t expect tonight’s match to be a blowout, these teams have played each other very tight.

I can’t help but notice the over-whelming number of post that have been hit in this Okanagan Battle. Game 3 featured the post-man ringing six times, Game 4 had another few pings for each team, and Zac Dalpe got his iron supplement in Game one wiring a rocket off the cross-bar. Are their magnets in these pucks? Are the goalies covering the rest of the net? I don’t know the answer, but I do know it is a game of inches and a few bounces one way or the other and this series could have an entirely different complexion.

The Vees Power Play awoke from it’s slumber in Game 4. After finishing the season converting at 22.4% on the Power Play (4th in the BCHL), the Vees are just 3/22 (13.6%) in the post-season. Austin Smith’s first of the game Wednesday snapped a 0/16 slump for the special teams unit. The silver lining is that the Vipers have been worse with the extra man. Vernon is 2/23 on the Power Play, while both teams have allowed a short handed goal in the series (Schneider in Game 1, and Zurevinski in Game 4)

Elsewhere around the BCHL the Salmon Arm Silverback continue to beat up on the Westside Warriors after losing Game 1. The Warriors are without number one goalie Nathan Lieuwen and have watched Bryan Gillis of the Silverbacks outduel Stephen Caple between the pipes.

The Langley Chiefs and Victoria Grizzlies are all square after four games with the road team winning each game of the series. If the trend continues Victoria will win Game 7 in Langley!

And we can lay to rest the Powell River Kings, who upset the Surrey Eagles, but never seemed to recover from a Game 1 collapse that saw the Nanaimo Clippers tie the game after trailing by 3 and winning in OT.

Monday on Boston Pizza Vees This Week we’ll continue in our efforts to nail down a current NHLer who cut his teeth in the BCHL, and if their isn’t a Game 7 on Tuesday, Mitch Lebreche and Michael Guzzo will be signing autographs at Boston Pizza.

Tonight’s Game is a 7:00 start, Pre-game 6:30 on EZ Rock.

Hard to believe, but the BCHL playoffs begin in just a single, solitary week! While the Penticton Valley First Vees won’t be taking part in the first round, having clinched a bye, the club does still have a lot on the line this weekend against Vernon. The Vees need a single point or a Westside loss or tie to clinch home ice for the post season, and the way the Warriors and Vipers have played in the new year, that isn’t a given.

This weekend’s home-and-home rematch of last years Interior Conference final has certainly caught the interest of the hockey fans in Vernon. Tonight’s attendance at the Vernon Multiplex should be close to 3000, as the Vipers had sold 2500 tickets mid-way through the week. Vees fans would be wise to get tickets for tomorrow’s back end of the home-and-home, as the two clubs will be sending messages to each other, knowing they could meet in the playoffs for what would be a very physical series.

Vipers fans have had a lot to cheer about in the New Year with the arrival of re-enforcements after the team suffered 3 defections in the Fall. Andrew Hammond now patrols the Vipers crease as the number one goalie, while Kevin Kraus and Justin Palazzo have beefed up the blue-line, and Greg Beller’s big body has added depth up front.

The Vees have had Vernon’s number this season, posting 3 wins and a loss in 4 games, but the Vees haven’t seen the new look Vipers since adding all the parts mentioned above. Should the Vees earn a point or two tonight, it will be interesting to see what kind of roster Fred Harbinson puts on the ice tomorrow. One could justify a night off for many of the Vees best, but with the Vees first playoff game slated for the 7th of March, Coach Harbinson may not see any value in an extra day of rest.

As mentioned, the Vees will open their 2008 post-season play on March 7th and 8th with back-to-back home games. Playoff tickets are now available at the Vees office in Memorial Arena (493-8337). A wise man once said ‘the sooner you buy your playoff tickets, the better the view’… Or, did I just make that up? Either way, I’m sure it’s true! For info see the teams website.

The Vees are relatively healthy moving into the post-season. Anthony Perdicaro and Denver Manderson we’re both scratched in last weekend’s monster win in Surrey, but will have the bye to heal their ‘bumps and bruises’. The two centers are less than 100%, but will likely play in the post-season opener, but are doubtful for this weekend’s action against Vernon.

Next week on ‘Boston Pizza Vees This Week’ Chad Campbell and I catch up with soon to be drafted rookie Zac Dalpe and super sixteen-year-old wrecking ball Curtis Mackenzie as they sign autographs at Boston Pizza. Also, we’ll take a close look at the four first round match-ups in the BCHL playoffs and make our fearless prognostications. That’s all Monday night, 6:00 ‘til 7:00 on EZ Rock AM 800