vees:blog

The World Jr. A Challenge has wrapped up from Summerside, PEI where team USA beat Canada West 2-1 in the gold medal game.

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.

The ranks are getting thin for the Penticton Vees as the look towards two home games this weekend.

Sean Bonar and Joey LaLeggia left on Monday for PEI as members of Team Canada West for the upcoming 2009 World Junior ‘A’ Challenge. Departing today was Beau Bennett who is the only non USHL member of team USA at the international event. A former WJAC player Ben Sexton (he suited up for team Canada East last year) is also unavailable for to the Vees, but it’s not because he’s taking part in the WJAC.

Ben Sexton left Sunday’s game and didn’t return after suffering an upper body injury. Sexton’s will not participate in this weekend’s action with Burnaby and Merritt, while his status for next weekend is still up in the air.

With Sexton’s injury the Vees are now looking at a weekend of play without their top power play defensman in LaLeggia, their top right winger in Bennett who is 3rd in BCHL scoring, their second line centre (Sexton), and Sean Bonar who is ranked 2nd in the BCHL in wins and save percentage, and sits 3rd in goals against average. EGADS!

The above probably helps explain why Fred Harbinson welcomed Taylor Peters into the fold today. The 17-year-old forward has played a full season in the WHL, and was assigned to the Vees today from the Portland Winterhawks.

Peters is a big kid who has recorded 10 points in 78 games in the ‘dub’. Taylor was named the winner of the Winterhawks Scholastic Award (which he shared with current Vernon Viper Sawyer Mick) last season, but cracked the ‘hawks line-up just three times this season.

Peters will join the Vees tomorrow and will surely make his Vees debut this weekend. For more on Taylor, check out his blog that he had for last season in Portland.

Fred Harbinson will have more on the transaction Thursday night from the Kettle Valley Station Pub, where Coach’s Corner gets back underway after a two week hiatus. Join us from 6-7 for your chance to join the media scrum and win a pair of tickets to Friday’s game Against the Burnaby Express.

TOP LINE TERRIFIC

Another game, another 6 points from the top line of the Penticton Vees. The Vees top unit has piled up 19 points in the teams last three games and have combined for 34 goals and 55 assists this season through 16 games played (Holy Toledo!). Manderson leads the league in scoring, Bennett sits in third spot, and despite missing three games (suspension for a line brawl, and WJAC evaluation camp) Garrett Milan sits in 17th spot in league scoring (he’s 7th in points per game).

STIFLING DEFENSE

The Vees have been particularly scrooge-like in the month of October. While the club has been filling the net all season, the goals against have plummeted since the turn of the calendar. in seven games in October the Vees have allowed just seven goals. The goal against totals since their 5-4 loss in Merritt in late September: 2, 0 , 1, 2 (OT), 1, 1, 0. That’s airtight defense. Sean Bonar has been especially dialed in as he has allowed just four goals in his last five games, two of which were shutouts.

CLIPPERS VS. VEES

Bill Bestwick’s presence behind the bench for the Clippers is not a given tonight in Nanaimo. The long time GM & Head Coach was less than impressed with the officials in last night’s OT loss to his former assistant Nolan Graham’s Alberni Valley Bulldogs, and threw a waterbottle in an officials direction after the game winner was scored last night. The Clippers were issued a Game Misconduct at the conclusion of the match and Bestwick could be suspended. The Vees early successes aren’t lost on Coach Bestwick as the Nanaimo Bulletin discovered.

“We know they’re real good, we know they’re real deep, we know they’re real skilled… They have excellent puck possession and puck management.”

~ Bill Bestwick

MIDGET GIANTS

The Penticton Vees have in recent years been the Junior home some of the top talent to emerge from the Vancouver Major Midget Giants program. Burnaby Now takes a look at the recent captains of the oxymoronic lower mainland club (how can a Midget be a Giant?!) and their hockey futures.

NANAIMO MEMORIES

The last time the Vees were in Nanaimo, they hoisted the 2008 Fred Page Cup after a clean four game sweep of the Clippers. Just Denver Manderson remains from that championship roster. Fred Harbinson (Head Coach), David Small (Assistant Coach), Murray Maxwell (Asst. Equipment Manager), Al Formo (Broadcaster) , Tom Jones (Bus Driver) and I were there too. It’s incredible how quickly BCHLers move on.

Here’s a look at where the players that comprised that championship club of 2008 are today:

GOALIES:

ALEX EVIN - The Castlegar product is making a push for the starting job with the COLGATE RAIDERS (NCAA - ECAC) as a Sophomore, though a 5-3 loss last night won’t help the cause.

BRYAN MOUNTAIN - An accomplished martial artist, Mountain’s intense focus earned him a spot on the NORTHEASTERN HUSKIES (NCAA - HOCKEY EAST) roster after posting some impressive numbers in the MJHL last season. Mountain is yet step on the ice for the Huskies.

DEFENSE:

JAMES BETTAUER - A raw 16-year-old defender, ‘Bettsy’ didn’t play much in the post-season for the Vees, and elected to play in the WHL with the CHILLIWACK BRUINS (CHL - WHL) last season where he recorded seven points and was minus 25 on one of the weaker teams in Major Junior Hockey. Bettauer has yet to play a game this season after being dropped by the Bruins this off-season and suffering a broken jaw this Fall.

MICHAEL HENGEN - A four year Western League defender before arriving in Penticton Mike is now playing his second season in Germany, this year he’s in the third division with the HERN EV (GERMANY - OBERLIGA) where he is averaging about a point a game. Michael father Tom Hengen is a Lower Mainland scout for the Vees.

ZACK JOSEPHER - A cannon of a shot from the point, Josepher was a mainstay on PP in his two years with the Vees. Zack is a Freshman at MICHIGAN STATE (NCAA - CCHA) where he had 4 points in his first NCAA game two weeks ago.

NIC KNUDSEN - Affectionately know as ‘The Beast’, Nic played last season with the CONCORDIA STINGERS (CIS - OUA) in Montreal. The hulking defender known as much for his heavy hits as ear to ear grin, isn’t listed on the Stingers 09/10 roster.

DEVON KROGH - Devon Krogh is now a freshamn for OHIO STATE BUCKEYES (NCAA - CCHA) and has a single assist in the early going. Krogh was known for his ‘flow’ (hockey hair), and his presence in the community with the SPCA dog walks and his role with the Read to Succeed program.

RYAN WAGNER - Ryan had all sorts of offers to continue to further his hockey career South of the border but the 20-year-old defender returned to Saskatchewan to work on the farm. Quiet, dependable, sturdy… he was voted the Vees top D-man in 2008.

NATHAN WESTOVER - ‘Westy’ was a well rounded defender with a knack for scoring against his former clubs (of which there were a few) and a love of blue sweat pants on the bus! Nathan spent most of the 08/09 season with the Burnaby Express. Much like his Junior eligibility, Westover’s hockey career appears to be over.

FORWARDS:

ZAC DALPE - MVP of the WJAC gold medal game, Dalpe was drafted by the Carolina Hurricanes and is a current member of the OHIO STATE BUCKEYES (NCAA - CCHA). As a Sophomore ‘Z-D’ has 2 points in 3 games this season.

ELI GROSSMANN - Eli’s Junior career ended on a sour note (just YouTube ‘Grossmann loses it’) with the Grande Prairie Storm, as they got swept by the Vernon Vipers in the Doyle Cup, but his adventurous spirit lives on. The Alaskan suited up in the AIHL (Australian Ice Hockey League) this summer (their Winter), and at last check was still enjoying life down-under.

MICHAEL GUZZO - One of Al Formo’s all-time penalty killers through the years, Guzzo is playing with CURRY COLLEGE COLONELS (NCAA DIV III - ECAC NORTHEAST) who still haven’t started their 09/10 season. Michael had 23 points in 27 games as a Freshman.

BRETT HEXTALL - One of the greatest captains I’ve seen lead a team, Hextall was drafted by Phoenix and now plays for the NORTH DAKOTA FIGHTING SIOUX (NCAA - WCHA) where he has 2 points in 4 games as a Sophomore on the 2nd ranked team in the nation.

ERIC KROSHUS - A great hockey player and a better student (that’s saying something!) Kroshus is a Sophomore with the HARVARD CRIMSON (NCAA - ECAC) who have yet to start their season. Kroshus was selected an ECAC Hockey All Academic last season.

MITCH LEBRECHE - Traded after training camp this season (there was a glut of centres) Mitch is now playing for the POWELL RIVER KINGS who are off to a great start of the season. Mitch has 5 goals and 5 assists in 19 games with his new club.

DENVER MANDERSON - The lone member that remains from the 2008 squad, Denver is a reminder of how quickly BCHL rosters turnover. Head to the top of this post for more on Denver.

CURTIS McKENZIE - C-Mac is having a sensational start to his freshman season with the MIAMI REDHAWKS (NCAA - CCHA) as he recorded 5 points in his first two weekends. Just 16 in 2008 Curtis was in a fourth line role with the club and threw his fists and checks with surprising success for a rook.

KYLE McMURPHY - A special teams wizard for the 2008 club, ‘McPowerPlay’ scored 13 of his 22 goals on the man-advantage. Kyle was playing poker in Vancouver at last check, and hung up the blades after the 2008 Championship.

VINNY MUCHALLA - A trade deadline pick up, Vinny was a physical force on the 4th line, who is taking business classes at UNBC and at last check was mulling over the option of suiting up for the FORT ST. JOHN FLYERS (SR. ‘AAA’ - NPHL) who will host the Allan Cup this Spring (Canadian National Sr. AAA Championship).

TREVOR NILL - Trevor is playing hockey in his home state for the MiCHIGAN STATE SPARTANS (NCAA - CCHA). Nill has 8 PIM and 0 points in 4 games. Nill was used in a checking role on the 08 Championship squad.

ANTHONY PERDICARO - Fresh off his 4 game stint in the AHL, Perdicaro will be back in the line-up of the COWICHAN VALLEY CAPITALS on Sunday when the Caps host the Warriors. Peridicaro was given a Gross Misconduct in his first game back with the Caps.

CORY SCHNEIDER - Cory Schneider suffered a mid-season injury with the OHIO STATE BUCKEYES (NCAA - CCHA) last year and had a tough time cracking the line-up on his return to full health. This year Schneider has played 4 of 5 games in his Sophomore season.

AUSTIN SMITH - Smitty and his patented glass diving were at their finest during the Fred Page Cup Finals in 2008, where he scored the first goal of each of the 4 game sweep of the Clippers. Smith is a Dallas Stars draft pick playing his Sophomore season for the COLGATE RAIDERS (NCAA - ECAC). Austin had 31 points in 37 games as a Freshman.

* The Vees and the Vipers are 1-2 in today’s release of the CJHL national rankings. Vernon has been sitting in top spot all season (and beyond), while the Vees got an honourable mention in week one, were moved up to 6th in week two, continued to rise to 3rd in week 3 and now are one back of their hated rivals. The Okanagan rivals will play on Friday in Penticton at the SOEC. If you like hockey, I trust you’ll be in attendance. This is an early candidate for game of the year. ValleyFirstTix.com or the SOEC box office for tickets.

* Goaltender Josh Watson (90) of the Powell River Kings has been named the BCHL ‘Player of the Week. The import net-minder was spectacular this week going (4-0-0) with two clean sheets, helping the Kings claim sole possession of first place in the Coastal Conference.

Week two ‘P.O.W.’ F - Mark Zengerle (89) had another monster weekend, this time posting 4 goals, 9 assists, and 13 points in 3 games played. That’s over 4 points a game! Zengerle now sits just 2 points back of Denver Manderson in the BCHL scoring race.

* The Nanaimo Clippers aren’t the power house they once were. After four consecutive seasons with the BCHL’s best record in the regular season (from 04/05 until 07/08) the Clippers finished ninth overall last year and are struggling early this year in a wide open Coastal Conference. The Clippers were shutout on Friday and Saturday and now sit in the basement of the Coastal Conference. To add salt to the wound on Friday Night former Clippers assistant Nolan Graham bested Bill Bestwick’s Clippers in a classic case of the student beating his professor.

The Clippers have not won at home yet this year, they are the only BCHL team that hasn’t. It’s not that Nanaimo is a bad club, it’s just that they haven’t been able to win close games. The Clippers have lost six one goal games this year, three of those in OT. The Clippers goal differential is just minus - 4.

* The Penticton Vees accomplished something that hadn’t been done since April 10th on Saturday, as the Blue Black and White handed Vernon their first loss in 22 games. The Vipers were previously unbeaten in seven regular season contests, four pre-season matches, didn’t lose at the RBC Cup (National Championship round robin and playoffs) in Victoria, swept the AJHL champion Grande Prairie Storm, and then of course won game six of the BCHL final against Powell River (wow).

The Vipers were not shutout once last year. Sean Bonar is the first net-minder to hold Vernon off the score sheet since former Vees puckstopper Alex Evin (seen above facing Vernon in Memorial Arena) did it on March 8th of 2008, in the second round of the playoffs (the Vees won the Fred Page Cup that season).

For more game reaction from Saturday’s game as well as all other Vipers news head to the Vipers Die Hard Fan Blog.

* The Merritt Centennials suffered a late heart break on Sunday in West Kelowna as the team watched the Warriors bury two goals in the last five minutes of play to the the game, and then another in OT to steal a victory from the jaws of defeat.

Musical goalies continue in Merritt as well as they’ve added a WHL cut to their squad. Also the club shipped Tyler Miller to his home town of Prince George after being dropped by the WHL’s Cougars ($10 say he never even left town). Brian Wiebe has the latest and thinks there’s more in the works as well.

* After opening the season undefeated in regulation through their first six games, the Burnaby Express have found out how difficult wins are to earn in the Interior. After a 7-2 spanking in Salmon Arm on Friday, the pain train’s next stop was Trail were the Smokies earned just their second win of the year in a 5-4 OT triumph. Making matters worse was a 4-2 Sunday loss in Vernon for the club’s third defeat in 48 hours. With just a single point earned from a possible six, the Express have been dumped off their throne and are now right back in the pack in the Coastal Conference.

Burnaby broadcaster and blogger Eddie Gregory may have seen this this coming.

* A couple great games with ramifications on Interior Conference standings go down Tuesday night in the BCHL. In the Caribou the Quesnel Millionaires visit the Prince George Spruce Kings for the second time this year. Quesnel won round one by a 4-1 score, and are a single point up on their rivals from PG for fifth in the Interior Conference.

Also, Trail visits Merritt for the second time this year (the sight of their season-opening loss), with both clubs playing much better hockey than they were just two weeks ago. The Smokies have points in 3 of 4 games, while the Cents beat Penticton last week and nearly beat Westside on Sunday. Seeds five through nine are looking pretty jumbled right now in the Interior, but we may have a clearer picture come Wednesday.

The Penticton Vees are (8-2-0-0) on the season after an 8-2 win over the Trail Smoke Eaters on Friday Night.

Kiefer Smiley made 33 saves through 40 minutes but allowed 5 goals in the third as the Vees exploded late to remain undefeated through 4 home games.

Ryan Viselli lead the offensively as he netted a pair of goals and to push his season total to 12 points. The Vees top line of Denver Manderson, Beau Bennett and Garrett Milan each had two points. Also finishing with a pair of points were Isaac MacLeod, Derik Johnson, Logan Johnston and Eric Filiou.

Logan Johnston was named the games #1 Star

Manderson has recorded a point in each of the 10 games the Vees have played this season, and added his league leading 10th goal of the campaign early in the third period. The captain’s 27 point in 10 games is the top total in the BCHL.

The Trail Smoke Eaters got goals from Travis St. Denis and Tommy Rizzardo in a losing cause and have yet to win the South Okanagan Events Centre through a half dozen games in the new rink.

Sean Bonar allowed a pair of goals on 22 shots to earn his 6th win of the year, while Kiefer Smiley finally earned his first loss as a member of the Smoke Eaters since being acquired from Cowichan as he stopped 37 of 45 shots.

The Vees power play struggled to score on Friday as the home side were 1/8 on the night scoring on their final opportunity of the game when Bo Dolan wired home his second of the season with 2:10 remaining in the game.

The Smoke Eaters were 0/3 on the night on the man advantage as the Vees went perfect on the penalty kill for the first time all season.

1,450 fans were in attendance on Friday. The Vees have averaged 1,682 fans this season through four home dates.

Next Vees action comes on Saturday Night from Vernon where the undefeated Vipers (7-0-0-0) host the Vees in a battle between two of the top three ranked teams in Canada.

Pre-game show starts at 6:45 on EZ Rock while the opening face off is at 7:00.

* Randy Sexton (father of Ben) has finally had the interim tag dropped and been named the new GM of the Florida Panthers. Here’s the press conference from earlier today in Helsinki.

* The Ohio State Buckeyes are a team full of Vees Alumni. Zac Dalpe & Cory Schneider are entering their sophomore season, Devon Krogh is a freshman this year, and down the road current Vees Forward Alex Szczechura will be attending OSU. Other BCHL grads on the Buckeyes include Juniors Hunter Bishop (Vernon) & Erick Belanger (Nanaimo), as well as Sophomore Taylor Stephishen (Langley).

Here’s Zac on the expectation for the Buckeyes this season:

…And a season preview

* Another NCAA team laden with BCHLers is the North Dakota Fighting Sioux. Junior Evan Trupp (older brother of current Vees forward Hayden) and Sophomore Brett Hextall - the captain of the 2007/2008 Fred Page Cup Champions - play with Seniors Chay Genoway (Vernon) and Darcy Zajac (Salmon Arm).

Here’s a season preview for the highly touted Fighting Sioux squad, who head into the season with

* If you missed Tuesday Night’s loss in Merritt, Emanuel Sequiera has the recap in the Penticton Western News.

* Trail is not a team to be taken lightly by the Vees tonight. The Smokies offense has finally woken up after scoring just 10 goals in their first six games of the year. The Orange & Black beat Williams Lake on Sunday and tied Salmon Arm on Tuesday Night and scored 12 goals in the two games.

* Adam Zamec appears to be close to a return in the Vees line-up. Though I doubt he’ll hit the ice this weekend, I wouldn’t be shocked if he made his debut on Wednesday at home against Cowichan.

* Al Formo is back on the broadcast tonight, and we’ll be joined by Chad Campbell in the pre-game show and 2nd intermission. Puck hits ice at 7:05 and the pre-game show on EZ Rock starts at 6:45 (PST… for you long distance fans). If you aren’t listening on EZ Rock in the South Okanagan or Similkameen, you can hop online to MyEZRock.com or swing by the BCHL’s audio scoreboard at BCHL.ca. Finally, if you are in the SOEC at the game you can tune into 105.5 FM to catch the braodcast.

Denver Manderson’s doesn’t seem to mind playing the Salmon Arm Silverbacks. The Vees Captain powered the Penticton Vees to a 5-2 victory in the Shuswap on Saturday to sweep a weekend home-and-home. Captain Manderson who leads the BCHL with 24 points, put up eight points over the two game set to extend his BCHL leading point streak to 8 games. Manderson had a goal and three assists in each game and now has 9 goals on the year – another league leading stat.

Manderson’s line-mates played well, as Garrett Milan notched his fifth goal of the year and Beau Bennett tallied his pace setting seventh power play goal. Bennett has yet to score 5-on-5 but sits second in league scoring behind his 20-year-old centre.

BEAU KNOWS THE PP

Alex Szczechura recorded his third goal of the season and added an assist to push his point total to 9 points in 6 games played as a BCHL rookie. While Montreal product Eric Filiou added his third goal of the season.

Mark Zengerle set up both goals for the Silverbacks in a losing cause, with Tyler Gubb and Jagger Dirk finishing off each play. 1,087 fans were in attendance at the Sunwave Centre, where the home team has yet to win this year.

Tony Ierfino and Sean Bonar were both busy on Saturday as the Vees recorded 47 shots and the Silverbacks had 29. Ierfino allowed 4 goals with a fifth being scored into an empty net, while Bonar stopped all but two Salmon Arm attempts. Bonar’s breakaway save in the 3rd period on Mark Zengerle kept the Vees ahead by one and stalled what was a furious comeback attempt by the Silverback in the third period.

Penticton finished 2/8 on the man-advantage, while Salmon Arm was 1/4. On the weekend the Vees finished 4/16 on the PP, while the Silverbacks were 2/12.

Up next for Penticton is a Tuesday night affair in Merritt where the Vees will be without the services of Garrett Milan, Joey LaLeggia, and Sean Bonar who will be in Okotoks, Alberta. The talented trio have all been invited to Team Canada West’s World Jr. ‘A’ Challenge Evaluation Camp that will determine which players will dawn the maple leaf come November in Prince Edward Island.

With the win the Penticton Vees (7-1-0-0) now have 14 of a possible 16 points, good for top spot in the Interior Conference, while the Salmon Arm Silverbacks (3-3-0-1) are dropped to .500 with the loss, and remain in fourth in the Conference.

The Penticton Vees torrid scoring pace has not showed signs of slowing down. Heading into Friday’s first of a home-and-home with the Salmon Arm Silverbacks the Vees had scored 30 goals in just six games. In front of 1,652 fans Friday night, the Vees buried a half-dozen more goals, in a thorough 6-3 win over the Silverbacks that saw six different Vees players light the lamp for the home side.

Captain Denver Manderson continues to lead the Vees offensively as he notched his league leading 8th goal, along with a trio of assists. Manderson leads the league in scoring with an incredible 21 points 20 points (scoring change from an earlier game) in seven games. Rookie Beau Bennett also had a great night with a goal and a pair of assist. Beau has 17 points in seven games, good for second spot in the league. Garrett Milan recorded a goal and an assist in the win to move his point total to 9 (despite missing two games to suspension) while Ryan Viselli, Eric Filiou, and Alex Szczechura also had a goal and an assist in the contest.

Trailing 6-1 early in the third, Salmon Arm closed the game with two goals from 16-year-old defender Jagger Dirk and centre David Killip to bring Salmon Arm back within reach. Rookie Devin Gannon had the Silverbacks first goal of the game, his first of the 2009/2010 season.

Sean Bonar stopped 27 of 30 shots for the win, while Tony Ierfino was good on 30 of 36 attemps. Bonar is (4-1-0) on the year while Ierfino has played every minute for the ‘backs and is (3-3-0).

After a rough start to the season, the Vees penalty kill stood tall on Friday erasing 7 of 8 penalties taken, while the power play returned to form going 3/8 on the night. The Vees have now converted 18 of 51 powerplays this season, good for a second ranked 35% efficiency.

For the second game in a row the Vees scored the first goal of the game. The Vees allowed the first goal of each contest for the first five games of the season.

Tomorrow night in Salmon Arm the Vees and Silverbacks will tango again at the Sunwave Centre. Puck Drop is at 7PM with the pre-game show starting at 6:45 on EZ Rock AM 800 in Penticton.

The Spruce Kings are taking their lumps in the paper after a dissappointing weekend that included an 8-3 loss to the Warriors and a 9-2 loss to the Vees. Ron Gallo has a brighter view of the game over at Spruce Kings Crusader.

Shawn Mullin’s Smokies Blog has the fallout after the Smokies season opening loss to the Merritt Centennials as well as a shout out to the Vees offensive weapons (complete with Rick Jeanneret clip).

Brian Wiebe has the other side of the story with his Making Cents Blog. All is well in Centennial land, where the club has a re-energized fan base, a new coaching tandem, and a win to start the year.

The Westside Warriors have added another member to their coaching staff as well as found a new broadcaster for their games. The Warriors website has the background on Chris Rampone (coach) and John Harding (broadcaster).

The BCHL has just published their first episode of ‘Smart Hockey’ magazine which you can view online by clicking HERE. Episode 1 has former Vees D-Man Devong Krogh on the cover and lists all BCHL grads who are off to college with scholarships this season. Also in this edition of Smart Hockey a Q&A with each of the seven new head coaches in the league this year. Can you name them all?!

And as always Vipersdiehardfan Blog has cut and pasted relevant newspaper articles to his/her site, as well as some home-made game summaries, and great alumni updates as well.

The Penticton Vees wrapped up a three game weekend in the Caribou with a 4-3 win over the Quesnel Millionaires on Sunday afternoon.

The Caribou was Kind to the Vees

The win leaves the Vees alone atop the BCHL standings with an undefeated record through three games. All this despite a suspension shortened bench on Sunday that saw three college committed forwards Garrett Milan, Alex Szczechura and Ben Sexton watching from the stands following a line brawl in Prince George on Saturday.

Trailing 2-0 after the first period of play the Vees played their best hockey in the second period scoring three goals and outshooting the Mills 21-5. After taking a 4-2 lead in the third the Vees took 4 consecutive minor penalties and had to play short-handed down the stretch to close out the victory.

Joel Rumpel earned the win in the first start of his Junior career as he turned aside 17 of 20 shots, while the Vees Power Play continued to deliver going 2 for 5 in the afternoon affair. Through the first three games of the year the Vees are now 10 for 19 with the man advantage.

Beau Bennett and Denver Manderson are yet to cool off after their quick starts, as they combined for five points on Sunday. Bennett scored a goal and added an assist, to push his season total to 3 goals and 6 assists for 9 points in three games. Manderson, meanwhile has had the game winner and two helpers for a total of 4 goals and 6 assists over the three game weekend.

Bo Dolan and Ryan Viselli notched their first goals of the season for the Vees while Millionaires captain Trevor Hertz was his productive self with a pair of goals and an assist in the losing cause. Erik Hansen had the Mills first goal of the night, Talyor Holst had two assists while Sam Higgins, and Spencer Graboski each set up a goal.

Other Vees recording points were Joey LaLeggia who added two assists to an already impressive debut weekend, and hulking rear-guard Luke Curadi who’s point shot was tipped in for the Vees first of the night.

The Millionaires and new Head Coach and GM Doug Watson will look for their first win of the season on Wednesday when they play Prince George after suffering back to back 4-3 losses this weekend.

The Vees have Monday off before focusing on a home-and-home with the Westside Warriors starting this Friday Night at Royal LePage Place in West Kelowna.