vees:blog

BOSTON PIZZA VEES THIS WEEK

We’ll catch up with Sean Bonar from Summerside, PEI following a Canada West 2-1 loss to the Russians on Sunday, also Interior Conference Power Rankings, News and Notes, Fred on Central Scouting’s swing and a miss, and the weekly staples like weekend highlights, the best answering machine in Penticton and our featured intermission conversation of the week.

Tune in from 6:05 to 7:00 on EZ Rock AM 800, MyEZRock.com, or wait until the show is posted on Monday night right here on the Vees Blog.

CJHL NATIONAL RANKINGS

The new weekly National Rankings are out, and whatever the dudes at CJHL headquarters are smoking, they need to cut back.

To illustrate the lack of logic in the CJHL rankings take a closer look at the Vernon Vipers… Since being ranked #1 in the nation, the Vipers have beat the #2 team in the country (which was Penticton at the time), have won 9 consecutive games, have outscored opponents 63-14 over that margin, and yet have fallen to fourth in the country. They’ve lost once since April the 10th playing in the top Junior ‘A’ league in the country.

Why has Vernon fallen from #1??

WJAC UPDATE

With Team Canada West and the USA both 0-1 in the round robin, both have a day off to prepare for Tuesday tilts. The Americans face the Belorussians and the Western boys will face the Swedes - who lost to Russia 3-2 in a shootout earlier today. The Russians advance to Friday’s Semi-Finals with the win having won ‘Group A’.

For more WJAC coverage check out the local fish-wrap in Summerside: the Journal Pioneer

Weekend NCAA highlights include Cory Schneider posting his first two-point NCAA game for Ohio State, Maine captain Tanner House notching a pair in his first weekend back from injury, Steve Cameron and Cody Collins leading Mercyhurst to a pair of wins, and a monster 3-point game from Alex MacLeod for Michigan Tech.

Tanner House crashes the net for the Maine Black Bears

Brennan Barker D (SR, Alabama-Huntsville) - 6GP 0-2-2 6PIM

Anthony Borelli G (FR, Brown) - Season Not Underway

Steve Cameron F (JR, Mercyhurst) - 6GP 3-1-4 2PIM

Cody Collins F (SR, Mercyhurst) - 6GP 1-1-2 0PIM

Deron Cousens D (JR, Michigan Tech) - 4GP 1-1-2 6PIM

Zac Dalpe F (SO, Ohio State) - 5GP 1-3-4 0PIM

Alex Evin G (SO, Colgate) - 3GP (1-1-1) 2.64 .911

Brett Hextall F (SO, North Dakota) - 6GP 2-0-2 18PIM

Tanner House F (JR, Maine) - 2GP 2-0-2 2PIM

Zack Josepher D (FR, Michigan State) - 6GP 2-2-4 2PIM

Devon Krogh D (FR, Ohio State) - 4GP 0-1-1 0PIM

Eric Kroshus F (SO, Harvard) - Season Not Underway

Justin Krueger D (SR, Cornell) - Season Not Underway

Brian Lebler F (SR, Michigan) - 4GP 1-1-2 6PIM

Alex MacLeod F (SO, Michigan Tech) - 4GP 1-2-3 2PIM

Bryant Molle D (JR, Alaska-Fairbanks) - 4GP 0-1-1 2PIM

Curtis McKenzie F (FR, Miami-Ohio) - 6GP 2-3-5 12PIM

Cory Milan G (JR, Union) - 5GP (3-1-1) 2.29 .920

TJ Miller D (SR, Northern Michigan) - 4GP 0-0-0 2PIM

Trevor Nill F (SO, Michigan State) - 5GP 0-0-0 8PIM

Bryan Mountain G (FR, Northeastern) - NO STARTS

Kaare Odegard D (FR, Alaska-Fairbanks) - 3GP 0-1-1 2PIM

Travis Ouellette F (FR, Ferris State) - 5GP 2-0-2 2PIM

Cory Schneider F (SO, Ohio State)- 5GP 0-2-2 0PIM

Austin Smith F (SO, Colgate) - 5GP 2-1-3 4PIM

Evan Trupp F (JR, North Dakota) - 6GP 1-4-5 2PIM

Brent Vandenberg F (FR, Niagara) - 3GP 1-0-1 2PIM

WJAC DEPARTURES & FAUST’S RETURN

Sean Bonar and Joey LaLeggia are off to PEI today with the rest of Team Canada West for the 2009 World Jr. A Challenge. Team Canada West has 2 Gold Medals and 1 Silver Medal in the three years that the competition has been in existance… no pressure guys.

Beau Bennett will leave on Wednesday to join Team USA who are the reigning gold medalists.

with Sean Bonar gone to PEI, Billy Faust returns to Penticton today to join the Vees for their next four games. The odd man out in the crease at training camp, Billy has been playing with the Nelson Leafs of the KIJHL, where he 5 wins, a shutout and a GAA of 2.14. Billy and Beau Bennett both played for the LA Jr. Kings (Midget) last year and have come to BC to further their hockey careers. Expect Billy to start at least one of the next four games for the Vees.

DRAFT HYPE

Central Scouting’s NHL watch list has been released and 5 BCHLer have made the preliminary list. While 5 player isn’t a whopping number for the whole league, the fact that the Vees have 3 of the 5 players is an incredible feat.

Beau Bennett has been graded a B prospect, while defenders Luke Curadi and Joey LaLeggia are rated C prospects. Other BCHLers mentioned include Westside Warriors forward Greyson Downing and Langley Chiefs defender Tim Daly.

Central Scoutings give players a grade in the ‘Watch List’, then will release a ‘Mid-Term Rankings’ in January before ‘Final Rankings’ are issued in April.

Speaking with numerous hockey people who know more than I do over the past week, Sean Bonar, and Isaac MacLeod are also garnering all sorts of attention from NHL scouts.

VEES THIS WEEK

We’re back on the air-waves on EZ Rock tonight as Boston Pizza Vees This Week is back after a ‘bye’ week. We’ll chat with Eddie Gregory of the Burnaby Express to preview Friday’s tilt at the SOEC, also new Interior Confernece Power Rankings, Weekend Highlights, a chat with Fred Harbinson after sweeping the Island, and other shenanigans.

CJHL NATIONAL RANKINGS & OTHER NON-SENSE

The Vees fell a spot to fifth in the CJHL National Rankings while Vernon remains at 3rd in the nation. The Kingston Voyageurs (OJAHL) and Dauphin Kings (MJHL) who play in vastly weaker leagues than the BCHL are listed in the top four.

Again, I’ll mention the need for more transparancy in the process of ranking teams from coast to caost. If there is a formula, what is it!?? Is there a ouija board quotient?!

Fixtures: The Interior conference power rankings, game highlights, BCHL news, and Murray’s answering Machine.

Also, we catch up on Robert Skinner’s whereabouts with Rob Facca of Northern Michigan, meet Californian rookie sensation Beau Bennett, and talk with HC/GM Fred Harbinson after a big win over Vernon.

******** Sorry for the late posting. In related news, the Barley Mill Canucks suffered a disheartening loss on Monday…

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* 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 first round of CJHL national rankings have been released and to nobody’s surprise, the reigning RBC Cup Champion (and bitter rival) Vernon Vipers are on the top of the heap. Other BCHL squads garnering attention are the Salmon Arm Silverbacks (#7) and the Penticton Vees (who drew an honorable mention). No teams from the Coastal Conference were mentioned.

Would anybody be shocked if those that make the national rankings also like the Phillies, Steelers, Lakers and Penguins?

Black Press (The Penticton Western News is the local fish-wrap) has come out with their Interior Predictions and have the Vees slotted in behind the Vipers and Silverbacks, good for 3rd in the Conference.

Hockey Now also has a season preview for the Interior Conference up. Though, I’m still trying to figure out who ‘Sean Bonnor’ is??!!

Now it’s your turn. What do you think?

At this point we really don’t know much. Each team is (0-0-0-0) until puck hits ice on Friday.

I can’t wait!

Former teammates Austin Smith, Anthony Perdicaro and Curtis McKenzie were all part of the 2008 BCHL Champs that broke a 22 year drought for the city of Penticton. Just a year and a half later, the trio are all getting accolades for their potential to contribute as professionals.

Pesty 20-year-old Anthony Perdicaro (whose favorite player is Sean Avery) will be at the Great Falls Phantoms (American Hockey League) training camp this month after 2 years in the BCHL. If he doesn’t make the squad he’ll be with the Wheeling Nailers of the East Coast Hockey League.

Colgate Raiders Sniper Austin Smith will forever be remembered in Penticton for scoring the first goal in each game of a sweep of the Nanaimo Clippers in the BCHL final, but in Dallas, TX the hometown kid is just starting to draw attention after a fantastic freshman season in the ECAC. Smith is ranked 17th among Starts prospects.

Fellow Stars draft pick and one of the youngest captains in Penticton hockey history, Curtis McKenzie, is also climbing the prospect ranking in the Dallas system. Heading into his freshman year at Miami of Ohio Curtis led the Vees in Goals, PPG, SHG, GWG, Points, and PIMs last year at the tender age of 17. C-Mac is listed at #16.

Quite a crop that was in 07/08.

* I’ve been getting lots of e-mails regarding the pre-season round robin in Trail and whether or not we will be broadcasting the game. No - Al and I won’t be on the air from the Cominco Arena in Trail, but yes - we will be covering the event on the Vees Blog. We’ll have a live blog going on during Vees games where you can add your two cents or ask questions as I provide updates throughout the action. Here’s an example of ‘Cover It Live’ live blogging in action.

If you have any questions for me, Al Formo, or any other member of the club (players, coaches, trainer, bus driver, doctor, ect.) feel free to pass them along and I’ll do my best to address them during the ‘blog-cast’ (I think I just made up a word). Also, you can hit me with preemptive strikes at VeesVoice(at)gmail(dot)com.

* Here’s a great story from Vernon, where a one of the feared Warwick Brothers of the 1955 World Champion Vees has a treasured piece of history back.

In other ‘55 Vees news Ivan McLelland spoke Sunday night at Vees training camp. Following his speech Ivan was asked by Sean Bonar to sign his goalie mask which depicts the legendary Vees net-minder in action. Ivan says he’ll sign the gear and is honoured Sean thought to ask.

* Former Vees Evan Trupp and Brett Hextall will be leaned upon in Grand Forks, ND this season. The Fighting Sioux are ranked 7th in the nation by ‘The College Hockey Blog’.

The Fighting Sioux were bounced by the New Hampshire Wildcats in the opening round of the Frozen Four

* Dylan Olsen has been named the named top recruit in the WCHA & CCHA by ‘The Western College Hockey Blog’. The Camrose Kodiak is pals with Vees Alum Curtis McKenzie and played against the Vees in the 2008 Doyle Cup.

The Blackhawks nabbed Olsen with the 28th pick in June’s NHL Entry Draft.

* Former Vees AP Michael Boivin has committed to Colorado College. Nabbed by the Clippers after playing in Nanaimo with the Vees, Boivin has played a huge role on the Clippers blue-line.

NHL’s Central Scouting has released their final rankings for the 2009 draft.

The 17-year-old ‘Golden (BC) Boy’ is ranked 89th among North American skaters, up from 158th in the mid-term rankings.

Other BCHLers ranked include Curtis Gedig of Cowichan Valley (115th), Cory Kane of the Vernon Vipers (117th), Spencer Bennett of the Surrey Eagles (142nd), Kyle Bigos - also of the BCHL Champion Vipers - (169th) and Prince George Spruce King Wes McLeod (200th).

Here are my conversations with C-Mac himself and Vees Head Coach & GM Fred Harbinson via phone line.

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