vees:blog

A proud locker-room today, and clearly a lot of respect for a very solid Vernon club that pushed the Vees to the brink.

Have a listen.

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They’re Moving On!

5-2 is the final.

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The biggest crowd of the season will be on hand for tonight’s decisive Game 7. Just rush tickets are available for the game with all seats in the building allready accounted for.

Maximum Capacity at Memorial Arena is 2400, I’d be shocked if there isn’t exactly that number in attendance for tonight’s game.

Who knows, maybe the Fire Marshall is on a fishing trip!!

Puck Drop is 7:00, Pre-Game is 6:30.

Final practice before Game 7.

Here’s Fred

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A full set of players cards and just four fridge magnets, here are the latest Fridge Rankings:

#1 Brett Hextall - Captain has been the Vees best in the post-season - (last rank: 3)

#2 Ryan Wagner - 20-year-old D-man has been a rock on the back end - (last rank: 4)

#3 Kyle McMurphy - Another Vet providing consistancy and heavy hits, not to mention the team’s lead in scoring - (last rank: nada)

#4 Austin Smith - It looked like Smitty was lined up for the winner Saturday Night, but we all know how that ended - (last rank: nada)

Also Recieving Votes: Alex Evin - Game 5 the only hiccup in a solid postseason, Denver Manderson - Showing why he won the Robert Skinner Award of Courage at the Awards Banquet

10 days into the Playoffs, the Vees Blog does some investigative journalism in search of the best beard on the team…

Knudsen Mucahlla Lebreche and Schneider are getting lots of love.

Nic Knudsen is crowned winner moments before a team meeting silenced the room.

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Vernon Victorious: 2-1

Game 7: Tuesday 7:00 Penticton Memorial Arena

Pre-Game: 6:30 EZ Rock

Tickets: Monday/Tuesday 9-5 @ Memorial Arena or (250) 493-8337

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Weirdest game I’ve ever witnessed.

Hands Down.

Game 6 is in Vernon Saturday at 7:00, Pre-Game 6:30 on EZ Rock.

May the best team win!

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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.

Head Coach of the Penticton Vees - Fred Harbinson

(you knew that)

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