Make it ten in a row for the Penticton Vees, as they crushed the visiting Victoria Grizzlies 6-2 on Wednesday.
Beau Bennett had a pair of goals and Joey LaLeggia had two assists in their return from the World Junior ‘A’ Challenge. Ryan Viselli, Eric Filiou, Garrett Milan and Denver Manderson also had two point nights as the Vees scored 5 straight after the Grizzlies opened the scoring.
Captain Manderson now has 50 points on the season and has recorded a point in each of his last 10 games. Denver is four points behind Salmon Arm Silverback Mark Zengerle in the BCHL scoring race, with two games in hand.
Americans Luke Curadi and Joey Holka also scored for the Vees who haven’t lost since the 9th of October when Vernon beat them at home in overtime. The Vees remain 3 points back of the Vipers for top spot in the league.
1600 fans saw rookie Joel Rumpel earn his eighth win of the season stopping 26 of 28 shots, as Sean Bonar got a night off after being named the MVP of the World Jr. ‘A’ Challenge on Sunday. At the other end of the ice Colin Fernandes faced 39 shots and suffered the loss.
The Grizzlies got goals from Gregory Simpson and Nick Buchanan in a losing cause with Alex Allan, Dustin Mowrey, Brad Pawlowski and Joel Lowry adding assists.
The Vees power play went 2/4 with all four man-advantages coming in the third period. In the second the Vees took their only two penalties, and killed them both.
Earlier in the day Adam Zamec was traded to the Wellington Dukes of the CCHL in Ontario for future considerations. Pentictonite Logan Johnston has been named an alternate captain of the club with his departure.
Next action for the blue, black and white is a home-and-home series with the Westside Warriors, which kicks off on Friday night at the SOEC in Penticton. Both games start at 7:00 PM with the pre-game show starting at 6:45 on EZ Rock.
Vees Head Coach and General Manager Fred Harbinson has traded Adam Zamec to the Wellington Dukes of the CCHL (Central Canadian Hockey League) for future considerations.
The second year, 20-year-old forward had a goal and two assists in 11 games this season after a late start due to off season surgery. Named an alternate captain last year, Zamec’s best year of junior was in ‘07/’08 when he scored 17 goals for the Ottawa 67’s of the OHL after being traded from Kitchener.
TRUPP TERIFFIC
Evan Trupp has been named a WCHA Player of the Week after recording three goals in two weekend games.
SMITH NAMED TOP RAIDER
Austin Smith was named the Colgate Raiders Male Athlete of the Week after a three goal weekend. Smith was a member of the ‘07/’08 BCHL Champions, and is the only Dallas born hockey player to be drafted by the Stars.
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…)
Amid the usual conversation at the KVS Pub regarding the week that was, the upcoming match-ups, and the storylines of the week in the BCHL was something that seemed to strike a nerve with the Vees Head Coach and GM.
On the heels of their recently released 2010 Watch List, Fred Harbinson was awfully vocal about his displeasure with NHL Central Scouting and their lack of exposure for the BCHL. Fred seemed particularly disappointed with Isaac MacLeod’s absence from the list, and I suppose you can see his point. If a 6′5 17-year-old defender who skates well isn’t a prospect, what is!?
Other topic broached include the team’s precautionary measures regarding the H1N1 flu epidemic (pandemic?!). Fred’s son Freddy (who lives in Wisconsin) is among the growing number of young athletes that have caught the Swine Flu.
Also, Fred walks us through the acquisition of Taylor Peters a big 17-year-old kid who played a full season with the Portland Winterhawks last year. The timing couldn’t be better as the Vees are facing short bench for the next two weeks with the World Jr. ‘A’ Challenge going on in PEI.
With the Burnaby Express in town featuring four former Vees, the home side missing four regulars, and the expected debut of newcomer Taylor Peters there are all sorts of reasons to be at the SOEC tomorrow.
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!
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.
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.
Made in Penticton but residing in Duncan, the Vees will see the world’s largest hockey stick tonight
* The Vees wrap up their 2-game season series with the Cowichan Valley Capitals today in Duncan. Penticton pumped Cowichan 6-1 on October the 7th as captain Denver Manderson record 3 assists.
* In NCAA action this weekend Curtis McKenzie’s hot start with the top ranked Miami Redhawks will see the freshman forward face two former teammates at Michigan State. Zack Joesepher and Trevor Nill currently play for the Spartans and both played with Curtis during the 2008 BCHL Championship season. Here’s a preview of the Division I clash.
* It appears the Clippers and Grizzlies have swung a deal. Hammer tells us the deal sees D - Jake Baker (91) go to Victoria for F - Teal Burns (92) and D - Todd Gebert (90). That’s the third team for Jake Baker and we are just at the quarter poll of the season.
* The Merritt Centennials have added a few bodies to their roster as F - Andrew MacMillan (90) is over his mono and Cameron Dagg is yanked up from Columbia Valley of the KIJHL (Jr. B). No idea why the Cents want another young goalie (they allready have two)… Nevermind one who is (1-7-0) in Jr. B.
* The Vipers have given D - Nils-Erik Soderlund (90) a full time roster spot… DieHardVipersFan has more.
* 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.
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.
* 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.
Perhaps Fred was taking mercy on a simple play-by-play guy who was facing the proposition of calling a game with three players named ‘Jones’ on Saturday Night, but more likely it was a log-jam on the blue-line that forced a trade.
Utility man Mitchell Jones (who prefers to play Defense, but can play up front) was moved to the Nanaimo Clippers today for the awfully popular ‘Future Considerations’.
Jones impressed early in training camp, but was overshadowed (in this man’s opinion) by Bo Dolan in the pre-season for the final starting job on the blue-line. Then Isaac MacLeod got healthy and things became a lot muddier for the member of the 2009 Cyclone Taylor Cup Champion Richmond Sockeyes (BC’s top Jr. B team).
Jones played up front more than he did on the blue-line and you can’t help but think he’ll have an opportunity for more ice-time on the blue line in his new destination.
