GAME PREVIEW: Vees Eye Three Wins In A Row In Sunday Matinee vs. Centennials
PHOTO: Cherie Morgan/Cherie Morgan Photography
The Penticton Vees (12-3-1-0) look to finish off the weekend with a victory with a matinee affair in the Nicola Valley against the Merritt Centennials (4-10-0-0) at the Nicola Valley Memorial Arena on Sunday afternoon.
REGULAR SEASON SCHEDULE VS. MERRITT
Friday, September 13th @ Nicola Valley Memorial Arena (7-3 Vees) (BOXSCORE)
Sunday, October 27th @ Nicola Valley Memorial Arena (2:00 PM)
Friday, November 29th @ Nicola Valley Memorial Arena (7:00 PM)
Saturday, November 30th @ South Okanagan Events Centre (6:00 PM)
Friday, January 17th @ South Okanagan Events Centre (7:00 PM)
Friday, January 24th @ South Okanagan Events Centre (7:00 PM)
Penticton comes into the Sunday afternoon affair after a 4-3 overtime victory over the Chilliwack Chiefs on Saturday night at the Chilliwack Coliseum. Colton Kalezic, Lukas Sillinger and Evan McIntyre all scored in regulation before Steve Holtz played the hero in overtime. Carl Stankowski made his first start as a member of the Vees, turning aside 26 of the 29 shots he faced in his first career BCHL victory.
The Vees opened the season series between the two Interior Division foes with a 7-3 victory in the early stages of the year in September. Danny Weight scored twice in the game while Alex DiPaolo, Tristan Amonte, Cade Webber, Vincent Nardone and Lach Hadley added singles in the victory. Yaniv Perets stood tall in the Vees crease, turning aside 26 of the 29 shots he faced in the victory in between the pipes.
Vees Leading Scorers:
Jay O’Brien (9-16-25)
Lukas Sillinger (6-13-19)
Danny Weight (8-10-18)
David Silye (5-11-16)
Colton Kalezic (7-6-13)
Points in four of his last five games sees Vees forward Alex DiPaolo with two goals and three assists for five points over that span. The University of Massachusetts-Amherst native opened the scoring in the last matchup between the Vees and Centennials and now sits at 20 goals and 37 assists for 57 points in 70 career BCHL games.
Vees captain David Silye earned another two-point effort on Saturday night with a pair of assists and comes into Sunday afternoon’s contest with points in each of his last three games. The Clarkson University commit has registered a goal and four assists for five points over that span and sits 4th on the team in scoring with 16 points on the season.
With four goals in back-to-back games, the Vees are tied for second in the league in goals for with 66 tallies on the season, tied with the Cowichan Valley Capitals for goals for. Penticton owns the best goal differential in the BCHL with a +27 rating and have surrendered the third least goals against at 39 on the season.
The Merritt Centennials come into Sunday afternoon’s matchup after earning a 4-0 victory over the Langley Rivermen on Friday night at the Nicola Valley Memorial Arena. Josh Kagan, Chase Nameth, Rylan Van Unen and Thomas Manty scored the goals for the Centennials while Ryan Winter shined in the Merritt crease, making saves on all 48 shots he faced for his first career BCHL shutout and 2nd win of the season.
Centennials Scoring Leaders:
Josh Kagan (9-5-14)
Payton Matsui (4-6-10)
Brett Roloson (4-5-9)
Daniel Tkac (4-5-9)
Thomas Manty (4-4-8)
One of the most consistent performers for the Centennials this season has come in the way of goaltender Ryan Winter as the 20-year-old boasts terrific numbers including his 48-save shutout of the Rivermen on Friday night. The Owen Sound, Ontario native holds a 3.48 goals against average and a .913 save percentage through 10 games played this season while facing an average of 38 shots against.
The Cents added a big piece to their offence since the last time these two teams met coming in the way of forward Josh Kagan, who they acquired from the Cowichan Valley Capitals in late September. The Winnipeg, Manitoba native has registered 5 goals and 2 assists for 7 points in his 8 games with Merritt, including coming into Sunday’s affair riding a four-game point streak. Over that span, Kagan has produced 4 goals and 2 assists for 6 points and sits atop the Centennials leading scorers with 14 points on the year.
Finding his way in the BCHL as a rookie has been forward Thomas Manty, who enters Sunday’s game with points in four of his last five contests. The Andover, Massachusetts native has scored 3 goals and added 3 assists for 6 points in that span with 6 of his 8 points on the season coming over the last handful of games. Manty sits 5th on the team in points with 8 while his 4 goals ranks him in a tie for 3rd on the Centennials roster.
The Vees and Centennials drop the puck at 2:00 PM from the Nicola Valley Memorial Arena this afternoon with the pre-game show getting underway at 1:40 PM on EZ Rock AM 800 as well as HockeyTV.com with the Voice of the Vees, Trevor Miller.