Game Recap: Vees double up Silverbacks in Regular Season finale
Photo: Cherie Morgan
PENTICTON, BC- The Penticton Vees rewrote the BCHL record book on Sunday afternoon, beating the Salmon Arm Silverbacks 4-2 at the SOEC in their Regular Season finale.
The Vees established a new single-season win percentage record after they finished the 54-game Regular Season with a 50-3-0-1 record. Their .935 win percentage bested the previous mark of .917 set by the 2011-12 Vees.
Penticton also became the eighth team in BCHL history to hit the 50-win mark and first since the 2015-16 Vees.
Brett Moravec scored twice, and Josh Nadeau and Nic DeGraves added singles. Luca Di Pasquo picked up his league-best 36th win, as he stopped 23 of 25 shots.
Nadeau opened the scoring just 32 seconds into the first, as he scored his 44th goal of the season.
Salmon Arm’s Hayden Stavroff tied the game midway through the first on a Silverbacks’ power play.
In the second, the Vees scored twice to go up by a pair of goals after 40 minutes. Moravec scored on a Vees’ power play two minutes into the middle frame to put Penticton up 2-1. Moravec crashed the crease and buried his own rebound for his 28th goal.
DeGraves added an insurance marker late in the second, as he put a knuckle ball past Salmon Arm’s Matt Tovell at 14:14. DeGraves’ ninth gave the Vees a two goal lead going into the third period.
Moravec put the game to bed with his second of the afternoon into an empty net at 17:39.
Salmon Arm’s Maddux Martin scored a consolation marker with just 20 seconds left in the game.
Immediately following the game, the Vees handed out their annual team awards. Below is the list of winners:
VEES 2022-23 AWARDS
Lang Vineyards Unsung Hero: Jackson Nieuwendyk
Sherwood Brand Solutions Most Improved Player: Owen Simpson
Murray GM Best Conditioned Athlete: Luca Di Pasquo
Canadian Tire Robert Skinner Courage: Ryan Hopkins
Tim Hortons Most Inspirational: Josh Nadeau
Home Hardware Academic Award: Beanie Richter
Chamberlain Property Group Vees on Vees Most Popular: Spencer Smith
Elliott Row Fan Favourite: Bradly & Josh Nadeau
Game Time Sports Leading Scorer: Bradly Nadeau
Penticton Alumni Hockey Club Best Defenceman: Frank Djurasevic
BC Hockey Hall of Fame Rookie of the Year: Aydar Suniev
Making Cents Bookkeeping MVP: Bradly Nadeau
GAME NOTES
The Vees finished with a 27-0-0-0 home record, 26-0-0-0 at the SOEC. One home win credited from the 2022 BCHL Showcase in Chilliwack. The Vees finished the Regular Season with just 96 goals against in 54 games.
GAME STATS
Final Score: 4-2, Vees
Shots: 42-25, Vees
Vees PP: 1/6
Vees PK: 2/3
Three Stars:
- Nic DeGraves
- Frank Djurasevic
- Hayden Stavroff (SA)
Attendance: 2,911
Next Game: Friday, March 31, vs. Trail Smoke Eaters, 7:00 pm