Game Preview: Vees vs. Surrey Eagles (Game Six)

BROADCAST INFORMATION

Game Time: 5:00 pm PST

Location: SOEC, Penticton

Radio: Bounce 800 AM

Webcast: Flo Hockey 

Penticton Vees

President, GM & Head Coach: Fred Harbinson

Regular Season Record: GP 54 38-10-3-3, 1^st Interior Conference

Playoff Record: 14-7

Last Game: 4-0 Loss at Surrey (May 24)

Home: 8-3

Away: 6-4

GF: 52

GA: 39

Power Play: (7/40) 17.5%

Penalty Kill: (6/34) 82.4%

Scoring Leader: Callum Arnott (8-9-17)

The Vees look to extend the series to a Game Seven on Tuesday, as they face elimination in the Fred Page Cup against the Surrey Eagles.

Penticton is facing elimination after their 4-0 loss to the Eagles in Game Five on Friday at South Surrey Arena. The Eagles got out to another quick start, as they scored twice in just over a minute to go up 2-0 in the first seven minutes.

The Vees will be needing to have a good start, especially how this series has played out. Penticton has only scored two first period goals in this series and has only scored first in one of the first five games. The Vees have been outscored 7-2 in the first period in this series and their goal differential is minus four in the first in the playoffs. Goes without saying a good start will be a necessary to win Game Six.

Penticton has bounced back after shutout losses in the playoffs. Go back to the Salmon Arm series, they were shutout in Game One 2-0 and responded by scoring eight goals over their next two games, both wins. Go back to Game One against Surrey, they lose 6-0 and rebound to score six goals over their next two games, both wins.

Will Ingemann is tonight’s projected starter. Ingemann will the first to admit his numbers haven’t been good this series (.883 save percentage), but he has been excellent in the playoffs and has been clutch in elimination games. Ingemann is 3-0 with a 1.35 goals-against average and .941 save percentage in three elimination games. Two of those wins came when the Vees were facing elimination against Salmon Arm, including a 28-save shutout in Game Six.

The Vees are 8-3 at the SOEC in the playoffs and a ninth win keeps the Fred Page Cup in its case for at least one more game.

Surrey Eagles

GM & Head Coach: Cam Keith

Regular Season Record: GP 54 44-8-0-2, 1^st Coastal Conference

Playoff Record: 15-8

Last Game: 4-0 win vs. Penticton (May 24)

Home: 10-3

Away: 5-5

GF: 76

GA: 50

Power Play: (14/66) 21.2%

Penalty Kill: (15/47) 68.1%

Scoring Leader: Micah Burger (11-14-25)

Surrey is one win away from their first Fred Page Cup championship in over a decade. The Eagles are looking for their fifth title and first since 2013, when ironically enough, they won in six games against the Vees, with the final win coming in Penticton.

The Eagles have allowed just two goals in the last two games of this series and have shut the Vees out twice in five games. Impressive. Goaltender Ajeet Gundarah has been very impressive against Penticton, posting a 1.43 goals-against average and .950 save percentage in five games. The Eagles’ defence has also done a very good job of boxing out and not letting the Vees get to secondary opportunities.

Surrey’s best line in this series has arguably been Micah Berger, Zachary Wagnon, and Evan Brown. The three have combined for 13 points in five games. Berger leads the Eagles with three goals and five points in this series. Brown also has five points (2G, 3A) and Wagnon has chipped in with three points (1G, 2A). The emergence of that line has given the Eagles two very dangerous lines, as Caden Cranston, Ryden Evers, and Aaron Schwartz have a combined nine points. A tough task in the match up game for the opposition.

The Eagles are 5-5 on the road and are coming off an impressive 3-2 road win in Game Four. Can they do it again to clinch the BCHL championship?