Playoffs ahead for Vees

A record regular season has wrapped up for the Penticton Vees, and the defending Fred Page Cup champions now shift their focus to the second season, which begins on Friday.

Penticton locked up a BCHL-record seventh-straight division title, as well as top spot in the league with a record of 40-12-3-3 on the year.

Their first-place finish was made official after a 5-1 home win on Saturday night against the Wenatchee Wild.

Head coach and general manager Fred Harbinson said he thought his team did a good job at carrying momentum from an 8-1 win in Salmon Arm into Saturday's key matchup.

"Getting the 5-1 win, in front of a great crowd with just an unbelievable atmosphere, was exciting for everybody," he said.

The Vees also set a national Junior A attendance record this season, the team announced on Tuesday, as they averaged 3,055 fans per game at the South Okanagan Events Centre.

Harbinson, who is in his 11th year at the helm of the Vees, credited fans for their support.

"A few years back we used to talk about hoping to get 2,000 fans, and that it would be a dream to average 2,500. To average well over 3,000 over the 28 games is amazing."

Thanks to their finish atop the league standings, the Vees will have home-ice advantage throughout playoffs. 

They will see the 16th-ranked Coquitlam Express (15-38-1-4) in round one, beginning with two games at the SOEC on Friday and Saturday night.

The Vees downed the Express twice earlier this month — earning a 7-1 win on Feb. 14 and a 5-1 win two nights later.  

Harbinson pointed out Coquitlam was a better team in the second half of the season, and said no one in the Vees' locker room will be underestimating their opponent.

"They've beaten Vernon twice, they've beaten some real good teams. It was 2-1 in our building in the third period when we played here. The biggest mistake would be to take any team lightly."

Around the Interior Division, the second-place Vernon Vipers open with a playoff series against the Salmon Arm Silverbacks.

The third-place Wild face the Merritt Centennials in round one.

The Trail Smoke Eaters and West Kelowna Warriors, the fourth and fifth-ranked teams, respectively, will see each other in the first round.