Photo: Jack Murray
The Penticton Vees began their second round BCHL playoff series against the Cranbrook Bucks with a 3-1 win, Friday at the South Okanagan Events Centre
The Penticton Vees began round two of the playoff series with a 3-1 win over the Cranbrook Bucks, Friday at the South Okanagan Events Centre.
The Vees scored in each of the three periods, with goals from Simon Meier, Caton Ryan, and Louie Wehman.
Meie started the scoring seven minutes into the gam, heading down the wing, before his centering pass intended for Brock Reinhart at the back post, ended up deflecting off a defenceman’s skate and past the goalie into net.
Next, Ryan scored on five-on-three power play five minutes into the second to make it 2-0. He shot a one-timer over the goalie’s blocker.
Cranbrook’s Rasmus Svartström cut the Vees lead in half late in the second, as he scored on a rebound on Vees goaltender Will Ingemann.
Wehmann scored before the two-minute mark in the third period, extending the Vees lead to 3-1.
The Vees are back for a home game in game two on Saturday night, with puck drop at 6 p.m.
Photo: Penticton Vees
The Penticton Vees are set to face the Cranbrook Bucks in Round Two of the 2025 Rogers BCHL Playoffs, which begins Friday, April 18,
The Penticton Vees will be going up against the Cranbrook Bucks for round two of the 2025 Rogers BCHL Playoffs, which begins this Friday at the South Okanagan Events Centre.
The series will be the first ever playoff matchup between the two franchises and while Penticton won all four regular season meetings against Cranbrook, both are coming with ferocity to the games.
Penticton advanced after their four-game sweep of the Okotoks Oilers, while Cranbrook beat the Trail Smoke Eaters in six games, clinching the series Sunday with a 1-0 win at home.
Th Bucks made history Sunday by advancing to the second round of the playoffs, which is a first for them in their five-year history.
The round two playoff schedule is as follows:
- Game 1: Friday, April 18th, Cranbrook at Penticton, 7 p.m. PDT
- Game 2: Saturday, April 19th, Cranbrook at Penticton, 6 p.m. PDT
- Game 3: Wednesday, April 23rd, Penticton at Cranbrook, 7 p.m.MDT
- Game 4: Thursday, April 24th, Penticton at Cranbrook, 7 p.m. MDT
- Game 5: Saturday, April 26th, Cranbrook at Penticton, 6 p.m. PDT*
- Game 6: Sunday, April 27th, Penticton at Cranbrook, 6 p.m. MDT*
- Game 7: Tuesday, April 29th, Cranbrook at Penticton, 7 p.m. PDT*
*If necessary
The Chamberlain Property Group is the presenting sponsor of the Vees playoffs.
The Vees are teaming up with the SOEC and Cannery Brewing to offer a playoff combo pack for every home playoff game.
Fans can get a game ticket, a Cannery Vees Lager (473 ml), and small popcorn, for $30. Tickets are designated for sections 103-105, and 112-115 only. Tickets are available to purchase in person only at the Valley First box office at the SOEC (Must be legal drinking age).
Single game playoff tickets are on sale and are $19 for adults. Local youth 18 and under are free, courtesy of Peters Bros. Construction.
Tickets are available at the Valley First box office, or online at www.valleyfirsttix.com
Photo: Penticton Vees
Photo: West Kelowna Warriors
The West Kelowna Warriors gave the Brooks Bandits all they could handle but, in the end, it just wasn’t good enough.
Nick Peluso scored his third of the night and his second overtime winner of the series Friday night as the Bandits edged the Warriors 5-4 to win the best-of-seven Interior Conference quarter-final series in five.
But, what the series lacked in length, it made up for in dramatics.
The final three games of the series all were decided by one goal, two of those in overtime.
The difference at the end of the day, the Bandits ability to score when they absolutely had to. The Warriors were unable to get that crucial “next” goal when it really mattered.
Axel Lofgren scored twice, including the overtime forcing goal. Jackson Kyrkostas and Elias Callgren, easily the best Warrior over the last six weeks, also scored.
Callgren opened the scoring just 79 seconds into the game. Joey Macrina led a two-on-one rush, evaded a diving defender, and sent a pass to the top of the crease that Callgren was able to direct past Zach Zahara.
Peluso scored back-to-back goals 12 minutes apart to give the Bandits a 2-1 lead after 20.
Lofgren tied it early in the second, blasting a one-timer from the left half wall.
Brooks jumped on the Warriors in the third, getting goals 2:31 apart early in the third to take a 4-2 lead.
Kyrkostas got one back midway through the third, beating Zahara on a power play breakaway.
Then, with time running out on their season and Edouard Gauthier on the bench for an extra attacker, Tyler Grahme won an offensive zone faceoff back to Lofgren at the right point who wired a seeing-eye wrist shot through a maze of legs to force overtime.
The Warriors had chances to extend their season, especially on an overtime power play, but were unable to beat Zahara.
But, with less than nine minutes left in the first overtime period, Peluso leaned into a shot from the top of the right circle, beating Gauthier to send the Bandits into the second round and the Warriors home sooner than they would have liked.
The Warriors outshot Brooks 40-29, including 5-3 in overtime.
The Bandits will face either Trail or Sherwood Park in the next round.
Photo: Chad Goddard
The Penticton Vees are heading to round two of the BCHL playoffs after their 4-2 win over the Okotoks Oilers on Wednesday night.
The Vees swept the Oilers in four straight games and have earned a spot in the Interior Conference semi-final series.
GAME STATS
Shots: Vees- 32 Oilers-17
Scoring: Caton Ryan, Anselmo Rego, Luke Posthumus, Conyr Hellyer
Goaltending: Ethan Buenaventura (W)- 60:00, 15/17
Vees Power Play: 0/1
Vees Penalty Kill: 1/1
Three Stars:
1) Conyr Hellyer (1G)
2) Anselmo Rego (1G, 1A)
3) Jackson Rowland (1G)
Penticton's next game will take place on Friday, April 18 for round two. Their opponent is still to be determined.
Photo: Wayne Moore
The West Kelowna Warriors face a monumental uphill battle if they hope to advance any further in the BC Hockey League playoffs.
The Warriors again fell behind early but were unable to mount a comeback, falling 2-1 to the Brooks Bandits Wednesday at Royal LePage Place.
The loss puts the Warriors on the brink of elimination, falling behind 3-1 in the best-of-seven first round series.
The Bandits struck first on the first shot of the game in the opening minute.
Luke Bibby got a pass in the neutral zone, got behind the Warriors defence and beat Edouard Gauthier to the glove side with a wrist shot from the left circle.
Just 26 seconds after the opening faceoff and the Warriors found themselves already chasing the game.
Eight minutes later following a scrum in front of the Bandits net the officials asked for a video review of the play. Many in attendance assumed they were looking at an apparent cross check to the side of Elias Callgren’s head.
Instead, the officials assessed Warriors’ forward Joey Macrina a four-minute high sticking penalty.
Parker Lalonde made the Warriors pay, getting two swipes at the puck from the edge of the crease before sliding the puck past Gauthier’s outstretched pad.
Another slow start and another hold for the Warriors to try and dig out of.
“Yeah, we battled against two crews again today. I thought we battled hard, but it is what it is,” said head coach Simon Ferguson.
“We knew we had to win another game to stay alive, and it didn’t matter when it came, it could have been yesterday, it could have been today, it could be tomorrow.
“We were up last year and watched a team come back. Teams that are down 3-1 come back, so we have to narrow it down to the small things, win the first period and the first 10 minutes.”
The Warriors did battle back in the second and were finally rewarded when Jackson Kyrkostas after a five-on-three had expired, took a cross-crease pass from Axel Lofgren and buried a one-timer past Zach Zahara.
They had some chances later in the second and throughout the third but were unable to mount any sustained pressure against a stingy Bandits defence.
Jack Sawodski had the best chance, sending a backhand off the post on another Warriors power play in the third.
The Warriors were kept at bay for much of the night, managing just 22 shots on Zahara including just six over the final 20 minutes.
The series now shifts back to Brooks for game five, and potentially the final game of the season for the Warriors.
Should they win Friday to extend the series, game six would be back at Royal LePage Place 5 p.m. Sunday.
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