Penticton Vees head to Interior Conference Final, after 5-2 win over Cranbrook Bucks

Photo: Trevor Crawley

The Penticton Vees are gearing up to once again play in the Interior Conference Final, after their 5-2 win over the Cranbrook Bucks on Thursday at Western Financial Place.

The Penticton Vees are gearing up to once again play in the Interior Conference Final, after their 5-2 win over the Cranbrook Bucks on Thursday at Western Financial Place.

The team swept the best-of-seven series against Cranbrook, in total winning eight straight games to open the 2025 Rogers BCHL Playoffs.

They go on to face the Brooks Bandits in the final round, which begins May 2 in Penticton.

Five goals from five different Vees players took place, including Max Heise, Luke Posthumus, Callum Stone, Caton Ryan, and Matthew Biotti.

Goaltender Ethan Buenaventura stood strong again in net for the Vees, keeping his perfect record intact as he stopped 23 of 25 shots.

Posthumus opened the scoring in the first period after he took a rebound shot from in the Bucks’ crease and buried it in the back of the net.

The lead wouldn't last, with Cranbrook’s Jordan Murray tying the game at 1-1 just 21 seconds after Posthumus scored.

The score would hold at 1-1 up until the final two minutes of the second period, when the Vees scored twice in half a minute.

Stone put Penticton ahead first with a shot from the blueline that found its way through a crowd and past the Bucks’ Jaden Cholette.

Then Ryan made it 3-1 when he beat Cholette on the stick side for a goal after a pass from Anselmo Rego.

Penticton continued to add on in the third, with Heise scoring on the power play when he tipped in Ryan Evers’ pass to make it 4-1.

Cranbrook’s Grant Denuccio made an effort to cut the Vees' lead, with his shot from the wall finding its way in through in the third to make it 4-2.

Bu the Bucks’ comeback wouldn't come to fruition, with Biotti making the final goal of the game on an empty net to finish off the Vees win at 5-2.

The Vees are back on home ice for their first game of the final on Friday, May 2, versus the Brooks Bandits. Puck drop at 7 p.m. at the SOEC.