Penticton Vees will play for the Fred Page Cup after completing sweep of the West Kelowna Warriors

Photo: Wayne Moore

Plenty of tears were shed Wednesday night around Royal LePage Place.

Tears of joy from a few hundred Penticton Vees fans and their heroes after capturing another Interior Conference title, and tears of sadness on the faces of the West Kelowna Warriors players and many of their fans after their season and, for many, junior careers, came to a sudden end.

What most thought would be a long, close series, was anything but, as the Vees completed a four-game sweep of the best-of-seven series 6-1 before a sold out crowd of 1,384 inside Royal LePage Place.

"Salmon Arm and Vernon probably took more of a toll on us with physicality," said head coach and GM Simon Ferguson after addressing his players.

"The last series, I said we got all the bounces and some lucky goals, and I feel like it went the opposite way this series.

"The penalties were against us, the bounces were against us. You create a little bit of your own luck, and we'll learn from it for next year."

The Warriors desperately needed to flip the script coming into game four with their season on the line after dropping the opening three games by a combined score of 19-3.

They got what they needed, the opening goal, when Nick Roukounakis banged home a rebound after the most concerted pressure of the entire series.

But, the lead lasted just 38 seconds. Jackson Neiuwendyk won a battle for the puck behind the Warriors net and, before Johnny Derrick knew where it was, Nieuwendyk took a few strides toward the net and stuffed the puck home.

Ethan Mann bagged the eventual game winner late in the period tapping home Nieuwendyk's pass near the top of the crease.

The Vees extended the lead to two midway through the second on the power play, then rode the stellar goaltending of Kaeden Lane to victory.

Lane, the game's number one star, made several key stops, including a spectacular save on a back door one-timer in the dying seconds of the second period with the Vees shorthanded.

Penticton closed it in the third with three unanswered goals, including two with Derrick on the bench for an extra attacker and the Warriors desperately looking for a way to extend their season.

Despite the loss, Ferguson says he's proud of the players and proud of the way they competed both in the series and throughout the entire season.

"If you think about where this team came from, when I got here two years ago...sitting in last place eight points out of playoffs to third place in the entire league and make it to the final four against a really experienced team."

The Warriors will say goodbye to at least 14 players who are leaving either due to graduation of U.S. college commitments. Among those, five defencemen and starting netminder Johnny Derrick.

The rebuilding has already begun with several key recruits already signed and committed for next season.

For the Vees, the season will continue when they face the Nanaimo Clippers for the Fred Page Cup. The clippers advanced sweeping the Langley Rivermen in four games Wednesday.

That series is expected to begin a week from Friday at the South Okanagan Events Centre.