Vees skid to 19th in junior hockey weekly rankings

Three regulation losses and another in overtime has sent the Penticton Vees plummeting in the Canadian Junior Hockey League weekly rankings in the past fortnight.

The Vees, who started the season at No. 1, went from No. 2 to No. 7 and now to No. 19 after going 2-3-1-0 in their last six games.

Still, the Vees (10-3-1-1) are tied with Langley for the fewest regulation losses in the B.C. Hockey League, with Langley also having lost six times in overtime.

The Trail Smoke Eaters, who beat the visiting Vees 4-1 on Saturday, are now the highest-ranked BCHL team at No. 16, while the Vernon Vipers earned an honourable mention just below the top 20.

Vernon leads the Interior Division with 26 points, while Trail is second at 25 with a game in hand.

The undefeated Thief River Falls Norskies of the Superior International Junior Hockey League remain No. 1, Battleford North Stars (Saskatchewan league) No. 2 and Okotoks Oilers No. 3. The Carleton Place Canadians (Central Canada league) moved up one spot to No. 4 and Les Cobras de Terrebonne (Quebec league) jumped up four spots to round out the top five.

The Vees are back in action on Friday at 7 p.m. as they head to Royal LePage Place to take on the West Kelowna Warriors. The two teams are tied for fourth place in the Interior, but the Vees have played three fewer games.

The Island Division-leading Powell River Kings then visit the South Okanagan Events Centre to take on the Vees in a 6 p.m. puck-drop on Saturday. ICE CHIPS: The Vees’ power play has struggled in the last six games, and is now last in the Interior Division at 17.6 per cent (13-for-74). The Vees’ penalty killing has also dropped off but remains the best in the Interior and second overall at 87.5 per cent (9 goals allowed in 72 chances). Alberni Valley is marginally better at 87.6 per cent. Salmon Arm has the best power play at 24.8 per cent . . . . Vees D Kenny Johnson has one more game to serve on a four-game suspension for a check to the head infraction Oct. 21 at Wenatchee. The Vees hope to get F Chris Klack (punctured lung) back this weekend. Klack has missed the last six games . . . . F Owen Sillinger leads the Vees in points with 14 and is tied with F Dakota Boutin for most goals with six, while D Nicky Leivermann leads the team in assists with nine.