Vees hoping to sweep weekend road trip in Lower Mainland
Penticton in Coquitlam tonight, followed by Langley and Surrey
Three weekend road wins would go a long way towards a seventh straight Interior Division pennant for the Penticton Vees.
But president, GM and head coach Fred Harbinson is insisting the Vees can’t look too far ahead as they get set to face the Coquitlam Express tonight at 7 p.m., Langley Rivermen on Saturday at 7 p.m., and Surrey Eagles on Sunday at 4 p.m.
“We knew coming into Wednesday’s game (a 7-1 home win over Coquitlam) that we had to attack that game, then attack the game (tonight) and do the same thing for the other two games,” said Harbinson. “We just want to be right there in the mix going into the last week of the (regular) season.”
The Vees are playing seven games in 12 nights to end the season, and the coach said it was depth that helped Penticton blow things open in the third period against Coquitlam.
“We had four forward lines, seven D-men and we just kept coming until the dam finally broke in the third period,” said Harbinson. “We need to have a multitude of guys doing it.”
The Vees got standout rookie defenceman Nicky Leivermann back after a lengthy injury absence, and could get high-scoring forward Dakota Boutin back this weekend from an upper-body ailment.
“For the first time really all season, we’ve had some healthy scratches,” said Harbinson. “We’ve had to make some tough decisions. The guys that don’t play every night have to be good teammates and be ready when their chance comes. That’s what helped us win a championship last season.”
Both goaltenders have been sensational of late, and Harbinson said after Adam Scheel starts tonight, he’ll go “game by game” for the rest of the weekend.
“A lot of factors will play into it,” said Harbinson. “We’ve got a lot of confidence in Adam and Hildy (Nolan Hildebrand).”
The Vees (36-11-2-3) remain two points ahead of Vernon Vipers, with Penticton having six games left and Vernon only five. Wenatchee Wild are in third place, four behind the Vees with five games left.
Harbinson said the players and coaches want to win the division and the President’s Trophy for most points in the BCHL.
“Why not?” said Harbinson. “If you’re an athlete, if you’ve got a heartbeat, you want to finish first in anything you do. We set lofty goals with this organization and we strive for the top.”
As for their Mainland Division opponents this weekend, all three have been struggling of late.
Coquitlam (14-36-1-3) has lost six straight and is mired in last place, but could clinch the final BCHL wild-card playoff berth with a win tonight or a Cowichan Valley Capitals loss in Nanaimo.
If the season ended today, the Vees would face Coquitlam in the first round starting with Games 1 and 2 on March 2-3 at the South Okanagan Events Centre.
Langley (22-19-10-2) and Surrey (24-21-6-2) are locked in a three-way tie with the Chilliwack Chiefs for second place in the Mainland.
Prince George has first placed locked up.
“All three teams have been up and down, but they’re dangerous — especially in their own buildings,” said Harbinson. “Langley and Surrey both get to sit and rest while we play the night before, so they’ll be coming with energy trying to get back on track and challenging for second place in their division.”
ICE CHIPS: As expected, the old Doyle Cup format will be re-introduced this season, with the BCHL and Alberta league champs meeting in a best-of-seven series to determine the Pacific region representative for the RBC Cup, which is actually being hosted by the Chilliwack Chiefs this season. The Vees won the last Doyle Cup in 2012 over Brooks Bandits en route to winning the RBC Cup. In the unlikely event that Chilliwack wins the BCHL title, the Chiefs and their Doyle Cup opponent would both qualify for the RBC Cup in May.