Vees and Vipers dropping in rankings despite winning
Despite winning three of four games last week, the Penticton Vees dropped two spots to No. 16 in the Canadian Junior Hockey League weekly rankings.
The Vernon Vipers won two of three on an Island road trip and plummeted from No. 17 to being knocked completely out of the rankings.
The Wenatchee Wild is the only other BCHL team in the rankings, picking up an “honourable mention.”
The Carleton Place Canadians (CCHL) and Okotoks Oilers (AJHL) remained one-two in the rankings, while Steinbach Pistons (MJHL) moved into third, swapping places with the Nipawin Hawks (SJHL). Spruce Grove Saints (AJHL) round out the top five.
The rankings are the furthest thing from the Vees’ minds as they enter the final week of the regular season clinging to top spot in the Interior Division and the BCHL overall standings.
Penticton (38-12-2-3) have a two-point lead on Vernon (37-14-1-4) and fourpoint edge on Wenatchee (36-14-4-1) in the Interior.
Penticton and Wenatchee each have three games left and Vernon only two.
The Vees finish up by playing their final road game Wednesday at 7 p.m. against the Salmon Arm Silverbacks, followed by home games against Wenatchee on Saturday at 6 p.m. and Salmon Arm on Sunday at 2 p.m. at the South Okanagan Events Centre.
The Vees, chasing an unprecedented seventh straight Interior pennant, need to win outright as they would currently lose the tiebreakers to both the Vipers and the Wild.
Penticton would secure first place by garnering at least three points in their final three games.
Wenatchee has a tough week to finish, with road games on Wednesday at West Kelowna, and massive showdowns in Vernon on Friday and Penticton on Saturday.
Vernon’s other game is also at home, as they finish up against the Trail Smoke Eaters on Saturday.
Overall, not a single playoff matchup has been determined going into the last week of the regular season.
Powell River and Victoria are tied for first in the Island Division, with Nanaimo two points back of the co-leaders. Alberni Valley will finish fourth and face the division champ in the first round.
Prince George has clinched first place in the Mainland Division, but Langley, Chilliwack and Surrey are separated by just two points in the battle for second place.
All 16 playoff teams have been decided, and if the season ended today the Vees would face the No. 16 seed Coquitlam Express in a best-of-7, first-round series starting March 2 and March 3 at the SOEC.