Vees blank Bulldogs in home opener
After an uneven start to the season, the Penticton Vees enjoyed a weekend to build off of. Jack LaFontaine kicked out 23 shots for his first BCHL shutout and David Silye had a goal and an assist as the Vees beat the Alberni Valley Bulldogs in their BCHL home opener Saturday in front of 3,410 fans at the South Okanagan Events Centre.
The Vees also beat the Merritt Centennials 6-3 in their first Interior Division matchup of the young season Friday in Merritt.
“It was a huge weekend for us,” said the 20-year-old LaFontaine, a draft pick of the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes. “We need to ride the momentum. You ride the highs and try to manage the lows.”
Andre Ghantous also scored for the Vees (4-3-0), who could easily have won by five or six if not for some terrific netminding by John Hawthorne, who made 33 saves.
“It was a gutty effort,” said Vees GM/head coach Fred Harbinson. “We had three good periods. We didn’t give them a lot.” LaFontaine agreed. “Anytime you hold a team under 25 shots, you should be in good shape,” he said. “Our defensively play has been real good and tonight it was exceptional.”
After a scoreless first period completely dominated by the Vees, the home side finally broke through as Ghantous scored from a scramble at 4:02 of the second from Silye and Lukas Sillinger.
It stayed that way until Silye beat Hawthorne with a terrific short side shot just under the crossbar with 2:29 to play.
A minute earlier, Ghantous had set up Drew Elser on a 2-on-0 break but Hawthorne got across to make a sensational toe save.
Alberni got Hawthorne to the bench for an extra skater and used their timeout with 2:11 to go but couldn’t breach the Vees stout defence.
Silye, who spent the last two seasons with the Nanaimo Clippers, is tied for second in BCHL scoring with 12 points, including five goals.
“He’s a phenomenal player,” said LaFontaine. “He’s got skill, a great shot, he skates well and he never takes a day off.”
The acquisitions of 20-year-old veterans Ghantous and Brendan Harrogate sparked the Vees on the weekend, with both players registering two goals and an assist.
“They bring maturity, but they also set a great example with their work ethic,” said LaFontaine. “They’re two guys who work their tails off.”
LaFontaine, who spent the last two seasons at University of Michigan and will return there after this season, believes the “sky is the limit” for the Vees in 2018-19.
“We have so much upside with this group,” said the 6’ 3” American goaltender. “We’re still building chemistry, getting to know each other better. We’re not even close to being near our peak. It’s still very early.”
With Ghantous and Harrogate in the mix and standout forwards Massimo Rizzo and Cassidy Bowes projected to return from injuries before the end of October, the Vees could challenge for an eighth straight Interior pennant.
“It’s scary to think what we’ll be like when we get our captain (Rizzo) and assistant captain (Bowes) back,” said LaFontaine. “Right now I think we’re playing with a bit of a chip on our shoulders. We want to show people we can win games without them. When we get them back, we’ll be that much stronger.”
The Vees get a big test this weekend as they play a home-andhome with arch-rival Vernon Vipers Friday at the SOEC and Saturday in Vernon.
The Interior standings could not be any closer. Merritt, West Kelowna and Wenatchee are tied at 5-4-0 for 10 points, Trail (4-2-1) has nine points, and the Vees, Vernon (3-3-2) and Salmon Arm (4-4-0) each have eight.
Alberni Valley, which lost 7-3 in Trail Friday night, fell to 2-6-0.
ICE CHIPS: The Vees new mascot, unveiled on Saturday, was a huge hit with the fans. The fans will get to vote for the name for the mascot … The Vees raised the Interior Division and BCHL regular season pennant banners to the roof of the SOEC prior to the game, and also displayed a huge banner honouring the victims of the Humboldt Broncos Junior-A hockey team bus tragedy at the main entrance.