Vees bitten by injury bug again, lose Sillinger ahead of facing Salmon Arm tonight
No sooner did the Penticton Vees get one key player back from injury that they lost another.
Forward Lukas Sillinger — playing his best hockey in two seasons with the Vees — broke a finger after blocking a shot in the third period of Wednesday’s 6-2 win over the visiting Merritt Centennials.
Vees president, GM/head coach Fred Harbinson said the 18-year-old had surgery on Thursday and will be out 4-6 weeks and possibly longer. The Regina native had three goals and eight points in 10 contests.
“Lukas was playing incredibly well, competing hard all over the ice, chipping in with a lot of offence. You just feel terrible for the kid,” said Harbinson.
“Hopefully we’re getting the injuries out of the way early. We’re lucky to have depth, but it’s sure being tested.”
The Vees (6-4-0) have been hit hard by injury the last three seasons, with well over 200-man games lost in 2017-18.
“Maybe we need to sacrifice a goat or something to change our luck a bit,” quipped Harbinson. “It’s been a revolving door for a while now.”
The Vees did get standout forward Cassidy Bowes back in the Merritt game but still figure to be short-staffed as a busy week continues with a visit to Shaw Centre to play Salmon Arm Silverbacks tonight at 7 p.m., and a home date against Cowichan Valley Capitals Saturday at 6 p.m.
Harbinson said the Vees currently have 10 healthy forwards and five healthy defencemen, though they will have six on Saturday as Mason Snell returns from a two-game suspension.
“We’re evaluating (Thursday) as to what we’re going to do,” said Harbinson, noting summoning an affiliated player(s) is a possibility. “If we have to go with 10 forwards, then that’s the way it is. We just have to be smart, keep our shifts short and avoid taking penalties, even offsetting ones.”
Salmon Arm (5-4-1) is in the hunt in the Interior along with the Vees and the other five teams. Four points separate first place from last.
“They’re a good hockey team in all areas, and it’s a tough building to play in,” said Harbinson, noting the Silverbacks are 4-1-0 at home so far this season.
Cowichan (2-7-1-1) is tied with Nanaimo for fewest points in the Island Division and the BCHL overall.
Harbinson said the Capitals beat Merritt last weekend and played the Vees hard when the teams met in Duncan on Sept. 14, with Penticton prevailing 4-2.
The Capitals have a tough three-game road trip that also includes stops in Trail tonight and Merritt on Sunday afternoon.
“You know any team coached by Mike (Vandekamp) will play a hard, physical game,” said Harbinson. Harbinson said he likes the way the Vees are playing, especially at home, where they are a perfect 3-0.
“We’re making it difficult for teams to find time and space in all three zones,” said Harbinson. “Transitioning well to offence and embracing all the little details we’ve gone over in the last month or so. Offensively, we get six goals against Merritt and we hit five posts by our count, so we could have had more.”
INJURY UPDATES
The Vees dodged a bullet when F Jack Barnes was deemed to have the flu, and not mononucleosis. The 18-year-old played against Merritt, though he is wearing a protective cage after having his nose broken last Friday versus Vernon.
Coach Harbinson said 18-year-old F Luke Loheit is “way ahead” of schedule in his recovery from mononucleosis. The Ottawa Senators draft pick was examined by his doctor in Minnesota, who reported that his spleen looks to be in good shape. “We should have him back sooner than the original six-week (timeline),” said Harbinson.
Captain/centre Massimo Rizzo (lower-back) returns to Penticton Saturday and will begin practising in a non-contact jersey on Monday. The gifted 17-year-old has not played since injuring himself in off-season training.
It’s status quo with 18-year-old F Drew Elser, who suffered a broken jaw in Saturday’s game in Vernon. The speedster will not require surgery or need to his jaw wired, but is still having some headache issues. The coach said he should be able to return shortly after those subside.
Snell serves the second of his two-game check-from-behind suspension tonight in Salmon Arm and will be eligible to return on Saturday to give the Vees six healthy defencemen.