Vees, Smokies to battle it out in home-and-home
Gone are the days when you could circle games against the last-place team in the Interior Division and count on grabbing a couple of easy points.
The depleted Penticton Vees play a homeand-home series against the last-place Trail Smoke Eaters with the teams meeting tonight at 7 p.m. at the South Okanagan Events Centre and Saturday at Trail’s Cominco Arena.
“We’re expecting a couple of close, hard-fought games,” said Vees GM/head coach Fred Harbinson. “It’s not like it used to be . . . there isn’t that much difference between the top and bottom teams. Anyone can beat anyone on a given night.” There is, in fact, just 13 points separating Interior co-leaders Wenatchee Wild and Merritt Centennials from the Smoke Eaters. It’s by far the smallest margin from top to bottom of any of the BCHL’s three divisions.
The Vees (20-10-1-2) slot in just a point behind the Wild and Cents in third place after a pair of heartbreaking losses to Wenatchee last weekend.
West Kelowna is fourth, just two points behind Penticton.
“We were five minutes away from getting at least one or possibly two points in both games,” said Harbinson. “We made some wrong mental decisions that may have in part been due to certain guys having to play a lot of extra minutes. We’ve just got to play on the right side of the puck and avoid some of the needless penalties we took in (the 4-3 loss on Saturday).”
The Smokies (12-17-5-2) are 1-5-0-1 in their last seven and coming off a tough 3-2 loss in overtime to Vernon on Wednesday at the Cominco. That left Trail two behind Vernon and four behind fifth-place Salmon Arm.
The Vees lead the season series 3-0, though one game was decided in overtime and the most recent meeting Dec. 1 at the SOEC was a one-goal game (3-2).
“They’ve got their team intact and we don’t right now,” said Harbinson. “We’re going to have to play real smart.”
The Vees will still be missing eight regulars and will dress just 15 skaters (nine forwards and six defencemen) this weekend.
Forward Lukas Sillinger will sit out the last two games of a four-game suspension. Forwards Brendan Harrogate and Drew Elser and defenceman Peter Muzyka are out until after the Christmas break with injuries, while defenceman Conner Hutchison is out for the season with a knee injury.
The Vees will continue to be without defenceman Mason Snell and forwards David Silye and Massimo Rizzo, who are playing for Team Canada West at the World Junior A Challenge in Bonnyville, Alta. Those three players will return — along with Sillinger — for Wednesday’s home game against Vernon.
The Vees called up forward Ryan Stack from the KIJHL’s Kelowna Chiefs for the weekend. Stack also played for the Vees in the two games versus Wenatchee.
Other than Hutchison, the Vees could have everyone else back for the first game after the holiday break on Jan. 4 against Salmon Arm at the SOEC.
The wild-card will be Elser, who has a concussion and neck injury.
He is currently seeing a specialist and while he has a chance to return after the break, he could also miss significantly more time.
And with the Jan. 10 roster deadline looming, Harbinson and his staff could have a big decision to make.
“We’ll see where Drew is at with his injury, and evaluate where our roster is at,” said Harbinson. “We’ve been through it in the past . . . we don’t want to be caught having anyone on the final roster who can’t play the last 20 games and maybe the rest of the season.”
ICE CHIPS: Jack LaFontaine will get the start in goal tonight for the Vees . . . . Defending champs Canada West fell 3-0 to Russia in WJAC round-robin play on Wednesday, but have already clinched a berth in the semifinal round regardless of the outcome of Thursday night’s game against the Czech Republic. Canada West won its first two games — one in a shootout — to give them five points through three games. The semifinals are Saturday at 1 and 6 p.m. PT, with the final Sunday at 3 p.m. PT. Russia and the U.S. have also clinched spots, with Czech Republic and Canada East fighting for the last spot . . . . After Wednesday’s game against Vernon, the Vees finish up their pre-Christmas slate with a home-and-home versus West Kelowna next weekend . . . . Mitch Andres scored at 1:04 of OT to give Vernon the win over Trail — the Vipers’ first extra-time win this season after six overtime and three shootout losses. Vernon hosts Cowichan Valley tonight, while West Kelowna welcomes Merritt to Royal LePage Place in a key game. Both are 7 p.m. puck-drops . . . . Vipers veteran F Jesse Lansdell, a repeat offender, was assessed a whopping 16-game suspension for a check-to-the-head infraction.