Vees begin big week in Trail tonight Penticton’s pursuit of Interior pennant continues with final meeting against Smokies

The Penticton Vees won the first four meetings against the Trail Smoke Eaters, but Fred Harbinson still has a bitter taste from their lone defeat on Dec. 15 at the Cominco Arena.

The teams meet for the sixth and final time this season tonight at 7 p.m. at the Cominco, with the Vees looking to lock down first place and the Smoke Eaters trying to escape the basement in the Interior Division.

“We really got stiffed in that last game in their building,” lamented Harbinson. “We can’t put ourselves in a similar position (tonight).”

The officials back in the Dec. 15 contest missed a blatant goaltender interference call that allowed Diarmad DiMurro to score the go-ahead and ultimately the winning goal with 5:36 to play in a 3-2 Trail triumph over a depleted Penticton squad.

The Vees, who dressed just 14 skaters, had rallied from a 2-0 deficit to tie the game and looked poised to get — at the very least — a point, if not two.

Despite the 22-point gulf between the two teams in the standings, Harbinson knows it is never a routine night against Trail. Three of the four Penticton wins were by one goal, with one decided in overtime and another in a shootout.

“I’ve said it all along about how tough our division is from top to bottom,” said Harbinson. “That’s a team with offensive firepower that is coming off a 10-3 win (over Salmon Arm) and is 36 per cent on the power play in the last eight games.”

Harbinson noted the Vees and Smoke Eaters could still meet in the first round of the playoffs if the Vees were to slip to second place. As it stands right now, the Vees would face the Cowichan Valley Capitals.

The Vees currently lead Merritt by three points, with the Vees having six games left and Merritt only five. The two teams clash Friday at the South Okanagan Events Centre.

Penticton would clinch an eighth straight Interior pennant with wins over Trail, Merritt and Langley on Saturday at the SOEC.

The Vees won’t be quite as depleted in Trail this time around, though they will be without defenceman Peter Muzyka, who will serve game two of a five-game suspension.

Forward Andre Ghantous (head) remains out indefinitely, leaving the Vees with just 11 healthy forwards.

Trail (20-23-7-3) could still move up the standings if they were to get on a run. With five games left, the Smokies are five points behind sixth-place West Kelowna, while Vernon and Salmon Arm are also within striking distance.

The Vees won the other meeting Cominco Arena 7-4 on Nov. 30. at the