Vees now an ‘honourable mention’ in national rankings
The Penticton Vees’ roll to the top of the Interior Division standings and into contention for first place overall in the BCHL finally got them some recognition in the Canadian Junior Hockey League weekly rankings.
Penticton, winners of six of their last seven contests, were given an “honourable mention” in this week’s rankings.
The Vees (27-12-1-2), lead the Merritt Centennials by two points in the Interior Division and are just two points behind the Chilliwack Chiefs for first overall in the
17-team league.
Chilliwack held steady at No. 18 in the rankings, while Prince George Spruce Kings also got an honourable mention.
The Brooks Bandits have won 15 straight games and continue to hold down the No. 1 spot in the rankings. The RBC Cup national junior A championship hosts are a remarkable 39-3-0 and haven’t lost since November.
The Thunder Bay North Stars (25-2-1-1, Superior International League) and Oakville Blades (34-4-1-2, Ontario league) remained second and third, respectively.
Le Cobras de Terrebone (Quebec league) and Summerside Western Capitals (Maritimes league) round out the top five.
The Vees, meanwhile, have arguably their biggest week of the season looming. Penticton visits the Wenatchee Wild on Wednesday at 6 p.m., looking for their first win in four tries against their Interior rivals. The Wild (25-15-2) have fallen five points behind the Vees in the standings.
The Vees then host Prince George on Friday at 7 p.m. at the SOEC. The two teams are tied in the overall standings with 57 points from 42 games. The Spruce Kings won the prior two meetings by 3-2 scorelines — Sept. 21 at the BCHL Showcase and Nov. 3 in P.G.
On Sunday at 6 p.m., the Vees visit Merritt for a big showdown against the Centennials. Penticton has won all four meetings with Merritt this season by a combined score of 22-9. The last meeting Nov. 2 in Penticton was a close one, however, with the Vees winning 4-3 in a shootout.
The Vees are aiming for an eighth straight Interior pennant and second successive BCHL overall points title.