Vees’ look to solve Silverbacks in Round 3
Sooner or later, the Penticton Vees are going to have to find a way solve the Salmon Arm Silverbacks. Their first chance comes tonight at 7 as the clubs face off at the South Okanagan Events Centre in Penticton for Game 1 of their B.C. Hockey League Interior Conference playoff championship.
Game 2 is Friday, 7 p.m., at the SOEC. Games 3 and 4 shift back to Salmon Arm on Monday and Wednesday. Games 5, if necessary, will be May 10 in Penticton. Games 6 and 7, if necessary, have yet to be scheduled.
The Silverbacks had the Vees’ number in the regular season, winning of five of six games between the clubs. The last time they met was March 23 at the South Okanagan Events Centre when the ‘Backs pulled off a 2-1 shootout win.
However, five of those games were decided by just one goal, and “the interesting part is the goals for and against were 1212, so it shows you how tight the series was,” said Fred Harbinson, the Vees’ head coach, general manager and president, in an interview Thursday.
The Vees, who are on the hunt for a third consecutive Fred Page Cup playoff title, finished first overall in the Interior Conference in the regular season with a record of 38-103-3.
Penticton has lost just once in the playoffs, during the second round against Vernon, after sweeping the Prince George Spruce Kings in Round 1.
The Silverbacks, who bowed out against the Vees in last season’s conference final, finished third in the conference in the regular season with a mark of 34-17-0-3.
Salmon Arm opened the playoffs with a six-game win in Round 1 against the Merritt Centennials, then polished off the West Kelowna Warriors in five games in Round 2.
Callum Arnott leads the Vees in scoring with eight points, while Cole Cooksey leads the Silverbacks with 13 points.
The real battles will probably be at either end of the ice, though, with both teams riding hot goaltenders.
Eli Pulver was just named the BCHL’s first star of the week, having started all 11 of the Silverbacks’ playoffs games and compiling an 8-2-1 record along the way, to go with two shutouts and a 0.939 save percentage.
The Vees have split the load between their two goalies. Will Ingemann, who was the BCHL’s second star of the week, is 5-0 with a 0.943 save percentage and two shutouts. Andrew Ness is 3-0-1 with a 0.917 save percentage.
The tandem also on Wednesday won the Wally Forslund Trophy as the BCHL’s top goalie duo in the regular season, with a combined goals-against average of 2.05, save percentage of 0.915 and eight shutouts between them.
Harbinson wouldn’t tip his hand when asked who will get the nod to start Round 3.
“I don’t know what we’re going to do but I know we have two really good goalies,” he said, adding “our team plays exactly the same way no matter who’s in net.”
That last game between the Vees and ‘Backs on March 23 attracted 2,755 fans.
Attendance has tapered off since then, with just 2,308 fans showing up at the SOEC on April 26 to watch the Vees close out the Vernon Vipers in Game 5 of their second-round series.
In fact, it was the first time in eight years that second-round attendance slipped below 3,000 and Harbinson is determined to find out why.
In a note to season ticket holders this week, he pledged to follow up with each one of them after the season “to see if there are things we can do to make it easier for you to return,” plus offered $16 tickets for the first two games of Round 3.
Harbinson said in the interview the Vees still lead the BCHL in attendance, but are facing headwinds like the Stanley Cup playoffs that began with four Canadian teams in the mix.
“We play better when there’s more people in the building. It’s just a fact,” he said.
In the Coastal Conference final, the Surrey Eagles are meeting the Alberni Valley Bulldogs.
Surrey finished first overall in the BCHL and conference with a 44-8-2-0 record. Alberni Valley was third in the conference with a 33-20-1-0 mark.
The Bulldogs, who lost to the Vees in last year’s Fred Page Cup final, knocked off the Coquitlam Express in seven games in Round 1, then swept the Chilliwack Chiefs in Round 2.
The Eagles downed the Cowichan Valley Capitals in five games in Round 1, then dispatched the Victoria Grizzlies in six games in Round 2.
The final round of the playoffs featuring the two conference champions opens May 17. The winner will square off against the top club from the BCHL’s Alberta division in a best-of-three series beginning May 31.
CLEVELAND -- Donovan Mitchell scored 28 points, Evan Mobley blocked Franz Wagner’s layup in the final seconds and Cleveland survived a scare from Orlando, holding off Paolo Banchero and the Magic 104-103 to take a 3-2 lead in their Eastern Conference series.
The Cavs, who were embarrassed by the Magic while dropping two games in Orlando last week, regrouped inside roaring Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
It took everything they had.
After Mitchell missed a jumper with 15.7 seconds left, Wagner drove the left side for a potential game-tying layup but was denied at the rim with 6 seconds left by Mobley, who smacked the ball off the backboard.
Mitchell was fouled and made two free throws with 3.2 seconds remaining to make 104-100. There wasn’t enough time for the Magic, who got a 3-pointer in the final second from Banchero, giving him 39 points.
BUCKS 115, MAGIC 92 MILWAUKEE -- Khris Middleton and Bobby Portis each scored 29 points and short-handed Milwaukee kept their season alive by routing Indiana in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series.
Portis had the highest point total of his playoff career and added 10 rebounds to make amends two nights after he got ejected from a Game 4 loss. Middleton had his third straight game with at least 25 points, and he also contributed 12 rebounds and five assists.
The Pacers still lead the best-of-seven series 3-2 heading into Game 6 on Thursday in Indianapolis.