Warriors torched by Vees in preseason tilt
Newcomers scored five of the six goals as the Penticton Vees impressed in their first B.C. Hockey League preseason home game with a 6-3 victory over the West Kelowna Warriors on Wednesday night at the South Okanagan Events Centre.
David Silye, Jackson Niedermayer, Jack Lagerstrom, Luke Loheit and Ryan Miotto all got their first goals in Penticton uniforms as the Vees triumphed in front of an excellent preseason crowd of 1,789.
Lukas Sillinger was the only returnee to score for the Vees, who led 1-0 and 3-1 at the period breaks. Silye and Lagerstrom each had two-point nights.
Ryan Doolin, Matt Kowalski and Mike Hardman replied for the Warriors.
Silye, acquired from Nanaimo in an offseason trade, scored the first goal of the season at the 10-year-old SOEC at 8:51 of the first period.
Sillinger one-timed a perfect feed from Jack Barnes for a shorthanded goal at 3:13 of the second to make it 2-0.
Doolin got one back 36 seconds later on the same power play, but Niedermayer — son of former NHL superstar defenceman Scott Niedermayer — connected at 7:58 and the Vees were in total control from there.
In a wide-open third period, Lagerstrom and Kowalski traded goals in a 37-second span. Loheit and Miotto clicked in a space of 65 seconds to push the Vees’ lead to 6-2 before Hardman got one back on a power play with 3:53 left.
The Vees outshot the Warriors 35-24 with Jack LaFontaine making some splendid stops for Penticton. Cole Demers was in goal for the Warriors.
The Vees close out preseason play with a home-and-home set against the defending BCHL champion Wenatchee Wild, with the Interior Division rivals meeting Friday at 7 p.m. at the Town Ticket Center, and Saturday at 6 p.m. at the SOEC. The Vees open the regular season Sept. 7 in Langley.
The Warriors wrap up the preseason by facing Trail twice on the weekend, hosting the Smoke Eaters on Friday night (7 p.m. at Royal LePage Place) with the rematch on the road Saturday.
The Warriors also open the regular season with another home-and-home against Trail, visiting the Smoke Eaters on Sept. 7 and hosting them at RLP on Sept. 8, before a road test against the Vernon Vipers on Sept. 14.