Game Recap: Vees power play surges in home opener win over Oilers

Penticton, BC – The Penticton Vees earned a 5-1 win over the Okotoks Oilers in their 2024-25 home opener, Friday at the South Okanagan Events Centre.

The Vees got off to a great start against a road weary Oilers squad and never looked back, as they gave over 3,100 fans plenty to cheer about at the SOEC.

Penticton scored a pair of goals in the first period and then added three more goals in the middle frame, as they posted their second consecutive victory.

The power play was cooking on Friday, as the Vees scored three times with the man advantage.

Max Heise had a pair of goals in the win and four Vees had two or more points. Simon Meier had three helpers and Zach Nyman and Anselmo Rego each had a pair of assists.

Penticton’s Will Ingemann earned his third win of the season after he turned aside 21 of 22 shots.

Spencer Rheaume scored the Oilers’ only goal on Friday as they have now just once in one win from their first five games.

Heise scored the first of his two goals in the game just four minutes into the first period. His power play goal made it 1-0 for the home team early. Later in the first, with the Vees doubled their lead with another power play goal. Stevenson leaned into a one-timer that he muscled past Oilers’ goaltender Simon Westling at 10:35.

Penticton picked up where they left off in the middle stanza, with Luke Posthumus collecting his first as a Vee on a rebound in front of the Oilers net to make it 3-0 near the midway point. That goal sparked a string of three straight for the Vees in just under four minutes.

Sheesh

Landon Wright walks in and RIPS this one upstairs!

@Fraser_Vees #BCHL | @PentictonVees pic.twitter.com/M06B1Pnau4

— BCHL (@BCHockeyLeague) October 5, 2024

 Landon Wright and Heise scored just over two minutes apart to quickly put the Vees up 5-0 midway through the second. Wright scored after the Vees forced a turnover along the wall. Simon Meier set up Wirght who labelled his shot glove side. Heise then finished off a tic-tack-toe passing play down-low on the power play at 11:27.

Okotoks clawed a goal back with a power play marker at 13:12 that made it 5-1. Rheaume was the one that managed to get the puck through a crowd.

The Vees shut it down in the third as they kept the Oilers off the scoresheet and helped them to just five shots.

 

GAME STATS

Shots: Vees- 34 Oilers- 22

Scoring: Max Heise (2), Luke Posthumus, Nolan Stevenson, Landon Wright,

Goaltending: Will Ingemann (W): 60:00, 21/22

Vees Power-Play: 3/7

Vees Penalty-Kill: 3/4

Three Stars:

1) Max Heise

2) Anselmo Rego

3) Simon Meier

Attendance: 3,142

Up Next: Saturday, the Vees (4-1-0-0) hit the road to face the Vernon Vipers (0-4-1-0) at Kal Tire Place, in Vernon. Puck drop is 6:00 pm. Fans can watch the game online at https://www.flohockey.tv/, or they can listen on Bounce 800 AM.