Weekend Preview: Vees face Silverbacks, Warriors on the road

Photo: Kristal Burgess Photography

Author: Tim Hogg, Vees Digital Media Coordinator  

PENTICTON VEES 

President, General Manager & Head Coach: Fred Harbinson 

2024-25 Record: GP 43 32-7-4-0, 68 pts (1st, Interior Conference) 

Last Game: 5-4 win Vs West Kelowna, February 17th 

Home: 16-1-4-0 

Away: 16-6-0-0 

GF: 165 

GA: 110 

Power Play: (31/130) 23.8% 7th BCHL 

Penalty Kill: (98/123) 79.7% 7th BCHL 

Scoring Leader: Ryden Evers (18-28-46) 

The Penticton Vees got back on the winning track on the Family Day long weekend, collecting five of a possible six points to remain atop the BCHL standings. The Vees fell in overtime Friday to the Smoke Eaters before bouncing back with wins over Vernon and West Kelowna on Saturday night and Monday afternoon.

New look lines took center stage for the Vees over the weekend as the coaching staff shook up the forward group partially due to injury and partially to try and generate some new chemistry. The team scored 13 times in three games with 10 different scorers hitting the sheet in three games. Among those goal scorers was team captain Conyr Hellyer, who broke a 17-game goal drought that spanned nearly three full months with his pair of goals in Friday night’s overtime loss to Trail. The goals for Hellyer were the first scored at home since Game 7 of the Interior Conference Final against Salmon Arm last season. 

Special teams have continued to improve for the Vees as the stretch drive to the Rogers BCHL Playoffs begins. Both the power play and penalty kill units remain in the top third of the BCHL with regards to production and have shown an improved confidence both with the man advantage and while shorthanded. The Vees remain the least penalized team in the league by total minutes and show incredible discipline most nights when it comes to not only major penalties but minor penalties as well. Penticton averages less than three power plays surrendered per game in 2024-25, second best in the BCHL only to Friday’s opponent, the Salmon Arm Silverbacks. 

Will Ingemann played two of three games for Penticton last weekend as the goaltending split continues with goaltending partner Ethan Buenaventura. Ingemann suffered the overtime loss Friday against Trail before picking up the win Monday afternoon against West Kelowna, his 18th of the season. Buenaventura, 20, picked up a win in his lone start of the weekend in Vernon and is the expected starter Friday when the team faces Salmon Arm at Rogers Rink.  

Salmon Arm Silverbacks 

Season Series:  

October 11th, Salmon Arm 2 at Penticton 4

November 9th, Penticton 5 at Salmon Arm 2

November 22nd, Penticton 1 at Salmon Arm 2

January 10th, Salmon Arm 1 at Penticton 2

February 21st, Penticton at Salmon Arm

March 29th, Salmon Arm at Penticton

General Manager & Head Coach: Tyler Shattock

2024-25 Record: 42 GP, 23-13-6-0  52 pts (5th, Interior Conference)  

Last Game: 6-3 win vs Vernon, February 17th  

Home: 11-7-2-0 

Away: 12-6-4-0 

GF: 119 

GA: 113

Power Play: 25/117 (21.4%, 11th in BCHL) 

Penalty Kill: 92/117 (77.8%, 12th in BCHL) 

Scoring Leader: Dakota MacIntosh (20-17-37) 

The Salmon Arm Silverbacks continue to jostle or playoff positioning in the middle of the Interior Conference pack. As play begins this weekend the Silverbacks find themselves sitting in the fifth spot in the conference standings, just a point behind the Sherwood Park Crusaders. The Silverbacks arrive to Friday’s contest against the Penticton Vees winners of two in a row, including a 2-0 shutout of the league’s hottest team Saturday night in Trail that snapped the Smoke Eaters 15 game winning streak. They followed that shutout victory Saturday with a 6-3 win over Vernon on Family Day, leaving their nearest geographical rival eight points out of the final playoff spot with 12 games to go.  

Salmon Arm continues to do exactly what they set out to do at the start of the season, and that’s to play defensively sound and not allow the opposition an abundance of chances. As a team they’ve allowed the third fewest goals in the BCHL this season, behind only Brooks and Penticton, and continue to win games with their sound system and generally mistake free hockey.  

Newcomer Dakota MacIntosh has buoyed the offense since his arrival on January 10th for Salmon Arm, scoring seven times in his first nine games. MacIntosh, on his fourth BCHL team in three seasons, has produced at every stop of his BCHL tenure at more than a point per game pace (47-49-96) in his 90-game BCHL career. The Winnipeg native, committed to the University of Alaska-Anchorage for 2025/26, made his Salmon Arm debut against the Vees on January 10th and has fit in well in the top six forward group for GM & Head Coach Tyler Shattock and his staff through his first nine games. 

Goaltending has been primarily handled by 20-year-old Andrew Ballantyne in recent games for Salmon Arm. The Tennessee State University commit split starts early in the season with goaltending partner Ryan Grout before Grout’s departure to the WHL and has taken the majority share of starts since the holiday break for the ‘Backs. Ballantyne has compiled a 15-9 record in 28 starts this season with three shutouts, to go along with a 2.55 goals against average and .909% save percentage. 

 West Kelowna Warriors 

 Season Series:  

November 5th, Penticton 0 at West Kelowna 3

December 13th, West Kelowna 2 at Penticton 5

December 14th, Penticton 5 at West Kelowna 2

February 17th, West Kelowna 4 at Penticton 5

February 22nd, Penticton at West Kelowna

March 7th, West Kelowna at Penticton

General Manager & Head Coach: Simon Ferguson 

2024-25 Record: GP 43, 17-19-5-2, 41PTS (7th, Interior Conference) 

Last Game: 5-4 loss at Penticton, February 17th 

Home: 11-8-1-1 

Away: 6-11-4-1 

GF: 119 

GA: 146 

Power Play: 21/143 (14.7%, 19th in BCHL) 

Penalty Kill: 110/147 (74.8%, 16th in BCHL) 

Scoring Leader: Jackson Kyrkostas (7-34-41) 

The West Kelowna Warriors continue their pursuit of a Rogers BCHL Playoff spot as play opens this weekend, hosting the Cranbrook Bucks Friday before a rematch with the Penticton Vees Saturday night at Royal Lepage Place. The Warriors continue to occupy the seventh seed in the Interior Conference standings and look to get back to their winning ways after a family day setback in Penticton by a 5-4 score.  

West Kelowna has found some stability in the crease as of late, with Slovenian goaltender Bor Glavic taking the crease and getting results since his arrival in late December. He’s solidified a position that was a concern for the Warriors after losing starter Dawson Labre for the season due to injury and using six different goaltenders so far this season. Glavic has shown well through his first 10 BCHL appearances, collecting a 7-3-0-0 record, a 2.69 goals against average along with a .901% save percentage.  

Sam Ledrew continues to shine in his rookie campaign with West Kelowna, crossing the 20 goal plateau on February 15th in West Kelowna’s 6-1 win over Blackfalds. Ledrew, from Stillwater Lake, NS, sits sixth in the BCHL in scoring among rookies with 38 points (20-18-38) and has found another gear on a new line with Jackson Kyrkostas and newcomer Jack Sadowski. The trio were previously linemates with Kimball Union Academy based in New Hampshire in 2021/22 and have reunited with instant chemistry upon Sadowski’s arrival in West Kelowna.  

Puck drop is slated for 7:00pm PST on Friday from Rogers Rink in Salmon Arm and 6:00pm PST Saturday from Royal Lepage Place in West Kelowna. You can follow all the action with Fraser Rodgers and Tim Hogg live on Bounce 800AM on the IHeartRadio app and FloHockeyTV!