Game Five Preview: Vees look to stave off elimination
Photo: Cherie Morgan
Author: Fraser Rodgers
SERIES
Game 1: Friday, May 2nd, Brooks 2 at Penticton 1
Game 2: Saturday, May 3rd, Brooks 3 at Penticton 0
Game 3: Monday, May 5th, Penticton 6 at Brooks 0
Game 4: Tuesday, May 6th, Penticton 3 at Brooks 6
Game 5: Friday, May 9th, Brooks at Penticton, 7:00 pm PDT
Game 6: Monday, May 12th, Penticton at Brooks, 7:00 pm MDT*
Game 7: Tuesday, May 13th, Brooks at Penticton, 7:00 pm PDT*
*If necessary
Penticton Vees
President, General Manager & Head Coach: Fred Harbinson
2025 Playoffs Record: 12 GP 9-3
Home: 4-2
Away: 5-1
GF: 45
GA: 23
Power Play: (9/45) 20%, 8th BCHL
Penalty Kill: (2/32) 93.8%, 1st BCHL
Scoring Leader: Max Heise (4-10-11)
For the first time in the 2025 BCHL Playoffs, the Penticton Vees face elimination, as they trail the Interior Conference Final against the Brooks Bandits 3-1. The Vees are looking for a win on home ice to force a Game Six Monday in Brooks.
Penticton finds themselves in this situation after a 6-3 loss in Game in Brooks on Tuesday. The Vees did themselves no favours with their start, going down 3-0 in the first 11 minutes of that game. Give Penticton credit, down 4-0 late in the second, they started to rally, scoring three unanswered goals into the third period to make it a 4-3 game, but eventually fell 6-3 with two empty net goals against in the final two minutes. It goes without saying they will need a better start tonight.
How important has starts, or the first goal have been in this series? The team that has scored first has won each of the first four games, and both Penticton and Brooks are undefeated in the playoffs when scoring first. Penticton is 9-0 when scoring first.
The Vees also need to find their winning pedigree at home. Penticton has lost both home games in this series. They were 4-0 at the SOEC in the playoffs when this series began and were 20-2-5-0 in the regular season. Can they rekindle that home ice magic?
The big question going into Game Five is who starts in net? Ethan Buenaventura started games Two through Four, but was replaced in Game Four by Will Ingemann. Both have been very good in the playoffs with similar numbers.
Simply put, the Vees need a win or their season is over.
Brooks Bandits
General Manager & Head Coach: Ryan Papaioannou
2024-25 Record: 13 GP, 11-2
Home: 5-2
Away: 6-0
GF: 51
GA: 33
Power Play: (12/51) 23.5%, 5th BCHL
Penalty Kill: (9/60) 85%, 2nd BCHL
Scoring Leader: Nick Peluso (8-11-19)
The Brooks Bandits are one win away from their first ever Interior Conference title and a berth in the Fred Page Cup Final. Brooks held off the Vees in Game Four, as they almost squandered a 4-0 lead, but found a way to hold on in the third period.
What a series Nick Peluso and their top line is having. Peluso has six points in four games and is coming off a four-point night in Game Four. He and his line mates Parker Lalonde and Luke Bibby have combined for 14 points in four games. The three have scored eight of the teams 11 goals in the series. A big reason why the Bandits are where they are at, is these three being such a force offensively.
The Bandits have been great on the road throughout the playoffs, winning all six road games, including two in this series. Going back to the regular season, the Bandits have won nine-straight road games. Their last road loss was March 7th in Trail.
Goaltender Zach Zahara has played every minute of every game game in this series. He sports a 2.50 goals-against average in this series and .907 save percentage. He stopped 49 of 50 shots in the first two games in Penticton. Can he continue his dominance at the SOEC in Game Five?