Game Preview: GM #27 Vees vs. West Kelowna Warriors

BROADCAST INFORMATION 

Game Time: 7:00 pm PST 

Location: South Okanagan Events Centre 

Radio: Bounce 800 AM  

Webcast: Flo Hockey  

Tickets: Buy Here

Season Series 

November 5th, Penticton 0 at West Kelowna 3 

December 13, West Kelowna at Penticton 

December 14, Penticton at West Kelowna 

February 17, West Kelowna at Penticton 

February 22, Penticton at West Kelowna 

March 7, West Kelowna at Penticton 

 Penticton Vees 

President, General Manager & Head Coach: Fred Harbinson 

2024-25 Record: GP 26, 20-6-0-0, 40 pts (2nd, Interior Conference) 

Last Game: 3-2 win vs Sherwood Park, December 6th 

Home: 8-1-0-0 

Away: 12-5-0-0 

GF: 101 

GA: 68 

Power Play: 22/87 (25.3%, 6th in BCHL) 

Penalty Kill:  55/70 (78.6%, 10th in BCHL) 

Scoring Leader: Ryden Evers (12-16-28) 

Tonight, is the Vees’ first game in a week, as they enter the final weekend before the Christmas break on a five-game win streak. A week ago today, Nolan Stevenson scored the Teddy Bear Toss goal for Penticton, in their 3-2 win over Sherwood Park at the SOEC. Ryden Evers and Matthew Cataldo also scored in Friday’s win over the Crusaders. Goaltender Ethan Buenaventura was excellent, as he stopped 23 of 25 shots. Last Friday’s game was played in front of a season-high 3,658 fans, and they were treated to one of the best games of the season to date.

Penticton now prepares for their Highway 97 rival’s first visit to the SOEC. Yes, the Warriors are in town for the first time this season and this is just the second meeting between the two teams. West Kelowna shutout the Vees 3-0 back on November 5th, at Royal LePage Place. After meeting just once in the first 26 games of the season, these two rivals now go head-to-head twice this weekend, in their annual pre-christmas break showdown. The rematch is tomorrow at Royal LePage Place.

Captain Conyr Hellyer returns to the lineup after missing the last four games with an upper-body injury. Hellyer’s recovery is ahead of schedule, as originally the team planned for him to return after the Christmas break. It’s been a good week for Hellyer, as he not only is cleared to play but he committed to Clarkson University.

Penticton will be without forward Simon Meier for the next few weeks. Meier has departed for Ottawa to join Switzerland for their World Junior Selection Camp. Meier, who played last year for the Swiss in Sweden, is a virtual lock to make this year’s squad. The 19-year-old would miss up the next six games, depending on how far Switzerland advances in the tournament.

Ryden Evers is on a roll, as he enters the weekend riding a five-game point streak. The 19-year-old has four goals in his last five games and sits first in team scoring with 28 points. His 12 goals is second only to Max Heise’s 14. Evers has been a big offensive catalyst in the last three-four weeks, especially with injuries to the forward core.

Will Ingemann, coming off his first shutout of the season against Powell River on December 1, will get the start tonight. Ingemann has won five of his last six starts and has only surrendered five goals in his last three games.

West Kelowna Warriors 

Head Coach & General Manager: Simon Ferguson 

2024-25: GP 27 9-11-5-2, 25 pts (8th, Interior Conference) 

Last Game: 6-3 loss vs Sherwood Park Crusaders 

Home: 5-5-1-1 

Away: 4-6-4-1 

GF: 66 

GA: 92 

Power Play: 13/91 (14.3%, 19th in BCHL) 

Penalty Kill: 69/90 (76.7%, 12th in BCHL) 

Scoring Leader: Jackson Kyrkostas (5-21-26) 

The West Kelowna Warriors are coming off a 6-3 loss to the Sherwood Park Crusaders at home on December 7. The first half of the season has been a struggle for the Warriors, as they sit 8th in the Interior Conference with nine wins in their first 27 games.

West Kelowna’s roster was dealt another blow this week as they announced 20-year-old goaltender Dawson Labre sustained a season-ending injury last weekend. The goaltending duties will be shouldered by 18-year-old Jack Lisson and 19-year-old Ayo Ogini. Lisson has played eight games but Ogini has only played three games this year, as he was primarily the team’s third goaltender.

The biggest bright spot thus far for West Kelowna might be rookie forward Sam LeDrew. The 19-year-old from Nova Scotia, is second in team scoring behind Jackson Kyrkostas and sits third in the BCHL Rookie scoring race with 23 points (10-13-23) in 23 games. The emergence of LeDrew is underscored because of the recent departures of Jack Pridham and Callum Hughes.

West K did add some offensive punch to their blue line with the recent acquisition of Axel Lofgren from the Powell River Kings. The Swedish defenceman has 18 points (9-9-18) in 24 games this season. He has two points in four games with the Warriors. Lofgren was acquired by West Kelowna for their Captain Landen Hilditch and forward Eliot Compton. Hilditch was since flipped to Penticton.