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Penticton Vees thump Brooks Bandits to sweep 2-game weekend set

The Vees have collected points in 17 straight games
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Penticton Vees forward Caton Ryan prepares to shoot the puck against Brooks Bandits netminder Zach Zahara on Feb. 1, 2025, at the South Okanagan Events Centre.

The BCHL-best Penticton Vees stayed hot last weekend as they overwhelmed the Cowichan Valley Capitals and Brooks Bandits, both by margins of 6-1, on back-to-back nights at the South Okanagan Events Centre (SOEC).

Max Heise scored four goals and 16-year-old forward Eli McKamey recorded five points in two games, lifting the Vees to their fifth and sixth straight victories on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1, respectively.

Will Ingemann and Ethan Buenaventura split duties in net for Penticton, with the latter making 21 saves in the team's triumph over Brooks on Saturday, Feb. 1. Buenaventura improved his record to 9-0-1-0 since coming to the Vees via trade in November.

Also on Saturday, newcomer Tristan Petersen notched his first career BCHL goal in just his second game. The Danish forward signed with the Vees in January after spending the past two seasons with the Malmo Redhawks in the Swedish J20 Nationell.

Penticton (30-6-0-2) hasn't lost in regulation since Nov. 22. Its point streak is now at 17 games.

The Vees sit atop the Interior Conference and BCHL overall, five points clear of second-place Trail.

Brooks (27-8-0-2), after spending much of the season's first half in a fight with Penticton atop the conference, is now in third place in the Interior with 56 points. The Alberta club has lost two games since Jan. 24, both to the Vees.

Game notes

McKamey, the first player in BCHL history to be granted exceptional status, has scored in three straight games. The Vancouver Island product has seven points in that time.

Penticton's Luke Posthumus scored his team-leading 22nd marker of the season last Saturday against Brooks. The forward has collected points in nine straight games.

Vees defenceman Oscar Pantzare, who was acquired by the team in a trade with Victoria in January, recorded five assists in two games over the weekend.

Up next

Penticton hosts the lowly Vernon Vipers (11-20-6-0) on Friday, Feb. 7, at the SOEC. The North Okanagan team sits near the bottom of the Interior Conference. It also marks the annual Pink the Rink Night, with puck drop set for 7 p.m.

The Vees are back in action one night later, as they battle the Trail Smoke Eaters at Cominco Arena.



Logan Lockhart

About the Author: Logan Lockhart

I joined Black Press Media in 2021 after graduating from a pair of Toronto post-secondary institutions and working as a sports reporter for several different outlets.
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