Victory Parade

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Get ready to line the streets of Penticton Vees fans. The City of Penticton is organizing a parade for the Vees on Wednesday, ahead of their Community Celebration at the SOEC that night.

Press Release:

“May 14, 2012
PENTICTON — The City of Penticton will put on a parade Wednesday, May 16 to celebrate hometown hockey heroes the Penticton Vees and their RBC Cup national championship win.

“We are so proud of the Vees players and organization,” Mayor Dan Ashton said. “We hope the community will line the streets in support of our hockey dream team that has achieved a record-breaking season and represented us so well all year long. We invite everyone to come out, wear blue and cheer loudly for our Vees.”

The Wednesday parade will depart the Pen High parking lot at 4 p.m. The parade of vehicles will travel north on Main Street, west on Lakeshore Drive, south on Power and end at the South Okanagan Events Centre parking lot. Please note parking on Main Street will be restricted as of 2 p.m. that day, and Lakeshore Drive will see parking restrictions that afternoon as well.
The community is also invited to a FREE RBC Cup Celebration and Awards Night at the SOEC that Wednesday night, when the organization will officially celebrate their national win and individual awards will be handed out.

Everyone in the city is welcome and there is no charge for the event; however, tickets MUST be picked up in advance to give organizers enough time to plan accordingly for the crowds. Those interested in attending are asked to pick up tickets before the parade starts at 4 p.m. Last-minute tickets may be available at the door just before the event, but participants are encouraged to get them early to avoid disappointment.

Anyone who takes part in the parade is asked to arrive at the SOEC and go through the doors by 5:15 p.m. The event starts at 5:30 p.m.”

RBC Cup Champions

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 The Penticton Vees won their first RBC Cup in twenty-six years on Sunday in a 4-3 win over the Woodstock Slammers. The franchise’s last national championship came in 1986, when they won the then Centennial Cup under the Knights moniker.

The Vees built a two goal first period lead, before a midgame comeback by the Slammers. Travis St. Denis opened the scoring on the power-play after he converted on a backdoor pass from Mario Lucia at 6:13; St. Denis’s first of the tournament. Steve Fogarty doubled the lead on a well-placed shot. Mike Reilly dished the puck to Fogarty in the circle before he let go a wrist-shot that beat Matt Murphy up high at 12:18.

Woodstock didn’t take long to respond, as just sixty-one seconds later Bradley Greene cut the deficit in half after he redirected a shot past Mike Garteig at 13:19. The Slammers drew even, just before the eight minute mark of the second period. On a Slammers power-play, Nick Huard rushed in on the left-wing and put a quick shot over the glove of Garteig at 7:48.

The Slammers went ahead for the first time in the game in the opening minutes of third period. Bradley Greene picked up his second goal of the game on a well-executed three-one two rush at 1:30; Greene tapped a puck in at the far-post after a cross-crease pass.

Not deterred, the Vees pressed the Slammers trying to even the game at three’s. Their hard worked paid off when Bryce Gervais shoveled in a loose puck on the goal-line at 11:10. Steven Fogarty’s original shot hit the post but kicked back in the crease to Gervais, who pounced to nab his first of the tournament.

A late power-play for Penticton turned into late game heroics by Joey Benik. Woodstock’s Jake Logan was sent off for tripping Travis St. Denis with just over two minutes left in the third. Benik broke the tie with a wrist-shot that eluded the glove of Matt Murphy at 19:09; the RBC Cup game-winning goal with just fifty-one seconds left.

Final Score: 4-3 Vees

Shots: 34-25 Vees

Power-Plays: Vees 2/7 Slammers 1/3

Players of the Game: Vees- Steven Fogarty Slammers- Bradley Greene

The Vees capped of the RBC Cup by winning four consecutive games after a 0-2 start to the tournament. The national title is the second in franchise history, and first since 1986, when the Penticton Knights won the Centennial Cup over the Cole Harbour Colts.

Three Vees have entered an exclusive club in the championship win. Travis St. Denis, Curtis Loik and Troy Stecher are the only three players to win a World Junior “A” Championship and an RBC Championship in the same season. The three were part of Team Canada West’s gold medal victory in Langley.

More to come..

 

RBC Cup Final Preview

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Records: Vees 54-4-0-2 / Slammers (MHL) 45-6-0-1

Playoffs: Vees 12-2-0-1 / Slammers (MHL) 12-2-0-1

RBC Cup: Vees 3-2-0 / Slammers 2-3-0

Vees RBC Cup Schedule

Saturday, May 5th vs. Soo Thunderbirds (2-1 L)

Sunday, May 6th vs. Humboldt Broncos (3-2 OTL)

Tuesday, May 8th vs. Woodstock Slammers (2-1 W)

Wednesday, May 9th vs. Portage Terriers (3-1 W)

Semi-Final vs. Soo Thunderbirds (3-0 W)

The Set-Up: 133 teams, in 10 leagues across the country started out in September for the ultimate prize and now only two remain. Today is the final game of the season for the Penticton Vees as they square off against the Woodstock Slammers in the RBC Cup Final this afternoon.

The Vees put themselves into the final with a sound 3-0 victory over the Soo Thunderbirds on semifinal Saturday. The Vees scored in the first and added two more in the third to advance to today’s championship game. Yesterday the Vees put forth their best effort yet, as they frustrated the Soo’s offense all night. The Vees surrendered just twenty shots and only one grade “A” opportunity. Mike Garteig turned in an efficient twenty save performance for his first shutout of the tournament. Garteig now has the best goals-against average and second best save-percentage (he’s tops amongst starters in save-percentage).

The Woodstock Slammers stunned the Humboldt Broncos with their 4-3 overtime victory in the first semifinal. Ben MacSwain scored just thirty-five seconds in the extra period to complete the upset. The Slammers won despite spotting the Broncos leads of 2-0 and 3-2; the latter was after two periods. Are the Slammers this tournament’s Cinderella?

Woodstock finished the round-robin with a 1-3 record and was outscored 14-10 in their four games, including surrendering seven goals to the Soo Thunderbirds. Despite their up’s and down’s, the Slammers have had one constant and that’s determination.  Their semifinal victory proves that, as they battled back from two deficits against the hometown Broncos; that isn’t easy to do.

Funny how tournament hockey works, as the third place Vees are playing the fourth place Slammers in today’s final. That’s the beauty of the RBC Cup; anything can happen and any team can win.

The Skinny: Vees

It’s been a process for the Vees, as they’ve gotten better and better each game they play. After a 0-2 start, this team has rattled off three consecutive wins and has outscored their opponent 8-2 in the three wins.

The Vees defensive game has been stifling throughout this tournament, not surrendering more than three goals in any of their five games and just two in their last three. Penticton threw a blanket on the T-Birds in their semifinal win on Saturday, snuffing out any offensive opportunities for Soo. Through five games, the Vees have surrendered 125 shots, which works out to only 25 per game; the magic number coaches talk about.

In offensive terms, they still haven’t fully reached their potential but have continued to make strides. Going back to the round-robin, they’ve scored three goals in back-to-back games. It might not sound like much but remember this is the national championship, all five teams that were here are darn good and offense won’t come easy. Just look back to the Vees round-robin game against the Slammers; grinding out a 2-1 victory despite a 20 shot advantage.

Even though a few of the Vees top offensive players have been snake bitten, their depth as shown through, as they received some key contributions from up and down the line-up. Curtis Loik and Logan Johnston have goals in back-to-back games and all three members of that line have scored at least on goal. The Vees are in the final despite having two in the top fifteen in tournament scoring.

The Vees have had their struggles on the power-play with just three goals on twenty-six opportunities. However, two of three goals on the man-advantage have come at key times, including Johnston’s third period goal last night. The penalty-kill has been a revelation at this tournament, killing off all but three of the thirty-two penalties they’ve taken. The PK has grown more and more confident as the tournament wears on and shows no signs of slowing down; speed and puck pursuit has been key when down a man.

RBC / International Scouting Service Three Players to Watch:

Mario Lucia

very talented … dangerous offensively … good size … soft hands … speedy … competes at a high level … has natural ability … quick feet … good hands … unselfish … second-round pick of Minnesota in 2011 NHL draft

Wade Murphy

Has taken on a leadership role … excellent compete level … tremendous work ethic … good stick-handler … protects the puck well … knows how to get into scoring position … nice touch around the net … good skater

Mike Reilly

smooth skater … offensive defenceman … excellent mobility … plays in all situations … can rush the puck up ice … makes a good breakout pass … excellent point shot … fourth-round pick of Columbus in 2011 NHL draft.

RBC Cup Scoring

St. Denis 0-5-5

Murphy 3-0-3

Benik 2-0-2

Loik 2-0-2

Johnston 2-0-2

M. Reilly 1-1-2

R. Reilly 1-1-2

Beaulieu 0-1-1

Lucia 0-2-2

Gervais 0-1-1

Jones 0-1-1

Stecher 0-1-1

Urban 0-1-1

Fogarty 0-1-1

RBC Cup Goaltending

Garteig 3-2-0 / 1.34 GAA / .944 SV% / 1SO

Doyle Cup Scoring

Benik 5-3-8

Lucia 4-4-8

M. Reilly 1-7-8

St. Denis 1-6-7

Murphy 2-4-6

Johnston 3-2-5

Fogarty 2-3-5

Gervais 2-2-4

Stecher 1-2-3

Loik 1-1-2

R. Reilly 1-1-2

Beaulieu 0-1-1

Goaltending

Garteig 3-1-0 / 1.76 GAA / .944 SV% / 1SO

Katunar 1-0-0 / 2.00 GAA / .923 SV%

Playoff Scoring

Murphy 9-9-18

Benik 8-10-18

Lucia 6-10-16

St. Denis 4-9-13

Gervais 6-5-11

Stecher 2-8-10

M. Reilly 1-8-9

Johnston 4-4-8

Fogarty 4-4-8

R. Reilly 3-4-7

Loik 3-2-5

DePourcq 1-2-3

Jones 0-3-3

Buchanan 1-1-2

Beaulieu 0-1-1

Playoff Goaltending

Chad Katunar 12-2-0-1 1.74 GAA .938 SV% 2SO

The Skinny: Slammers

Maybe the tournaments Cinderella story; the Slammers are in the RBC Cup final for the first time in franchise history. Cinderella might be misleading, as the Slammers were the top team in the MHL all season and were the top ranked team in Canada up until January 9th. This team maybe gets that tagged because of their up and down round-robin. However, let’s face facts, the Slammers were the best team coming out of the east and showed some real gull in their come-from-behind semifinal victory.

The Slammers have a well-balanced attack, which has been led by their captain Andrew Langan and defenseman Tim Campbell who each have two goals and four points. However, it doesn’t end there, as four players have four points and nine have two or more points through five games.

Campbell is arguably the Slammers best player, quarterbacking the power-play and the focal point of their offense off the rush. Campbell isn’t shy about joining the rush or even leading a breakout and his abilities allow him to do so. The Thornhill, Ontario native plays in all situations and logs big minutes for Jason Tatarnic’s squad.

Like the Vees, the Slammers have had their struggles in manufacturing offense, only averaging two and half goals per game throughout the round-robin. However, good teams find a way to win and the Slammers offense came to life when they needed it the most.  This is a veteran squad with ten twenty year-olds and their roster is riddled with ex-Major Junior players; they know how to win.

Road to the RBC CUP: Slammers

Maritime Hockey League

Quarter-Finals: defeated Campbellton Tigers 4-0 (4-1, 3-2, 2-1, 6-2)

Semi-Finals: defeated Summerside Capitals 4-0 (7-2, 5-1, 6-0, 5-2)

MHL Kent Cup: defeated Yarmouth Mariners 4-3 (2-1, 2-4, 1-0, 2-1, 3-4 OT, 2-4, 4-3 3OT)

Fred Page Cup

Preliminary Round: defeated 4-3 Kanata Stallions, defeated 5-3 Princeville Titan, defeated 3-2 Nepean Raiders

Fred Page Cup Championship: defeated Nepean Raiders 3-2

RBC / International Scouting Service Three Players to Watch:

WOODSTOCK SLAMMERS

Tim Campbell

offensive defenseman … very good point man on the power play … great instincts … makes quick passes … good gap control … smooth skater … heavy shot … moves the puck well up ice … makes very good decisions

Nick Huard

excellent two-way centre … will chip in offensively … plays physical … loves to finish his checks … true competitor … versatile … does what it takes to win … wins a lot of puck battles … plays bigger than his size

Andrew Lagan

smooth-skating centre … tremendous leadership skills … good offensive instincts … smooth stick-handler … excellent work ethic … fights through checks along the boards … finds quiet areas on the ice well … good shot

Slammers RBC Cup Scoring

Andrew Langan 2-2-4

Tim Campbell 2-2-4

Connor Tresham 1-3-4

Nick Huard 0-4-4

Bradley Greene 1-2-3

Ben MacSwain 2-0-2

Robert Visca 1-1-2

Sam Caldwell 1-1-2

Evan Carmody 0-2-2

Andrew Schriver 1-0-1

Ryan Purvis 1-0-1

Colton Stairs 1-0-1

Jake Logan 1-0-1

Ben Miller 0-1-1

Chris Rygus 0-1-1

Noah Zilbert 0-1-1

Zach Shannon 0-1-1

Slammers RBC Cup Goaltending

Matt Murphy 2-2-0 / 3.37 GAA / .911 SV%

Slammers Playoff Scoring

Langan 10-12-22

Huard 10-12-22

Campbell 4-17-21

Visca 12-6-18

Tresham 4-13-17

Greene 6-5-11

Carmody 4-7-11

MacSwain 6-4-10

Purvis 3-4-7

Shannon 3-4-7

Logan 2-5-7

Fife 2-4-6

Miller 1-3-4

Rygus 0-4-4

Caldwell 2-1-3

Schriver 0-3-3

Brown 0-2-2

Slammers Playoff Goaltending

Murphy 16-3-0 / 1.95 GAA / 1S0

Renault 0-0 / 1.62 GAA

Slammers Playoff Team Leaders

Goals: (12) Visca

Assists: (17) Campbell

Points (22) Langan + Huard

PPG: (3) Campbell + Huard +Visca

SHG: (1) Langan + Tresham                                

Slammers Regular Season Team Leaders

Goals: (39) Greene

Assists: (55) Campbell

Points: (74) Greene

PPG:  (8) Tresham

SHG: Greene + Huard + Tresham (2)

Broadcast: EZ ROCK AM 800 (Radio)

5:10pm MT/4:10pm PDT (Pre-Game) 5:30pm MT / 4:30pm PDT (Face-Off)

Live on TSN 2 5:30pm MT / 4:30pm PDT / Replay on TSN 9PM PDT