Thrilling Family Day Showdown: Vees Prevail Over Warriors in Epic Game Recap!

Photo: Cherie Morgan

Penticton, BC – The Penticton Vees ended their Family Day weekend on a high note, winning 5-4 against the West Kelowna Warriors at the South Okanagan Events Centre.

The Vees had a solid weekend, earning five out of six possible points. They beat West Kelowna and Vernon, and picked up an overtime point against Trail.

They started strong on Monday, scoring three goals within the first seven minutes to take a 3-0 lead. However, the Warriors fought back, managing to tie the game in the third period. Despite this, the Vees held their ground and secured the two points.

Ryden Evers was the star of the game, contributing a goal and two assists, including the game-winner late in the third period. Michael Fisher also had a strong performance with one goal and two points. Max Heise, Eli McKamey, and Ben Merrill added to the scoreboard with goals as well.

This victory marked the Vees’ second consecutive win, and they’ve now earned points in three straight games (2 wins and 1 overtime loss). They sit five points ahead of the Trail Smoke Eaters for first place in the Interior Division.

Elias Callgren scored two goals for the Warriors, who saw their two-game winning streak come to an end. West Kelowna had been gaining momentum with wins in three of their last five games before encountering the Vees.

Heise opened the scoring early, netting a power-play goal just 2:41 into the game. McKamey quickly followed up at 5:26, capitalizing on a turnover in the Warriors’ zone with a slick pass from Evers. Fisher brought the score to 3-0 at 7:15, finding the puck off a rebound and scoring his second of the season.

After the Vees’ third goal, West Kelowna called a timeout, which seemed to settle their nerves. Callgren got the Warriors on the board at 11:22 with a deft tip-in over goaltender Will Ingemann’s glove, making it 3-1.

The Warriors continued their comeback, scoring again early in the second period when Ian Alonso cut the lead to 3-2. A close call for the Vees followed when a shot from Conyr Hellyer hit the post and stayed out.

The Warriors tied the game early in the third with another deflection goal from Caden Kemkaran-Humble, making it 3-3. Not to be outdone, Ben Merrill took back the lead for the Vees at 5:57 with a tip-in of his own, putting them ahead 4-3.

Evers then scored what would be the game-winner at 16:31. After an attempt by Tristan Petersen, Evers was in perfect position to tap in the rebound, boosting the Vees to a 5-3 lead. Callgren’s second goal of the afternoon narrowed the gap to 5-4 with just over a minute left, but the Vees held on for the win.

GAME NOTES

Evers has tallied eight points in four games against the Warriors this season. Penticton is now 3-1 against West Kelowna this year, with another matchup scheduled for Saturday. The Vees have an impressive home record of 15-1-4-0 at the SOEC and have collected points in 21 of their last 22 games, with only one regulation loss during that span.

GAME STATS

Shots: Vees – 25, Warriors – 24

Scoring: Max Heise (22nd), Eli McKamey (10th), Michael Fisher (2nd), Ben Merrill (12th), Ryden Evers (18th)
Goaltending: Will Ingemann (W), 60:00, 20 saves on 24 shots
Vees Power Play: 1/2
Vees Penalty Kill: 3/3
Three Stars: