Vees Get Set To See A Lot Of Vernon:

This was in Wednesday's Penticton Herald newspaper:

Vees get set to see a lot of Vernon 

David Crompton/Penticton Herald

Dec 11, 2019

Don’t look now, but here come the Vernon Vipers.

The Vipers are playing some of their best hockey of the season and quietly moving up the Interior Division standings as they get set to take on the Penticton Vees in a home-and-home series Friday at 7 p.m. at Kal Tire Place and Saturday at 6 p.m. at the South Okanagan Events Centre.

“They’re starting to score a lot of goals,” said Vees GM/head coach Fred Harbinson. “They’ve got the potential to be a dangerous team in the second half.”

Vernon (18-12-1-1) has won three straight games and scored 22 goals in the process. It’s enabled them to jump within two points of third-place Salmon Arm Silverbacks with two games in hand, and within four points of second-place Trail Smoke Eaters with three games in hand.

Salmon Arm, 0-7-1 in their last eight, and Trail, with four straight losses, have let the Vipers and Wenatchee make up ground, while also allowing the Vees to open up a nine-point lead over the Smokies as they chase a ninth straight Interior Division pennant.

Harbinson said the Vipers skate well, are well-coached (by first-year bench boss Jason McKee) and structurally sound, with very good goaltending.

The goaltending endured a bit of a blip on Sunday as the Vipers got ahead 6-0 and then surrendered a 7-2 lead with less than nine minutes to play in Merritt before surviving for an 8-7 shootout win.

“That will get a coach’s attention when that happens so I expect they’ll get back to playing a sound two-way game this weekend,” said Harbinson.

The Vees and Vipers will play five times before the end of the regular season. This is the first of three meetings in Vernon after the teams split two games in Penticton – the Vees winning 1-0 Oct. 4 at the BCHL Showcase Tournament and Vernon prevailing 2-1 in overtime on Oct. 18.

“It’s a great rivalry and a real good test for us,” said Harbinson. “It’s hard to believe it’s the first time we’re going into their building this season.”

The Vees (25-9-1) have won two straight and four of their last five, but will be missing some key players again this weekend.

Leading scorer Jay O’Brien (broken toe) and defenceman Cade Webber (lower-body) will be out until after the Christmas break, while defenceman Steve Holtz (upper-body) is day-to-day with an upper-body injury. O’Brien and Holtz are key cogs in the Vees power play.

It leaves the Vees with 16 healthy skaters – 11 forwards and five defencemen. The Vees went with 16 in the weekend wins over West Kelowna, but Harbinson is contemplating summoning an affiliated player or two for the Vernon games.

After this weekend, the Vees finish up with home games against Powell River and Cowichan Valley Dec. 20-21 before a 10-day holiday break.

The Vees return from the break to play a 2 p.m. matinee on New Year’s Day – in Vernon.