The Penticton Vees are firing on all cylinders.
Considering the Vees have only played five games in the 12-game exhibition schedule, many teams around the BCHL, and especially in the Interior Division, should be concerned.
Penticton won its fifth-straight to begin the Okanagan Cup series Wednesday with a rather lopsided 4-0 win over Vernon at South Okanagan Events Centre.
The Vees outshot Vernon 38-18, went two-for-six on the power play, and killed off all five penalties.
“You can tell we have a passion for it,” said Vees head coach and general manager Fred Harbinson after addressing his team in the dressing room. “We’re hunting pucks, we’re blocking shots, and kind of learning the way we want to play. It's refreshing to see that they want to learn.”
Quinn Hutson gave Penticton a 1-0 lead in the first period. It was his sixth goal and ninth point in five games.
Hutson would add an assist and now leads the league with 10 preseason points.
After Devlin O’Brien scored to make it 2-0, the Vees capped off some beautiful passing when veteran Liam Malmquist carried the puck to the high slot, waited for two Vipers to converge, then slid a no-look backhand pass across to Fin Williams, who wired a wrist shot over goaltender Roan Clarke’s shoulder to make it 3-0.
Matteo Costantini potted his third in five games midway through the third period for a 4-0 advantage, and the Vees were on their way to a fifth-straight preseason win.
Vernon has now lost its first three games in Okanagan Cup play.
Kaedan Lane made 18 saves for the shutout.
“Yeah, he looked real in-control in the game. He was ahead of the shots,” said Harbinson. “When we needed him, he made some, especially on the kills’, he made a couple of great saves. He seemed really in control.”
Penticton has now outscored its opponents 25-6 through five games.
“I thought our attention to detail was very strong, and at every position,” added Harbinson. “Our goaltending was strong, I thought our D-Corp played well, all four lines came in waves. Our special teams was good - you know, to score on the power play - and our penalty kill was good.
“That was probably our most-complete game so far.”
Penticton is now 5-0 in the Okanagan Cup standings, and has outscored its opponents 25-6.
It turned out to be a good day for Costantini, who was one of three current BCHL players selected Wednesday on day two of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft - getting picked by the Buffalo Sabres in the fifth round.
The 18-year-old from St. Catharines, Ont. came into the draft as the highest-ranked BCHL prospect, so it came as no surprise when he was the first name to come off the board.
Wednesday. Costantini contributed two points, pushing him to second in the league behind Hutson with nine points, and made a great defensive play midway through the third period when his torrid backcheck allowed him to catch up to a Viper player, steal the puck and take away a scoring opportunity.
“He’s got a two-way game. He doesn’t rely on one area of the game,” summarized Harbinson. “He’s got a back up game. Obviously Buffalo saw that and they got a great pick with him.”
Before joining the Vees this past offseason, Costantini finished as the OJHL’s third-leading goal scorer with 39 tallies and also finished in the Top-10 in league scoring with 68 points, on his way to winning the league’s Rookie of the Year award.
He is committed to the University of North Dakota next year.
As for other BCHL players taken in the draft...
Chilliwack Chiefs forward Kienan Draper went to the Detroit Red Wings in the seventh round and Chiefs forward Ethan Bowen was chosen by the Anaheim Ducks in the seventh round.
Former Wenatchee Wild forward Lukas Svejkovsky was selected in the fourth round, 108th overall, by the Pittsburgh Penguins.
