Vees complete sweep of Warriors to advance to BCHL final

The battle of Hwy 97 turned out to not be much of a battle at all.

From the moment the puck dropped on the series last Friday in Penticton, the powerhouse Vees carried the play and showed why they are annually the cream of the crop in Junior A hockey.

It was another blowout in game four on Wednesday, as Penticton scored three in the final period to win the game 6-1 and the series in a 4-0 sweep.

The Vees are 2022 Interior Conference Champions following a Game #4 victory over the @BCHLWarriors and will play for the Fred Page Cup!

GAME RECAP 📰 | https://t.co/5TM5laFcLo

📸 @tamiquanphotos#BCHLPlayoffs | #PaintTheTownBlue pic.twitter.com/5oR5aErFSU

— Penticton Vees (@PentictonVees) May 5, 2022

For the first time in the series, the Warriors would score first in game four, as Nick Roukounakis beat Kaedan Lane around the midway mark of the opening frame.

West Kelowna’s first and only lead of the series lasted just 38 seconds, however, as Jackson Nieuwendyk’s sixth of the season tied things up at 1.

Ethan Mann’s first goal of the postseason with 3:23 left to play in the first would give the Vees a 2-1 lead heading into the intermission.

That lead was extended to 3-1 on a Vees powerplay in the second and Lane stood tall in net to preserve the lead as the Warriors pressed on their own man advantage.

In the third, Penticton put their foot on the gas and locked up the series with goals from Josh Nadeau, Adam Eisele and a second of the night by Nieuwendyk.

As the clock wound down in the third, the Vees players poured off the bench to celebrate with their goaltender as the Warriors consoled theirs.

Penticton will now take on the Nanaimo Clippers in the BCHL final with the Fred Page Cup on the line.

We have handshakes in West Kelowna as the Penticton Vees sweep the series and will play for the Fred Page Cup! #BCHL | #BCHLPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/vcmPlOrs0I

— BCHL (@BCHockeyLeague) May 5, 2022