Penticton Vees, Salmon Arm Silverbacks set to meet in Round 3

For the second year in a row, the Penticton Vees and Salmon Arm Silverbacks will battle for the Interior Conference championship.

The rivals meet for Game No. 1 of the third-round BCHL playoff series at the South Okanagan Events Centre on Thursday, May 1.

It marks a playoff rematch from 2023, a series the Vees won in five games en route to beating the Alberni Valley Bulldogs in the Fred Page Cup Finals.

Things between the two Interior clubs, however, look much different than they did 12 months ago.

Not only do the Vees have just two returning players from their championship squad from one year ago, but they also failed to have the same regular-season success against the Silverbacks that they did in 2022-2023. That year, the Vees went 5-0 against their rivals to the north.

Salmon Arm (34-17-0-3) beat Penticton (38-10-3-3) three times in one month during this regular season, including on Dec. 9, when the Shuswap-based club broke the Vees’ historic 53-game home winning streak.

READ MORE: 600 days later, Penticton Vees reflect on ‘wild’ 50-game home win streak

The teams met twice more before the campaign ended, each winning once.

While the Silverbacks won the regular-season series, the Vees held the edge in major offensive categories like goals-for and power-play percentage.

Salmon Arm topped the Merritt Centennials and West Kelowna Warriors in the playoffs, en route to advancing to the conference finals.

Penticton, meanwhile, completed a sweep of the Prince George Spruce Kings before eliminating the Vernon Vipers in Round 2.

Representatives from the Vees last week announced the schedule for the upcoming third-round series:

* if necessary

• Game 1 - Thursday, May 2, South Okanagan Events Centre, 7 p.m.

• Game 2 - Friday, May 3, South Okanagan Events Centre, 7 p.m.

• Game 3 - Monday, May 6, Shaw Centre, 6 p.m.

• Game 4 - Wednesday, May 8, Shaw Centre, 6 p.m.

• Game 5* - Friday, May 10, South Okanagan Events Centre, 7 p.m.

• Game 6* - Saturday, May 11, Shaw Centre, 6 p.m.

• Game 7* - Tuesday, May 14, South Okanagan Events Centre, 7 p.m.

READ MORE: Penticton Vees top Vernon Vipers in OT, clinch 2nd round series