Penticton Murray GM bantam Tier 2 Vees coach Rob McLaughlin wants to see his players continue to grow and develop during the Remembrance Day Classic they host this weekend.
McLaughlin also wants to see team chemistry get stronger with each game.
The Vees host a 12-team tournament beginning Friday. The tournament includes teams from Vernon, Semiahmoo, Calgary, Program of Excellence from Kelowna, Spokane, Port Alberni, Kamloops, Surrey, Campbell River, Port Moody, and Cloverdale, who the Vees play first at 5 p.m. in Memorial Arena.
The Vees begin Saturday by facing Port Alberni at 8:45 a.m. again in Memorial Arena, Spokane at 3:30 p.m.
Playoff games begin at 6:30 a.m. Sunday with the first-place team playing the third-place team in Memorial Arena.
McLaughlin said it will be important for his team to have a strong work ethic and discipline in every game.
“I have not seen a lot of the teams that will be attending our tournament this weekend, but I’m sure each team attending will be strong and competitive,” he said. “I’m sure each team attending this will have high expectations of their own team play.”
The Vees lead their division in the Okanagan Mainline Amateur Hockey Association with a 6-0 record. They have scored 37 goals, while allowing seven.
“I feel our strengths as a team are our work ethic, physical play, and compete (level),” said McLaughlin. “We have a great group of young men on our team that have made goals they want to reach and I believe this team can reach those goals.”