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Okanagan junior A squad in race for division title

The BCHL Interior Division championship is up for grabs this weekend
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Netminder Jack LaFontaine in action for the Penticton Vees. LaFontaine was named the B.C. Hockey League player of the week ending Jan. 20. He went three wins and no losses during the week. (Mark Brett/Western News)

The Penticton Vees hopes of another B.C. Hockey League Interior Division title will likely come down to the final two games of the regular season.

After 56 games, including Wednesday’s 3-1 loss to the visiting Wenatchee Wild, the Vees and the Merritt Centennials are deadlocked atop the division standings with 75 points each.

Penticton has a home and home series with the Salmon Arm Silverbacks remaining in their schedule, in Salmon Arm Friday and at the South Okanagan Events Centre Saturday.

The Centennials play Langley and Vernon. Both teams are in fourth place in their respective divisions.

Should the Vees and Centennials remain tied at the end of the season, the team with the most wins will finish first.

Currently Penticton has 35 victories and Merritt 34.

If they remain tied, the club with the most wins against each other will prevail, in this case the Vees who have won four of the five meetings.

In Wednesday’s game the Vees and Wenatchee battled to a scoreless tie in the first period with the Wild scoring two goals in the span of three minutes in the middle frame.

READ MORE: Penticton Vees look to playoffs after Feb. 16 win against Langley

The Vees pulled to within one early in the third when David Silye scored a power play marker, but they were unable to get the equalizer. Wenatchee put the game out of reach with an empty-netter at only 55 seconds to play.

Vees netminder Jack LaFontaine was outstanding in the final period, not allowing a goal as the Wild outshot the Vees 15-5.

In other news, Vees defenceman James Miller and LaFontaine have each been nominated for league awards.

Miller, who currently leads all Vees and all league defencemen in scoring with 62 points, received the nod as top Interior defenceman and MVP.

READ MORE: Penticton Vees shut down by Merritt Centennials on Feb. 15

The 21-year-old from Spruce Grove, Alta. has played all 56 games and if he finishes as the team’s lead scorer he’ll be the first defenceman to do so since Joey LeLeggia in 2010/11.

Miller is currently 10th in league scoring.

LaFontaine, 21, of Mississauga, Ont. is second among league goaltenders with a 2.24 goals against average. He was voted as the top goaltender in the Interior by division head coaches.

Award winners will be announced before the start of next week’s Fred Page Cup playoffs.

With an opponent yet to be determined, the Vees open the first round of playoffs at the South Okanagan Events Centre Feb. 28 at 7 p.m. and March 2 at 6 p.m.


 

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Penticton Vees James Miller was named the B.C. Hockey League Player of the Month for November. (Mark Brett/Western News)