It’s official — the Penticton Vees and Salmon Arm Silverbacks will battle for this year’s Interior Conference championship.
The Silverbacks defeated the Vernon Vipers on Friday night, April 21, to win the second-round series in five games and advance to the conference finals for the first time since 2011.
Penticton completed a sweep of the Wenatchee Wild earlier this week, booking its place in the third-round series for the second year in a row.
The Vees and Silverbacks haven’t met in a playoff series since 2013.
Penticton won all five regular-season meetings with Salmon Arm in 2022-2023.
The best-of-seven series’ schedule was made official by the BCHL on Saturday morning, April 22:
Game 1: Friday, April 28 – Salmon Arm at Penticton, 7 pm
Game 2: Saturday, April 29 – Salmon Arm at Penticton, 7 pm
Game 3: Tuesday, May 2 - Penticton at Salmon Arm, 6 pm
Game 4: Wednesday, May 3 - Penticton at Salmon Arm, 6 pm
Game 5: Friday, May 5 - Salmon Arm at Penticton, 7 pm*
Game 6: Sunday, May 7 - Penticton at Salmon Arm, 4 pm*
Game 7: Tuesday, May 9 - Salmon Arm at Penticton, 7 pm*
*If necessary
The Vees have won 24 playoff games in a row, dating back to the team’s Fred Page Cup-winning run last spring. Fred Harbinson’s squad completed a sweep of the Trail Smoke Eaters in early April before meeting Wenatchee in the second round.
The No. 4 seeded Silverbacks, meanwhile, advanced to the Interior Conference Finals after sweeping the Prince George Spruce Kings and defeating the aforementioned Vipers.
The BCHL’s Coastal Conference Finals matchup has yet to be determined, with the Nanaimo Clippers, Alberni Valley Bulldogs, Chilliwack Chiefs and Surrey Eagles all still alive.
The league’s full 2023 playoff bracket can be viewed here.
READ MORE: Penticton Vees sweep Wenatchee Wild, advance to Interior Conference Finals
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logan.lockhart@pentictonwesternnews.com