Junior hockey: Eagles blank Vees in Game 1 of BCHL championship
A roundup of junior hockey results from the Okanagan and area.
B.C. HOCKEY LEAGUE
SURREY 6, PENTICTON 0
Nothing went right for Penticton on Friday night as the Eagles blanked the Vees 6-0 to take a 1-0 lead in the BCHL championship.
The best-of-seven series for the Fred Page Cup resumes Saturday night with Game 2 in Surrey.
“Just one of those games where everything that could go wrong did,” said Vees assistant coach Matthew Vanden Berg.
“A game like this is bound to happen over the course of a long playoff run and it did tonight. Now we adjust and respond appropriately tomorrow.”
In Friday’s contest, the Vees gave up a quick goal, just four minutes in, then watched as the Coastal Conference champions made it 2-0 at 11:10.
In the third, the Interior Conference champions fell further behind, with Surrey scoring at 8:23, 10:10 and 18:44 to make it 5-0.
The Eagles closed out the scoring at 7:04 of the third for the shutout win, even though Penticton outshot Surrey 28-22.
Zachary Wagnon, Ante Zlomislic, Ryan Evenhuis, Nathan Oickle, Micah Berger and Evan Brown scored for Surrey. Ajeet Gundarah stopped all 28 shots for the Eagles, earning first-star status.
For Penticton, starter Will Ingemann stopped six of 10 shots before being pulled halfway through the game. Andrew Ness turned aside 10 of 12 shots in relief.
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No power plays were awarded to either team.
The Vees are now 12-5 in the playoffs, while Surrey improved to 13-6.
Friday’s result was the second time the Vees were blanked in this spring’s playoffs, with the first being a 2-0 loss to Salmon Arm in Game 1 of the Interior Conference final on May 2.
On the flip side, the Vees have also posted four shutouts in these playoffs.
Penticton is trying to claim its third-consecutive league title, while Surrey is playing in the league final for the first time since 2013 when they beat Penticton 4-2 for the cup.
In related news, the league announced that it had granted, for the first time, exceptional status to a 15-year-old player.
In junior hockey, players aren’t usually eligible to play until they turn 16. However, on Friday, the league said Eli McKamey, who turned 15 in January, will be able to play next fall. Normally, he wouldn’t have been able to play until the 2025-26 season.
The Cowichan Bay product, who has played in the Canadian Sport School Hockey League for the past three seasons, will suit up for Penticton.
In 28 games with Shawnigan Lake last season, he tallied 23 goals and 25 assists for 48 points.
“I believe playing for the Penticton Vees is a great opportunity for development as a player and as a person,” said McKamey.
“Playing in the BCHL allows me to keep my future options open, while still playing in a highly competitive league. I’m excited for the challenge.”
To qualify for exceptional status, a selection committee has to rule on a player’s application.
“We are thrilled to welcome Eli and the McKamey family to the BCHL,” said league commissioner Steven Cocker.
“Eli not only possesses an elite skillset to transition to the league, but has the intangibles off the ice that will allow him to excel as an exceptional student-athlete in college hockey and beyond.”
Notably, when the 2024-25 season starts, McKamey will be 15 but he’ll turn 16 halfway through the season.
In 1996-97, the Trail Smoke Eaters had the same scenario when local product and future NHL defenceman Steve McCarthy joined the team.
Born in 1981, McCarthy was 15 when the season started but turned 16 on Feb. 3, 1997. He finished that season with 25 goals and 77 points in 57 games. He also played two games in the WHL with the Edmonton Ice, the franchise where he finished his junior career.
In 1999, McCarthy was selected 23rd overall by the Chicago Blackhawks.
He played in 302 NHL games, tallying 17 goals and 55 points. He also played for Canada at the World Juniors twice, in 2000 and 2001, winning two bronze medals.
He’s currently an assistant coach with the Columbus Blue Jackets.