Vees play their annual Peaches Cup intrasquad game

Photo: Cherie Morgan/Cherie Morgan Photography

The Penticton Vees faced off against one another in their annual Peaches Cup intrasquad game on Friday night at the South Okanagan Events Centre with Team Blue topping Team White by a score of 6-3.

The Vees play their Peaches Cup game a week before the exhibition season kicks off, featuring both rostered and affiliate players for the 2021/22 season.

For some players, this was the first game-like action in over a year and a half.

Thomas Pichette was first to kick off the scoring, snapping a shot past the glove side of Team White goaltender Colin Purcell just under nine minutes into the game to give Team Blue a 1-0 lead.

Ryan Hopkins followed with a goal in the backend for Team White to even the score heading into the second period.

The second period was dominated by Team Blue as they scored twice to take a two-goal lead with Casey McDonald snapping up a puck inside the right face-off circle and to get a shot past the blocker side of Purcell for a 2-1 lead.

Josh Nadeau added to the scoring to give Team Blue a two-goal advantage late in the period on a play that included Pichette and veteran Luc Wilson, sliding a shot past the blocker side of Purcell.

In the third period, Tij Iginla added his name to the score sheet for Team Blue with the first of two goals in the final period, with a pass from Smyth Rebman in the left face-off circle across the ice to bury a shot through Purcell.

Team White gathered a comeback when Jackson Nieuwendyk wrapped the puck around the glove side of Lane for a 4-2 game.

Another goal came for Team White when Beanie Richter scored a backhand shot up and over the glove side of Lane to cut the lead to 4-3.

Iginla struck again with his second goal of the game with a shot over the glove side of Purcel, giving Team Blue’s a 5-3 lead.

The last goal of the game was snagged by Ethan Mann, firing one into an empty net in the final minute to solidify the score in favour of Team Blue at 6-3 fashion.

The Vees will make their exhibition debut battling the Vernon Vipers on Friday, Sept. 24 at the South Okanagan Events Centre at 7:00 PM. Single game tickets are now on sale and available at the SOEC Box Office and online at valleyfirsttix.com

Penticton will officially start their 2021/22 season on Friday, Oct. 8 in renewing a historic rivalry against the Vernon Vipers at the SOEC. Season tickets for the upcoming campaign are now available to purchase with ticket packages available for as low as $9 per game. Contact Director of Ticketing and Merchandise Laura Carleton by phone at (250) 493-8337 ext. 4 as well as email at [email protected] for more information.