The Penticton Vees have capped off their historic B.C. Hockey League season by winning the Fred Page Cup for the second year in a row.
Penticton won Game 4 at the Alberni Valley Multiplex by a score of 4-1, sweeping the Alberni Valley Bulldogs in four games.
Penticton once again opened the scoring on Wednesday with a goal from Josh Nadeau.
The first period was interrupted with less than five minutes remaining in the frame because Vees forward Spencer Smith suffered an injury after taking a hit and had to be helped off the ice. The Penticton Vees later provided an update to say that Smith was “doing well” at West Coast General Hospital and was in high spirits.
The Vees struck again in the second period, with Brett Moravec grabbing what turned out to be the game-winning goal less than two minutes into the frame. Bulldogs defenceman Owen Desilets managed to cut the Vees’ lead in half just a few minutes later, but Moravec scored his second goal of the night to give the visiting team a 3-1 lead after 40 minutes.
Although the Bulldogs pressed hard in the third period, they couldn’t get anything else past Vees goaltender Luca Di Pasquo. Penticton’s Dovar Tinling added an empty net goal to seal the deal for the Vees and make them back-to-back Fred Page Cup champions.
“There’s not much to say about this Penticton Vees team,” said BCHL commissioner Steven Cocker, alluding to the team’s historic 50-3-0-1 record in the regular season. “It’s going to be tough to look back and see if there was a better BCHL team in the history of the league.”
Bradley Nadeau earned the Jeff Tambellini Trophy as the league’s playoff MVP.
For the Bulldogs, it was the first time in franchise history that they have played in the Fred Page Cup final. Cocker spoke at the end of the night about the adversity that the Bulldogs faced throughout the season.
“From a losing start through November, to December on one of the hottest teams in the BCHL, you should be proud of your Bulldogs,” he said, to a round of applause from the Bulldogs fans who stuck around to cheer on their team.
elena.rardon@albernivalleynews.com
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