After disposing of Prince George 4 games to 2 on Sunday, the Penticton Vees now face the Everett Silvertips in the WHL’s Western Conference finals later this week. The Vees closed out their series with the Cougars in dramatic fashion, overcoming a 2-goal deficit with two third-period goals leading to a 3-2 overtime victory. Leading the way for Penticton was free agent goaltender Alex Reyelts‘ 40 saves, and New York Islanders’ forward prospect Jacob Kvasnicka’s OT winner. Reyelts is tied for the league lead with eight wins, and sits at #9 with a .914 save percentage. Kvasnicka is fifth in the league with 13 points, and has the third-most goals with 7.
Penticton faces a formidable opponent in Everett. The Silvertips are backstopped by Anders Miller (2026 2nd-year draft-eligible). Miller is not only tied for the league lead in wins (8), he also is second in goals-against average (1.55) and save percentage (.948) (he trails only Kelowna’s Josh Banini (free agent) in the latter two categories, but has faced 250 shots versus Banini’s 84). Scoring-wise, they are being led by Matias Vanhanen (2026 draft-eligible, ranked #54 among North American skaters) with 14 points, which is third best in the league. Also, Julius Miettinen (SEA) and Carter Bear (DET) have 12 points apiece, and Bear’s 10 assists are tried for third in the league.