Game 1, Round 1 Preview: Vees vs Thunderbirds
WHL Penticton Vees

Game 1, Round 1 Preview: Vees vs Thunderbirds

Published on March 27, 2026 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Penticton Vees News Release


The Penticton Vees will play their first ever WHL playoff game tonight at the SOEC as they host the Seattle Thunderbirds in Game 1. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00PM.

If you can't make it down to the SOEC, catch all the action on Victory+, Summit 800 AM and Summit 98.5 Summerland.

The Vees (44-14-6-4) finished off the regular season in second in the Western Conference, first in the BC Division and fourth overall in the WHL standings. They were tied for the #1 ranked penalty kill at 81.8% and had the sixth best powerplay in the regular season which worked at 27.4%. Their 268 goals were the second most in the West while their 188 goals against were tied for second least in the conference.

The Thunderbirds enter Game 1 following a 31-27-6-4 regular season record that put them in the seventh seed in the Western Conference. They registered 223 goals for and 241 goals against in the regular season and sported the 20th ranked powerplay and 12 best penalty kill in the regular season.

Vees Player to Watch: F Brittan Alstead: The Vees forward enjoyed playing against the Thunderbirds this season. He had four goals and five assists in four games played against the Vees round one opponent in the regular season.

Fast Fact: Matteo Danis leads all Vees in playoff experience. Tonight will be his 28th post-season game played. Overall there are eight Penticton Vees who have played a WHL playoff game on the roster.

HEAD TO HEAD: The Vees went 4-0 against the Thunderbirds in the regular season outscoring Seattle 24-11. They did only play once after a flurry of deadline moves by the Thunderbirds, a game which the Vees won 5-4 in a shootout.

2025-26 Scoring Leaders:

Vees:

Jacob Kvasnicka- 85 points (35g, 50a)

Ryden Evers- 74 points (35g, 39a)

Brady Birnie- 70 points (22g, 48a)

Matteo Danis- 59 points (30g, 29a)

Brittan Alstead- 58 points (22g, 36a)

Thunderbirds

Cameron Schmidt- 100 points (51g, 49a)

Coster Dunn- 55 points (25g, 30a)

Noah Kosick- 54 points (16g, 38a)

Check out the Penticton Vees Statistics

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Western Hockey League Stories from March 27, 2026


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