Game 5, Round 2 Preview: Vees vs Cougars
Published on April 17, 2026 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Penticton Vees News Release
The Vees look to take a 3-2 series lead over the Cougars tonight at the SOEC. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:05PM.
If you can't make it down to the SOEC, catch all the action on Victory+, Summit 800 AM and Summit 98.5 Summerland.
Series So Far: The Vees struggled to match the physicality of the Cougars in Game 1 and ultimately fell 4-1 despite outshooting Prince George 35-20.
Two shorthanded goals against in the first period put the Vees behind the eight ball in Game 2 and they couldn't climb out of the hole eventually falling 6-2.
The Vees fell down 2-0 in Game 3 but were able to will their way back into the game and the series led by Louie Wehmann, Brady Birnie and Matteo Danis who all had three points in a 5-3 win.
The Vees kept their cool in a tightly contested Game 4 on their way to a 5-2 victory. Penticton used four straight powerplay goals to pull away late in the fourth game. Vees Captain Nolan Stevenson had the game winner, his second goal of the post-season. AJ Reyelts stopped 27-of-29 shots he faced.
Vees Player to Watch: F Ryden Evers: Evers notched a goal and two assists in Game 4. He now sits at 11 points in the playoffs and has registered a point in seven of his nine post-season games including three multi-point games.
Fast Fact: The Vees will look to be the first team in the series to win a home game as the road teams have been dominant so far.
Playoff Leading Scorers
Penticton:
Jacob Kvasnicka - 12 points (6g, 6a)
Ryden Evers - 11 points (6g, 5a)
Louie Wehmann - 10 points (5g, 5a)
Matteo Danis - 8 points (1g, 7a)
Brady Birnie - 7 points (6g 1a)
Cougars:
Brock Souch - 18 points (6g, 12a)
Terik Parascak - 16 points (7g, 9a)
Kooper Gizowski - 13 points (4g, 9a)
Lee Shurgot - 9 points (4g, 5a)
Carson Carels - 8 points (0g, 8a)
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