Series Preview Round 2: Vees vs Cougars
WHL Penticton Vees

Series Preview Round 2: Vees vs Cougars

Published on April 7, 2026 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Penticton Vees News Release


The Penticton Vees got past the Seattle Thunderbirds in five games during round one and will carry home-ice advantage into the second round as the #2 seed in the Western Conference.

The Vees will face off with the third seeded, Prince George Cougars in round two, who defeated the Spokane Chiefs in six games in their first round series.

Tale of the Tape

Goaltending Duel

The Vees and Cougars have sported some of the best goaltending in the WHL and that continued into the first round of the playoffs.

AJ Reyelts: The Vees goaltender took the majority of the starts in round one against the Thunderbirds playing in four of the five games with Ethan McCallum starting game four. Reyelts went 4-0 with a 2.19 GAA (5th in the WHL) and a .925 save percentage (5th in the WHL). Against the Cougars this season the native of Proctor, MN went 2-0-1-0 in three starts stopping 70-of-81 shots he faced.

Joshua Ravensbergen: Ravensbergen started all six games in the Cougars first round. Through round one he went 4-2 with a 2.75 GAA (9th in the WHL) and a .918 save percentage (7th in the WHL). Against the Vees this season Ravensbergen went 1-2-0-0 sporting a .907 save percentage.

Ravensbergen was the 30th overall draft pick by the San Jose Sharks in last year's NHL Entry Draft.

A Battle Brewing

The Vees and the Cougars quickly developed a rivalry in Penticton's inaugural season, combining for 190 penalty minutes in six regular season games including 68 in the second last meeting of the season.

There were six fighting majors handed out to each team capped off by a goaltender fight between McCallum and Ravensbergen at the South Okanagan Events Centre during a Vees 3-0 victory.

Head-To-Head

The Vees defeated the Cougars in five of six regular season contests. Penticton outscored the Cougars by a 25-15 margin but three of the six games were decided by one goal including two going to overtime. Each team won one game in extra time.

The Vees went 3-0 at home and 2-0-1 on the road in the season series.

Players to Watch

Penticton: Vees forward Jacob Kvasnicka continued on from his dominating regular season registering nine points (five goals and four assists) in five games in Penticton's first round meeting with the Thunderbirds. Nolan Stevenson had a solid opening round picking up four points. The Vees captain managed a +1 plus/minus while racking up big minutes against some of Seattle's top forwards.

Prince George: Brock Souch had himself a big first round leading the Cougars in scoring with five goals and six assists. Projected Top 10 pick Carson Carels will also be someone to keep an eye on. He registered four assists in round one after a regular season campaign that saw him put up 73 points in 58 games.

Playoff Leading Scorers

Penticton

Jacob Kvasnicka - 9 points (5g, 4a)

Ryden Evers - 6 points (4g, 2a)

Louie Wehmann - 4 points (3g, 1a)

Samuel Drancak - 4 points (1g, 3a)

Nolan Stevenson - 4 points (1g 3a)

Cougars

Brock Souch - 11 points (5g, 6a)

Kooper Gizowski - 8 points (3g, 5a)

Terik Parascak - 8 points (3g, 5a)

Arsenii Anisimov - 5 points (2g, 3a)

Lee Shurgot - 5 points (2g, 3a)

The Vees and Cougars kick off their seven-game, second round series, Friday night at the South Okanagan Events Centre. Get your tickets now at valleyfirsttix.com.

Check out the Penticton Vees Statistics

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Western Hockey League Stories from April 7, 2026


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