Vees Head to Break with a Win
Published on December 18, 2025 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Penticton Vees News Release
Penticton Vees defenceman Jiri Kamas
(Penticton Vees, Credit: Cherie Morgan)
Penticton, BC - The Penticton Vees sent their fans to the holidays happy with a 5-2 victory over the Prince George Cougars at the South Okanagan Events Centre on Wednesday night.
The Vees climb to 16-9-4-3 on the season and sit in third in the West heading into the break.
It was Brittan Alstead who opened the scoring on Wednesday as Ryden Evers flipped a puck to a streaking Alstead who then tucked the puck up under the bar at 7:04 of the first period.
The Cougars would respond with two straight goals. First, they struck on the powerplay with a jam play from Aiden Foster and then Shaun Rios ripped a shot high-glove to make it 2-1.
The Vees answered before the period ended with Evers swatting home a loose puck from the crease for his 21st of the season to make it 2-2 after 20 minutes.
Penticton would take the lead back at the 4:45 mark of the second period with a wild play. Brady Birnie took a shot from the top of the circle with the puck hitting a stick, bouncing 20 feet into the air, and then in behind the Cougars goaltender to make it 3-2 after the second.
Birnie would take over in the third period.
He scored his second powerplay goal of the night on a short-side shot from the circle at 5:07 of the third and then finished off the hat-trick with a diving play through the crease to make the final score 5-2 Vees.
Ethan McCallum stopped 30 of 32 shots he faced in his second straight start.
GAME STATS
Shots:
Vees- 28
Cougars- 32
Scoring:
Vees- Brady Birnie (3), Ryden Evers, Brittan Alstead
Cougars- Aiden Foster, Shaun Rios
Power Plays:
Vees- 2/3
Cougars- 1/5
Goaltending:
Vees- Ethan McCallum - 30/32
Cougars- Alexander Levshyn- 23/28
Up Next: The Vees return from the Christmas break on Dec. 29 when they battle the Rockets in Kelowna for a 7:00PM faceoff.
Images from this story
 Penticton Vees defenceman Jiri Kamas (Cherie Morgan) |
Western Hockey League Stories from December 18, 2025
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- Tigers Win Tenth Straight After Taking Down Wheat Kings 7-3 - Medicine Hat Tigers
- Broncos Fall to Hitmen in Final Game Before Christmas Break - Swift Current Broncos
- Vees Head to Break with a Win - Penticton Vees
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- Americans end first half with overtime win in Kamloops - Tri-City Americans
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