The Penticton Vees were handed their first loss of the 2024-2025 BCHL season on Friday, Sept. 27, falling to the Brooks Bandits 4-1 at the Centennial Regional Arena in Alberta.
Goaltender Johnny Hicks made 20 saves and Nick Peluso scored the eventual game-winning goal to help Brooks (3-0-0-0) stay undefeated.
Penticton (2-1-0-0), who spoiled Hicks' shutout bid late in the third period, looks to bounce back on Saturday, Sept. 28, when it visits the winless Blackfalds Bulldogs (0-2-0-0).
“Neither team gave up a lot of chances early," said Vees assistant coach Matthew Vanden Berg. "We had a couple miscues that ended up in our net. You can’t make mistakes against a team like that, but we got to learn from these types of moments and build on it going forward."
Matthew Cataldo scored the Vees' lone goal, his second of the season.
It came after Brooks jumped to a 3-0 lead, with markers from Liam Fitzpatrick, Peluso and Quinn McCall.
Fitzpatrick's goal, a shorthanded one at 15:47 of the first period, stood as the game's only marker until the third period.
Park Lalonde scored an empty-netter in the final seconds of the affair to make it 4-1.
"Everyone has to do a little bit more tomorrow and dial into our team identity," Vanden Berg said. "Hopefully we can respond the right way on Saturday.”
Vees goaltender Will Ingemann got the start but was pulled in favour of Andrew Ness, after allowing three goals on 28 shots.
The Minnesota-born netminder started each of Penticton's first three games, all in Alberta.
After the Vees battle the Bulldogs on Saturday, the club will return to B.C. and gear up for its home opener against the Okotoks Oilers (0-3-0-0) on Oct. 4.
