One night after his hometown team clinched top spot in the Interior Conference, Sharky Nowek’s dreams of playing for his hometown Penticton Vees came true.
There weren’t many people inside the South Okanagan Events Centre on Saturday, March 16, who didn’t know what the moment meant to the 17-year-old goaltender.
Most of the 2,800 in attendance were either chanting his first name or wearing hats shaped like sharks, in support of born-and-raised Pentictonite making his BCHL debut.
“Being a hometown boy, it was pretty special,” said Nowek, who made 19 saves against the Alberni Valley Bulldogs last Saturday.
“I always wanted to play here…seeing people chant my name or wear shark heads, it meant so much to me and gave me the confidence to get through it all.”
Although the Vees would lose the game 2-1, Nowek says he’ll cherish those first 60 minutes in his hometown crease forever.
“It was an emotional time, but I just wanted to stay focused, stay calm and play my game,” the Penticton Minor Hockey Association graduate said. “I wanted to come out with the win but unfortunately it didn’t happen, so next time I’ll have to make sure it does.”
Nowek signed with the Vees last summer and has spent much of the
The netminder made his first-ever BCHL start after his team had clinched the Interior Conference’s best regular-season record for the 13th consecutive time.
Penticton topped West Kelowna 2-1 in overtime on March 15, to solidify its spot atop the conference.
The Vees, who have four regular-season games left, will battle the Prince George Spruce Kings when the BCHL Playoffs begin on April 5.
Nowek’s team will hit the ice next when they host the Merritt Centennials and Salmon Arm Silverbacks on March 22 and 23, respectively.
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