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‘Special’: Penticton Vees’ Sharky Nowek lives out dream on home ice

The local product, 17, made 19 saves in his BCHL debut
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Sharky Nowek, 17, greets Penticton Vees fans at the South Okanagan Events Centre on Saturday, March 16, minutes after the local product finished off his first career BCHL start. The graduate of Penticton Minor Hockey suited for his hometown team, one night after they clinched top spot in the Interior Conference. (Photo- Cherie Morgan)

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 2023-2024 campaign serving as the team’s third goaltender. The Okanagan Hockey Academy product said he looks forward to working hard every day and continuing to “prove to the guys that I can be here.”

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.

READ MORE: Penticton Vees to meet Prince George in 1st round of BCHL Playoffs

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Logan Lockhart

About the Author: Logan Lockhart

I joined Black Press Media in 2021 after graduating from a pair of Toronto post-secondary institutions and working as a sports reporter for several different outlets.
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