Black Press Sports
Fred Harbinson will be seeking win No. 401 when his Penticton Vees host the Vernon Vipers Friday night at the South Okanagan Events Centre.
Grant Cruikshank scored twice as the host Vees stuffed the injury-riddled Coquitlam Express 5-2 in B.C. Hockey League action Wednesday night before 3,000 fans.
Penticton improved to 18-3 and are ranked No. 6 in the 132-team Canadian Junior Hockey League. Vernon hosts the Vees Saturday, 6 p.m., at Kal Tire Place.
Harbinson on his milestone win: “We’ve had some great players here, great teams. It means I’ve probably been here a long time.”
It is a special digit for the Calgary native who was a forward with Don Phelps’ AJHL Calgary Canucks in the 1989-90 season.
“Yeah, you know what. When I first got here, you don’t anticipate winning that many games,” said Harbinson. “I’ve been blessed with some great assistant coaches. Some great support staff all the way through. Ownership and of course the players. The players are the ones that win the hockey games. It means that we’ve had a successful organization.”
Harbinson took over the Vees’ bench starting with the 2007-08 season, where he guided Penticton to a Fred Page Cup BCHL title. He’s since won two more BCHL titles, in 2012 and 2015 and won the RBC Cup national championship in 2012.
He is a three-time winner of the Joe Tennant Memorial Trophy as BCHL coach of the year.
The Vees have won three straight and are 13 points clear of second-place Trail smoke Eaters in the Interior Conference.
“We played really well. We had a good start, which was crucial,” said Cruikshank, who earned the first star. “We wanted to get off to a good start. Get lots of shots and we had a really solid game.”
After challenging his players to have a better start, Harbinson said they did just that. Goalie Lawson Fenton was peppered with 15 shots. Cruikshank beat him at 14:02 on a wrist shot.
“We were real strong in the first period,” said Harbinson. “Our transition game really gave Coquitlam a tough go.”
Express coach Barry Wolfe said his team played OK, considering they have eight injured players at home. Of the 19 he dressed, four players were affiliates.
“Playing a team like this in their building, is tough to play them at any time even when you’re full strength,” he said. “We chipped away. We made a few mistakes that ended up in our net. We take those back it’s a little closer game.”
The Vipers, meanwhile, will be without second-leading scorer Jimmy Lambert and rookie d-man Chris Jandric.
Lambert did not attend practice this week after taking a head shot from Cole Pickup of the Victoria Grizzlies last Saturday night at the Q Centre. Pickup was suspended four games.
Jandric is wearing an air cast and will be sidelined for at least two weeks.
Winger Keith Anderson is ill and missed Thursday practice.
“If we’re missing two forwards, we’ll have to look around and call somebody up,” said Viper head coach/GM Mark Ferner.
The Vipers finally heard back from the league on their appeal of the 10-game suspension assessed captain Riley Brandt in an Oct. 29 game against the Merritt Centennials.
The league has upheld the 10 games.
“It’s frustrating for our team and disappointing for the kid,” said Ferner, upset that Pickup, a multiple repeat offender, got just four games for a vicious hit.
Brandt’s check was considered clean by several hockey people. He wasn’t penalized until the Cents’ Michael Van Unen fell to the ice and both referees huddled to discuss the play. Van Unen finished the game.
Brandt, the Vipers’ sparkplug with five goals and 11 points, is eligble to return Nov. 27 when the Vipers visit the Langley Rivermen.
The Rivermen are here Wednesday night.