Article by: Gord Goble

It was so much more than a hockey game.

When the Penticton Vees played their 2025-26 home opener last Friday night in the friendly confines of the South Okanagan Events Centre, it was a straight-up happening.

If you couldn’t tell by the party on the SOEC outdoor plaza beforehand, you certainly could once you got inside.

The place was buzzing. Vibrant. And it was full—really full.

Indeed, says the team, it was the largest Vees crowd ever at a record 5,307. And in case you don’t know, that’s a few hundred standing room-only tickets beyond an official sell-out!

As you walked around the concourse prior to the puck drop, you likely ran into an endless string of familiar faces. It felt like the entire city was in attendance.

Why? Because the game—versus the Vees’ new arch-rival Kelowna Rockets—was the team’s first-ever home foray in the Western Hockey League (WHL). They’d dominated the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) for years, and this game marked their official  move to the bigger, faster division.

Even better, they did enough to win the game. Following a substantial opening ceremony featuring notables such as team owner Graham Fraser, Penticton mayor Julius Bloomfield, Penticton Indian Band Chief Greg Gabriel and WHL commissioner Dan Near (who waxed poetic on the team and the city), the Vees stormed out of the gates like a runaway locomotive.

And just 12 seconds in—yep, just 12—they grabbed the lead on the first of two goals on the night from winger Diego Johnson.

The crowd, barely settled in their seats, understandably went bonkers.

They doubled that lead later in the period and went up 3-0 at the 4:13 mark of the 2nd period.

Clearly they were untouchable.

Except they weren’t. Despite outshooting their opponents 36 to 22 on the night and outplaying them for vast stretches, the Vees would score just one more goal while the Rockets notched an impressive five of the last six.

The final tally was 5-4, for the Rockets.

Still, there were hopeful signs throughout. Perhaps the most significant was the crowd size and excitement level. Folks were stoked.

Folks like Penticton’s Dave Bullock, a regular on the Penticton endurance sports scene for decades.

“I worked with [Vees owner] Graham Fraser when I was the Ironman race director and Graham was the Ironman owner,” said Bullock, a multi-year Ironman competitor himself. “So I’m happy to support him and everything he does in this town.”

We asked Bullock if he figured Vees fans, so accustomed to a dominating BCHL team, will rebel if they see the scales swing the other way in the tougher league.

“I don’t think people will be disappointed if we have a losing record,” said Bullock. “I think this town will support this team. They always have and they always will.

“And it’s a really a community-minded team, so I hope the community supports it as much as possible.”

For Penticton’s Chris Cousins, opening night 2025-26 was a must-see.

“I’m a Vees fanatic,” he smiled. “I’ve had season tickets forever. And this year too.I was a little antsy about the change but when I talked to other people out in the community, including the head coach, it really helped my confidence. Cousins believes fans are in for a treat, even though the journey will be far from smooth.

“I do think the level of play will be noticeably improved,” he said.

“The whole package will be improved. But the problem is the Vees fans aren’t used to seeing the team lose. So there’ll be some bumps in the road going forward.”

Hometown fan Shelley Hall came to Penticton 13 years ago and has been a Vees fan since. Then five years ago her family began billeting Vees players. They continue to do that now.

“I think it’s yet to be seen how they’ll do in the new league,” she cautioned, “but we all know this is their inaugural year. With this team, they’ll get better year to year.”

For 77-year-old Gord Young of Summerland, a Rocket’s fan and season ticket holder for 21 years, Friday night was a personal trip into somewhat hostile territory.

“I don’t feel like my life is in danger here or anything,” he laughed, “though I do have a lot of friends here who crap on me for my affiliation.”

Young is thrilled with the Vees’ WHL upgrade.

“It’s great,” he said. “I’m getting older and pretty soon it’ll be hard for me to travel back and forth all the way to Kelowna. Coming here is so much easier.”

And he’s a proponent of the WHL.

“It’s the speed primarily,” he said. “You don’t have that extra second to think about what to do with the puck.”

For upbeat Pentictonites Brenda and Dave Purcha, the Vees love affair runs deep.

“We’ve been big fans for 15 years,” said Brenda. “And we love the move to the WHL. We’re hoping they’ll really come into their own in the new year.”

However, she said, the team should exercise care with their pricing.

“Everyone’s struggling with costs. People still have to eat and live so the team has to keep its prices reasonable for everyone.”

“But the fans will be with them, win or lose.”

Hubby Dave, who says he played hockey with the Dawson Creek Canucks 30 years ago and attended hockey school at Memorial Arena 50 years ago, has a tighter connection not only with the sport but with the team.

“I have a home renovation company,” he said, “and the Vees hired me a couple times. And then four years ago they asked me to build a box so the HarVee costume could go on a bus.

“So I built it out of plywood with a glass sheet in the middle so his head wouldn’t get squashed. It had a lid that locked and it was on rollers so they could roll it out of the dressing room for road trips. It was pretty cool.”

We’ll leave the last word to Alberta transplant and newbie Pentictonite Dave Lowry, who told us ongoing knee issues forced him to quit the sport just a couple years ago.

“We’re new to Penticton but we already have season tickets,” he said. “And being an ex-player, there’s nothing more exciting than junior hockey.

“And it’s a really big jump to the WHL. The talent is next level. It’s faster and the puck will do more work than the skaters. It’s exciting, and people will see that all year long.”

Saturday night at Kelowna’s Prospera Place, the Vees put on a repeat performance of sorts, scoring first again against the Rockets but ultimately losing another close one-goal game.

Their 2025-26 record is now 1-3. It’s definitely not the BCHL anymore, but only great things will come.