Lots Of Fun Equals Lots Of Wins For Vipers:

This is in the Victoria Times Colonist Newspaper:
Lots of fun equals lots of wins for Vipers

By Sharie Epp April 28, 2009

Vernon Vipers coach Mark Ferner knows all about hockey championships, that’s why he wants to make sure his boys have fun at the RBC Cup.
“I went to six finals in seven years. I don’t want to jinx myself, but I never won once,” said Ferner, whose 20-year, multi-league junior and professional hockey career included playing in the Stanley Cup with the Detroit Red Wings, as well as the Memorial Cup (Western Hockey League), Calder Cup (American Hockey League), and Turner Cup (International Hockey League).
In Ferner’s experience, players having a good time play better hockey, and his philosophy has certainly paid off for the Vipers this season. They’ll be making a record sixth appearance at the five-team national Junior A championship, which is being held May 2-10 at Bear Mountain Arena. Besides the hosting Victoria Grizzlies, regional representatives include: the defending-champion Humboldt Broncos of Saskatchewan; P.E.I.’s Summerside Western Capitals; Ontario’s Kingston Voyageurs; and the up-beat Vipers.
“When we get to the rink, we like to have fun,” he said. “I’ve told the guys there’s nothing wrong with working hard and having smiles on their faces.”
“It’s a lot easier to attract bees with honey, than vinegar.”
To get to the Cup, the Vipers started off by finishing the regular season on top of the Interior Conference, two points back of the B.C. Hockey League-leading Victoria Grizzlies. They’ve continued their run by dominating in the playoffs. Through four best-of-seven series victories, the Vipers lost just twice in regulation, and dispatched the Alberta champion Grande Prairie Storm in four straight, despite being sick with the flu in Alberta.
“Guys were throwing up between periods,” Ferner said. “Even with that, they fought through it.”
That the Vipers are a tough bunch wouldn’t be disputed by the Storm. The Grande Prairie contingent didn’t have any more answers for Vernon’s challenging, physical style of defence than they did for the Vipers’ trio of kamikaze snipers. Twins Connor and Kellen Jones and linemate Sahir Gill have 53 points in 17 playoff games, and they racked up 20 points in the series against the Storm.
“They just weren’t going to be denied,” Ferner said. “They’re smaller guys, but they compete so hard. They’re physical, and they’re relentless on the puck.”
Once the scoring is in hand, the Vipers have been incredibly stingy in their own zone, with a regular-season record of 45-1-0-1 when leading after two periods. In the deciding Game 4 of the Doyle Cup, the Vipers, up 3-2, held the Storm to just seven shots on net, and goaltender Andrew Hammond has a postseason goals against average of 1.50.
Still, Ferner said it’s all relative when it comes to a tournament like the RBC Cup, where one game, one goal, one missed call could make the difference. He has just told his players to trust their systems and themselves, and play thinking every shift could be their last. And whatever happens, he wants them to keep smiling, which is why the team plans to arrive in Victoria a few days before their opener on Sunday.
“We’re going to enjoy this, we really are,” Ferner said. “Then let’s go out and win the RBC Cup.”