Vernon Wins Doyle Cup:

This is on the Grande Prarie web site:

VERNON WINS DOYLE CUP

Wed, Apr 22 2009

In the end the British Columbia Hockey League champion Vernon Vipers were just too good – a complete hockey team from top to bottom.And in order to defeat them in the Doyle Cup the Alberta Junior Hockey League champion Grande Prairie Storm were going to need a break – a bounce here or there, some soft goals, a few calls at the right time that went their way and a healthy lineup.In the end the Storm didn’t get any of that and when the Vipers scored two goals on bad bounces against the Storm in a 2-1 victory in Game 1 in Vernon there was a hint perhaps this series wasn’t going to go their way.There were no soft goals against the Vipers as Vernon netminder Andrew Hammond lived up to his credentials as the best netminder in the BCHL. His enormous save on Storm forward Zahn Raubenheimer late in Game 3 preserved a 2-1 Vipers victory. He refused to let any easy ones in during 240 minutes of play over four games!A few calls both in Vernon and Grande Prairie that went the wrong way might have changed the outcome of some of the games.Wednesday night in Game 4 in the Canada Games Arena the Storm fought back from a 2-0 deficit in the second period, worked their butts off and tied the game at 2-2 by 7:02 of the middle stanza. The Storm, for one of the few times in the series, had the Vipers on their heels and the crowd in a frenzy.That frenzy turned to shock when the Vipers scored the winning goal at 11:00 of the second period. The Storm turned the puck over in the Vernon end when Storm forward Dennis Rix was dumped and the Vipers raced down the ice and scored the game-winner when Braden Pimm’s high shot went over Storm netminder Chad Carder’s shoulder.The third goal took all the momentum away from the Storm and the excitement out of the crowd. The Vipers went into their defensive clamp and Game 4 was history. The Vipers ended up winning the game 5-2 and the series 4-0.Heading into the Grande Prairie games of the series few people knew several key Storm players were suffering either from illness or injury including Carter Rowney, Zahn Raubenheimer, Blake Clement and Brenden Turnbull. All but Turnbull ended up playing in all four games.Nothing really went in the Storm favor in this series, but even if it had, the Vipers would have been a very difficult team to beat. They have to be heading into the Royal Bank Cup in Victoria next month considered one of the favourites. They are a very good hockey team and deserved the 4-0 series victory.Connor Jones scored three goals for the Vipers Wednesday, including one into an empty net as the Vipers took 2-0 and 3-2 period leads. He had opened the game’s scoring at 5:04 of the first on Vernon’s second shorthanded tally of the series. Sahir Gill had the other Vernon tally.Doug Reid got the Storm going at 1:26 of the second period to make it 2-1 and Morgan MacLean tied it on the powerplay at 7:02. Both Hammond and Carder ended up facing 31 shots.MacLean is one of eight over-age players who have finished their junior careers. Others include Ryan Smith, Bobby Tyson, Mark Stojan, Blake Clement, Brenden Turnbull, Jordon Harrison and Elias Grossmann.On Wednesday night Carter Rowney’s father, Brian, confirmed his son will be heading to the National Collegiate Athletic Association in North Dakota next season so he has played his last Storm game too. Brooks Robinson would also still be junior aged next year, but he too is headed to the NCAA.While one season ended Wednesday, another begins on the weekend for the Storm when the team hosts its annual Spring Camp in the Canada Games Arena. The team awards banquet is expected to be held early next week.At the end of Wednesday’s game the Storm received a nice ovation from the home crowd for a job well done this year in winning the AJHL championship and advancing to the Doyle Cup.Storm fans, always classy, gave the Vipers a very nice ovation too as they were presented with the Doyle Cup.