Vipers Begin Drive For Five Versus Summerside:

This is in todays Morning Star Newspaper:

Vipers begin Drive For Five versus Summerside

By Graeme Corbett - Vernon Morning Star
Published: April 28, 2009

While most junior A players are at home watching the NHL playoffs on TV, the Vernon Vipers are one game shy of an NHL regular season.
With their four-game sweep of the Grande Prairie Storm in the Doyle Cup Pacific regional championship last week, the Snakes have played 81 games this season, the most of any team competing at the Royal Bank Cup, May 2-10 in Victoria.
The week-long break was a welcome reprieve for the Vipers, who have been in playoff mode since February.
“Getting rested and healthy was the most important part of this week,” said Vipers’ head coach Mark Ferner. “This time of year, it’s important to have some rest.
“The kids have enjoyed this experience. They’ve worked hard to get to this point.”
Vipers’ defenceman Kevin Kraus says it was great to get his mind off hockey, if only for a few days.
“We did some team stuff and had some fun just to get away from the rink a bit,” said the 19-year-old Garden Grove, Calif. product. “Now we’re back on the ice and just getting our legs going again.”
The Vipers start their ‘Drive For Five’ Sunday against the Eastern regional champion Summerside Capitals of P.E.I. at 2 p.m. They take on the defending champion Humboldt Broncos Monday night (7 p.m.), followed by a Tuesday-night tilt against the host Victoria Grizzlies (7 p.m.).
The Broncos had to overcome a 3-1 best-of-seven series deficit to stun the host Portage Terriers 5-4 in a Game 7 overtime thriller Sunday for the Western berth.
“I’ve heard of Humboldt and that they usually have a pretty good team,” said Kraus. “Other than that, the only team we know is Victoria.”
After a rest day, Wednesday, May 6, the Snakes battle the Central champion Kingston Voyageurs, Thursday, May 7, at 2 p.m. The two semifinals go Friday, May 8 followed by the championship game Sunday, May 10, at 4:30 p.m.
All Vipers’ games will be broadcast on 107.5 KISS-FM, with the championship game being aired on TSN.
With ice being scarce in Vernon this time of year, the Vipers have had difficulty securing a regular practice time at Priest Valley Arena.
“Our practice schedule is all over the map,” said Ferner.
The Vipers have said all year that they are built for a seven-game playoff series. That mind set has helped the Snakes battle their way through four grueling series to capture both the Fred Page and Doyle Cup championships.
The lingering question is how will the Vipers fare in a winner-take-all, round-robin scenario.
“Everything just gets magnified,” said Ferner. “Every decision that we make is going to be important. We don’t have seven games to wear a team down.
“It takes six games to win it, so we just have to be a very focused group.”
Added Kraus: “It’s new for a lot of guys, but our mind set going in is we have to win every game. Mark gets us focussed and gets us thinking of the right things before a game. We’ll be ready.
“It (RBC berth) hasn’t really sunk in. It’s surreal that we’re at this point and that we’re still playing, and it’s May and it’s hot outside.”
As for Sunday’s afternoon opener, the Snakes were a perfect 7-0 in B.C. Hockey League Sunday matinees, outscoring their opponents 34-8 with two shutouts.