Can Vipers Spin Records?

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Can Vipers spin records?

By Kevin Mitchell - Vernon Morning Star

Published: November 15, 2009

With the Vernon Vipers now an astounding 23-1, it’s perhaps time to discuss B.C. Hockey League and franchise records.

Just how good are the Vipers? Well, when they jumped out to an early 8-0 lead on the Cowichan Valley Capitals in mid-October, head coach Mark Ferner, hardly one to rub a score in another coach’s face, couldn’t find a way to stop the Snakes from scoring.

He put his third line on the powerplay. They scored. Sent out his fourth unit. They connected. Saved the Jones twins – Connor and Kellen – for penalty killing after Connor counted his fifth goal. The Kootenay twins dominated the special teams assignment.

The Viper franchise record for consecutive wins is 22. After Friday night’s win over the Smokies, Vernon sits at 16 in a row. They faced Trail again Saturday night and face a four-game Coastal Conference road trip next week against three teams with winning records, including the conference-leading Surrey Eagles.

The league record for wins in a row is held by the New Westminster Royals, who reeled off 29 straight in the 1989-90 season. Those same Royals racked up a 52-3-4 record for 108 points. They averaged seven goals a game, while allowing three.

For the record, the Royals brought their high-octane offence here for the 1990 Centennial Cup, and despite being huge favourites, lost 6-5, in overtime to the Eddie Johnstone-coached Vernon Lakers, at a rocking Civic Arena.

The hero, Cam Sylven, suffered a black eye in the mad celebration which followed his breakaway goal on Cory Cadden, who had lost the year before to the Lakers in the Doyle Cup while with the Red Deer Rustlers.

The Vipers, who are averaging almost 5.5 goals a game, and giving up just 1.7 goals, will have to win 30 of their last 36 games to break the record.

Hot Stove League fans out there like to compare last year’s national championship team to this group. How’s the goaltending? How’s the defence without (Kyle) Bigos and (Cam) Brodie?

Those are the most common questions I get asked around town. Well, Graeme Gordon doesn’t get a ton of shots, but he’s played well as the No. 1 net detective. Back-up Blake Voth looks like a keeper for the future.

And the defence is younger, but certainly as big and tough as last season. Getting 20-year-old Dan Nycholat to complement captain Kevin Kraus on the back end was huge. The rest get better with every shift.

Up front, the Vipers can pretty much score at will, but they are so responsible defensively, they hold back at times. After the Jones line, you can list the other threesomes as 2, 2A and 2B.

Of course, setting records doesn’t mean a thing unless you win a championship (ask the New West Royals), but it’s kind of fun to monitor in a regular season where there aren’t enough tough games.

Hull was a pure Penticton sniper

Still with the BCHL, Brett Hull’s 105 goals with the Penticton Knights in the 1983-84 season may stand for another 25 years or so.

Hull, who was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame Monday night, led the Knights to first place overall while placing sixth in scoring with 188 points. Cliff Ronning of New West was second with 83 goals and 151 points

The so-called experts said Hull couldn’t skate well enough to make it in hockey, but he managed 48 goals as a rookie with Penticton after playing minor hockey for North Shore Winter Club.

He got strong athletic genes from his dad, Bobby, and his mom, Joanne, who taught Brett how to skate at age five. She was a professional figure skater for Hilton Hotel shows.

After two years in Penticton, Hull chose the University of Minnesota-Duluth because they had a skating program that greatly improved that aspect of his game. He already had a pro shot.

Hull helped UMD to the NCAA semifinals in his first season, 1984-85, but they were beaten in triple overtime by eventual champion RPI Engineers, while killing a disputed penalty, on a John Carter goal set up by Adam Oates. Hull had scored in regulation to tie the game and Oates had four assists in the victory. They would become linemates five years later in St. Louis.

Hull started to play organized hockey at age seven in Elmhurst, Ill. for the Elmhurst Huskies with future NHL forward Tony Granato.

Farynuk enjoying Japanese hockey

RPI and Viper grad Brad Farynuk, of Enderby, is playing for the Tohoku Free Blades, a new team in the Asian Hockey League .

The team is located in the city of Hachinohe, Aomori, Japan, which is in the north near the Pacific Ocean.

Farynuk, and former RPI teammate, Steve Munn, of Saskatchewan, are leading the 4-13 Blades on the blueline. Farynuk, 27, had 5-11-16 through 15 games. Engaged to be married next July in New York, Farynuk owns a dual engineering degree from RPI. He spent four seasons in the AHL and ECHL, winning a Kelly Cup with the ECHL South Carolina Stingrays in the 2008-09 season.