Vipers And Saints To Battle For Doyle Cup, Trip To Manitoba:

Vipers and Saints to battle for Doyle Cup, trip to Manitoba

Wednesday, April 14, 2010 - Submitted by Chad Klassen

The Vernon Vipers are the defending Doyle Cup champions, but their return to the B.C. vs. Alberta championship showdown is shaping up to be far more challenging than it was in a series sweep a year ago.

Last season, the Vipers toppled the Grand Prairie Storm in a quick four-game series to advance to the RBC Cup tournament. In 2010, the Fred Page Cup winners face the Spruce Grove Saints -- the Alberta Junior Hockey League champions who enter the best-of-seven series as the nation’s No. 1-ranked team according to the CJHL’s Top 20 Rankings.

It sets up a potentially outstanding series with the two top Junior A hockey teams battling for the right to play for a National Championship when the RBC Cup begins in Dauphin, Manitoba on May 1st.

"It's going to be a challenge with them ranked No. 1, but we're right behind them ranked No. 2 and we have the championship experience from last year," says Vernon goaltender Graeme Gordon. "It's going to be a good series and we're looking forward to it. We expect it to go the distance, the full seven and hopefully we come out on top."

#1 – Spruce Grove Saints vs. #2 – Vernon Vipers

Spruce Grove: 52-4-1-3; 108 points
Vernon: 51-6-0-3; 105 points

Recent Form: The Vipers have the confidence as defending champs and come into the series following another Fred Page Cup victory over Powell River, beating the Kings 3-1 in Game 7 on Monday night to win their second straight Championship. After only six regulation defeats during the regular season, Vernon has been battle-tested in the postseason but continues to win big games with a 12-7 record.

Meanwhile, the Alberta Junior Hockey League champion Saints are arguably the most dangerous team on the heels of a 12-4 record in the playoffs, which followed a remarkable 52-4-1-3 mark during the regular season. Spruce Grove, who finished with 108 points, completed the 2009/10 season 25 points ahead of their next closest rival, the Grand Prairie Storm, in the AJHL’s North Division.

Then, after losing a single game in two rounds, they battled through a tough seven-game series with the Fort McMurray Oil Barons. Similar to the path faced by Veron, the Saints were forced to return home for a Game 7 meeting after a road defeat in Game 6, but then bounced back with a win in the seventh and deciding game on Tuesday.

Doyle Cup Record: It is the second Doyle Cup meeting between the two franchises, who last faced off against each other in 1996 when the Vernon Vipers were crowned champions after a hard-fought seven-game series victory over the St. Albert Saints, who moved to Spruce Grove eight years later. It was the last time the Saints won the Enerflex Cup before their 2010 triumph.

Historically, it is the Saints’ fifth appearance in the Doyle Cup, which they have captured twice with back-to-back titles over the BCHL’s Penticton Knights in 1981 and 1982. For the Vipers, it is their 10th appearance in the Doyle Cup with six championships to their credit. Vernon won it all last season and has a rich history in the championship series. The franchise captured its inaugural Doyle Cup in 1989 when they took out the Red Deer Rustlers in six games and hoisted the trophy three times in four years with consecutive victories in 1991 and 1992.

Players to Watch: Vernon arguably sport the deepest lineup in all of Junior A hockey with four lines that can score and contribute off the scoreboard. The Vipers are led offensively by the Jones twins, Connor and Kellen, who ripped it up in the Fred Page Cup series against Powell River. Coupled with Sahir Gill, the threesome has been proven a deadly combination with six goals and 15 assists in the championship series among them. Overall, the Jones have combined for 39 points in 19 games over three rounds of the BCHL playoffs with Connor leading the team with 20 points.

Also look out for other top performers on Vernon like Corey Kane, Rob Short and Jonathan Milhouse, who contributed three goals to the Fred Page Cup victory, including a key marker in the Vipers’ Game 5 victory and a pair in Game 7.

For the Saints, the top line of Adam Henderson, Brett Cameron and Jordan Draper will shoulder most of the scoring load for the Alberta champs against a tight defensive team.

Cameron scored four goals and added an assist in Spruce Grove’s Game 7 win over Fort McMurray, while Henderson ended a scoring slump with a goal and three helpers. Henderson, a Yukon native, was third in team scoring during the regular season with 56 points in 51 games played and finished second overall in the AJHL playoff scoring race with 20 points.

Meanwhile, Draper tallied 22 goals and 30 assists in an injury-shortened season in which he played in only 35 games. The Sherwood Park, Alberta product sits third in playoff scoring with 15 points in 12 games.

2010 Doyle Cup Schedule:

Game 1: Friday, April 16th at Spruce Grove - 7:00 PM, Grant Fuhr Arena

Game 2: Saturday, April 17th at Spruce Grove - 7:00 PM, Grant Fuhr Arena

Game 3: Sunday, April 18th at Spruce Grove - 7:00 PM, Grant Fuhr Arena
(if first two games split)

Game 3: Tuesday, April 20th at Vernon - 7:00 PM, Wesbild Centre
(if first two games swept)

Game 4: Wednesday, April 21th at Vernon - 7:00 PM, Wesbild Centre

Game 5: Thursday, April 22th at Vernon - 7:00 PM, Wesbild Centre
(if first two games split)

Game 5: Friday, April 23th at Vernon - 7:00 PM, Wesbild Centre
(if first two games swept)

Game 6: Saturday, April 24th at Vernon - 7:00 PM, Wesbild Centre

Game 7: Sunday, April 25th at Vernon - 7:00 PM, Wesbild Centre