Viper Fans Catching The Spirit:

This is in todays Morning Star Newspaper:

Viper fans catching the spirit

By Graeme Corbett - Vernon Morning Star

Published: May 06, 2010

DAUPHIN, MAN. – By car or by plane, they have made the 1,600-kilometre pilgrimage from Vernon to Dauphin, Man. to watch Canada’s best battle for junior A hockey’s holy grail – the Royal Bank Cup.

A handful of diehard fans are hoping to see the Vernon Vipers successfully defend their national crown, and become the first team to win back-to-back titles since the Vernon Lakers accomplished the feat in 1990 and ‘91.

Since the tournament began last Friday, there has been a slow trickle of Viper fans and player parents arriving in Manitoba to cheer on their boys. More were expected to arrive Thursday to show their support as Vernon, who finished the preliminaries in second place at 3-1, takes the ice for the Saturday afternoon (noon PT) semifinal. They will face the winner of the La Ronge Ice Wolves – Brockville Braves game that went Thursday night. The Vipers shaded both teams in round-robin play.

A trio of longtime Vernon hockey supporters – Nancy Noakes, Barb Anderson and Steve Maxnuk – have been here since the weekend. They flew from Kelowna to Winnipeg, where they rented a car to make the four-hour drive to Dauphin.

“This year’s team has a lot of potential and they are excellent individuals,” said Noakes, a Tri-Cities native who wears fellow American Cole Ikkala’s #12 jersey at games.

“Their playing has been good to this point, at times fabulous, and I think they can do it. We haven’t seen their best.”

When asked who is standing out for the Vipers at the RBC tournament, she replies: “Braden Pimm has played his heart out. He’s chasing and running… sometimes he stands out more because he’s a little more aggressive than the others.”

For Anderson, it’s speedy blueliner Stevie Weinstein.

“Best passer on the Vipers,” she states.

Having supported Vernon hockey for more than half a century, Anderson is a bit of an authority on the subject. She recalls watching the Vernon Senior A Canadians in the 1950s when they were the big ticket in town. She explains there is a reason Vernon hasn’t appeared as dominant as the squad that went 6-0 at last year’s tourney.

“They’re a little weaker from the blueline back, but a little stronger up front,” said Anderson. “The other teams have as strong an offence as we have, and the games are tighter this year than they were last year. Last year, we had a pretty easy ride really.”

In between games, the trio, who are lodging at the Prairie Mountain Inn in Dauphin, have done a little sightseeing at some of the many heritage sites around town, and have gone on day trips to surrounding communities like Ste. Rose du Lac and Wasagaming, which is located on the south edge of Riding Mountain National Park.

There is also the massive Duck Mountain Provincial Park an hour north of Dauphin.

“It’s flat, no hills, I’m not used to that,” said Noakes, of the Dauphin area. “But it is prairie.”

Adds Anderson: “I see a large native population, a large Metis population. It’s a very old community – lots of stone, lots of brick.”

Peter Buxton-Carr, who does the timekeeping at Vipers’ home games, drove to Manitoba with his loyal sidekick, Josephine, a 10-year-old German Shepherd.

A native of South Hampshire, England, he never really knew much about hockey until he immigrated to Canada three decades ago.

“We were in Enderby with four sons and they all joined hockey teams. One year, we had each of them on a different team and we were traveling all over. But it’s a good investment in time and they loved it,” said Buxton-Carr, who was also scorekeeper for the Salmon Arm SilverBacks and Enderby’s North Okanagan Junior B Kings before taking the gig at Wesbild Centre.

Buxton-Carr admits he could probably only identify a handful of Vipers without their jerseys, but that’s because he only ever sees them in full gear.

“I only see them when they’re on the ice with their numbers on, so sometimes, facially, I don’t recognize them. Some of them I do, and of course those that come to the penalty box you get to know better than those that don’t,” chuckled the mild-mannered Brit.

Whether the Vipers win or lose, Buxton-Carr says making the trip to Manitoba was important for him. A form of closure after following the team’s progress all season.

“I just decided to take a trip out here and see the season finished. It’s unfinished if they come here and win, and then they all dissipate. You don’t have the chance to talk to them at the end. You want to share the season right up to the end.”

Heading into the final round-robin game at the RBC in Dauphin, tournament attendance has been a fraction higher (14,210 versus 14,025) than last year’s event in Victoria. It would seem surprising that a city with a population of less than 8,000 would even come close to matching a provincial capital.

But there is just so much more do to and see in Victoria in spring, whereas the RBC is the biggest ticket in Dauphin this week.

Given the dismal weather this week, it is more than likely the only ticket.

Add in the fact that the host Dauphin Kings, a physical, yet highly skilled team, earned their way here by winning the AVANET Cup, and there is a lot of excitement and local support surrounding this event.

Having swept the round-robin at 4-0, the Kings are the team to beat, but after closing the round-robin with their best performance so far, the Vipers might just be finding their groove at precisely the right time.

A rematch between the two clubs would certainly make for a thrilling gold-medal game on Sunday.