(Game Preview) Vernon @ Westside:

Vernon (22-8-4-7) @ Westside (22-14-2-3)

Tonight is the fifth meeting of the season between the defending back to back Royal Bank Cup Champion Vernon Vipers & the Westside Warriors and the first of a home and home series between the two Okanagan rivals. The Vipers are coming off a 3-2 loss at home last night before playing three of the teams next four games away from home. The Warriors are coming off a two game road trip where they split the two games, tonight is the Warriors first game of 2011. You can listen to tonight's game live with Todd Miller and Don Klepp starting with the pre-game at 6:45pm on 107.5 Kiss FM

Last Game Played:

Thursday, January 6th Langley defeated Vernon 3-2
Friday, December 31st Penticton defeated Westside 5-1

Next Game:

Saturday, January 8th Westside @ Vernon

Let's take a look at the Vernon Vipers:

Games Played: 42
Wins: 22
Losses: 9
Ties: 4
Overtime Losses: 7
Home Record: 8-4-2-4
Road Record: 14-5-2-3
Streak: One game losing streak
Last Ten Games: 6-1-2-1
Goals For: 131
Goals Against: 99
Standings: Tied for 1st place with Penticton

Since the Warriors moved to Westside in 2006-07 Vernon is 13-12-2-2 vs. Westside

Since the Warriors moved to Westside in 2006-07 Westside has outscored Vernon 81-77

Since the Warriors moved to Westside in 2006-07 Vernon is 5-6-1-2 at home vs. Westside

Since the Warriors moved to Westside in 2006-07 Vernon is 8-6-1-0 in Westside

Since the 2007-08 season the Vipers are 5-3-1-1 in their last ten games vs. the Warriors on home ice

Since the 2007-08 season the Vipers are 8-2-0-0 in their last ten games vs. the Warriors at Royal Le Page Place

Vernon’s last loss in Westside was a 4-1 loss back on February, 20th 2009

Vernon has won five straight games at Royal Le Page Place

The Vernon Lakers changed their name to the Vernon Vipers to start the 1995-96 season. Here’s a look at the Vipers all-time regular season record

Games Played: 942
Wins: 605
Losses: 243
Ties: 15
Overtime Losses: 82

For more stats & former Vernon Junior Hockey Team rosters & lineups please visit Paul’s Vernon Junior Hockey History website,

http://members.shaw.ca/vernonfranchise/index.html

Returning Players:

Bryce Kakoske (90)
David Robinson (90)
Blake Voth (91)
Steve Weinstein (90)
Adam Thompson (90)
Dylan Walchuk (92)
Patrick McGillis (91)

Departing & traded players from last years team:

Connor Jones (90)
Mike Collins (90)
Braden Pimm (89)
Cory Kane (90)
Jonathan Milhouse (89)
Kellen Jones (90)
Rob Short (89)
Cole Ikkala (90)
Dan Nycholat (89)
Kevin Kraus (89)
Curtis Gedig (91)
Garrett Noonan (91)
Sahir Gill (92)
Darrin Robak (91)
Graeme Gordon (89)

Vernons Home record vs. Westside this season:

1-0-1

Vernons Road record vs. Westside this season:

2-0

Vernons Powerplay vs. Westside this season:

5-23

Vernons scoring leaders vs. Westside this season:

Dylan Walchuk (3-3-6)
Bryce Kakoske (4-2-6)
Adam Thompson (1-4-5)
Michael Zalewski (1-4-5)
Kyle Murphy (1-3-4)
Patrick McGillis (2-1-3)
Steven Weinstein (0-3-3)
David Robinson (2-1-3)
Brett Corkey (0-2-2)
Aaron Hadley (1-0-1)
Malcolm Lyles (0-1-1)
Darren Nowick (0-1-1)

Blake Voth (2-0-1 Record)
Kirby Halcrow (1-0 Record)

Key’s and Notes to tonight’s game:

-Tonight is the Vipers second of three straight games

-Vernon’s last loss away from home was back on November, 20th a 5-4 double overtime loss to the Langley Chiefs

-The Vipers are unbeaten in their last eight road games

-Vernon will play three of their next four games on the road

-Kirby Halcrow is 1-4 in his career vs. Westside

-Goaltending will be key for both teams tonight

-Specialty teams will also be key for both teams tonight

-Blake Voth (18-9-3 Record) is second in the league’s top ten goaltenders with a 2.03 GAA

-Vernon’s powerplay is ranked 15th in the league

-The Vipers are ranked 9th in the league on the penalty kill

-Philip Patenaude hasn’t played since December, 11th after getting a concusion in a game vs. Alberni Valley

-Kirby Halcrow has lost back to back starts his first since being acquired from the Quesnel Millionaires on the December 1st card deadline

-Bryce Kakoske will be playing his former team, Kakoske played two and a half season’s in Westside before joining the Vipers in a trade.

-Vernon needs to keep things simple and get lots of pucks and traffic towards the net

-1st place is on the line tonight, with the Vipers in Westside and Penticton home to Surrey

-Blake Voth is 4-0-1 against Westside in his career

Let's take a look at the Westside Warriors:

Games Played: 41
Wins: 22
Losses: 14
Ties: 2
Overtime Losses: 3
Home Record: 13-6-0-2
Road Record: 9-8-2-1
Streak: One game losing streak

Last Ten Games: 5-4-0-1
Goals For: 1760
Goals Against: 121
Standings: 4th Place

Returning Players:

Alex Grieve (90)
Grayson Downing (92)
Tyler Brickler (91)
Kyle Singleton (90)
Quinn Gould (90)
Dru Morrison (92)
Tyler Krause (91)
Max French (92)
Matthew Maher (90)
Izaak Berglund (91)
Peter MacIntosh (91)

Departing & traded players from last years team:

Trevor Bailey (89)
Cam Reid (91)
Brendan Ellis (89)
Cole Wilson (90)
Colton Sissons (93)
Joel Woznikoski (89)
Spencer Humphries (92)
Patrick Bartoshyk (90)
Michael Quinn (90)
Kevin Jebson (89)
Cam Gorchynski (92)

Westsides Home record vs. Vernon this season:

0-1-0-1

Westsides Road record vs. Vernon this season:

0-1-1

Westsides Powerplay vs. Vernon this season:

3-13

Westsides scoring leaders vs. Vernon this season:

Matthew Maher (1-2-3)
Brayden Sherbinin (2-0-2)
Alex Grieve (1-1-2)
Grayson Downing (1-1-2)
Tom Kroshus (0-2-2)
Quinn Gould (1-1-2)
Kyle Singleton (0-1-1)
Tyler Krause (0-1-1)
Michael King (0-1-1)
Brett Mulcahy (0-1-1)
Tyler Brickler (0-1-1)
Max French (1-0-1)
Brett Mckinnon (1-0-1)
Matt Cronin (0-1-1)
Shawn Hochhausen (1-0-1)

Kevin Boyle (0-2-1 Record)

Key’s and Notes to tonight’s game:

-Westside is 0-2-1-1 vs. Vernon this season and need to try and defeat the Vipers to get some confidence

-Cole Holowenko is 0-3 vs. Vernon in his career

-The Warriors are just one point back of 3rd place Salmon Arm

-Since their last meeting with Vernon back on December, 4th (3-2 overtime Viper victory) the Warriors have gone 5-3

-The Warriors have three wins in their last four games

-Westside is the second highest scoring team in the league with 160 goals. Langley leads the league in scoring with 176

-The Warriors have lost five straight at home to Vernon

-Tonight is a big home and home series, with a chance to climb within four points of the Vipers

- Alex Grieve (20-32-52) & Grayson Downing (24-20-44) are both in the leagues top twenty in scoring

- Kevin Boyle (13-13-1 Record) is 9th in the leagues top ten goaltenders with a 2.86 GAA

-After winning four straight at home, the Warriors have just three wins in their last six home games

Here’s a look at the season series between these two teams:

Friday, October 8th @ Westside: Vernon wins 4-1

SCORING SUMMARY

PERIOD 1

Vernon Vipers at 8:55 - Bryce Kakoske from Kyle Murphy and Elliot Richardson
Westside Warriors at 17:55 - Matthew Maher (unassisted)

PERIOD 2

Vernon Vipers at 4:25 - Aaron Hadley from Michael Zalewski
Vernon Vipers at 16:18 (PP) - Kyle Murphy from Michael Zalewski

PERIOD 3

Vernon Vipers at 16:37 - David Robinson from Bryce Kakoske and Kyle Murphy

Shots were even 25-25. Blake Voth made 24 saves in the win, while Cam Gorchynski made 21 saves in the loss.

http://www.bchl.ca/leagues/hockey_boxscores.cfm?clientID=1413&leagueID=2393&gameID=840270&link=bchl

Saturday, October 9th @ Vernon: Vernon wins 6-4

SCORING SUMMARY

PERIOD 1

Vernon Vipers at 1:58 (PP) - Adam Thompson from Steven Weinstein and Dylan Walchuk
Westside Warriors at 17:44 - Brayden Sherbinin from Tyler Krause
Vernon Vipers at 18:43 - Bryce Kakoske from Elliot Richardson and Malcolm Lyles

PERIOD 2

Vernon Vipers at 1:16 - Bryce Kakoske from Patrick McGillis and Adam Thompson
Westside Warriors at 3:04 - Brayden Sherbinin (unassisted)
Vernon Vipers at 19:27 (SH) - Patrick McGillis from Dylan Walchuk and Adam Thompson

PERIOD 3

Westside Warriors at 7:33 (PP) - Alex Grieve from Grayson Downing and Matthew Maher
Westside Warriors at 12:13 - Quinn Gould from Kyle Singleton and Alex Grieve
Vernon Vipers at 12:48 - Patrick McGillis from Dylan Walchuk and Darren Nowick
Vernon Vipers at 17:58 - Michael Zalewski from Kyle Murphy and David Robinson

Vernon outshot Westside 30-24. Blake Voth made 20 saves for the win, while Kevin Boyle made 24 saves in the loss.

http://www.bchl.ca/leagues/hockey_boxscores.cfm?clientID=1413&leagueID=2393&gameID=840329&link=bchl

Friday, December 3rd @ Vernon: Game tied 2-2

SCORING SUMMARY

PERIOD 1

Vernon Vipers at 14:19 (PP) - Dylan Walchuk from Steven Weinstein

PERIOD 2

Westside Warriors at 5:29 (PP) - Shawn Hochhausen from Tom Kroshus and Michael King
Westside Warriors at 15:36 (PP) - Grayson Downing from Matthew Maher and Tyler Brickler

PERIOD 3

Vernon Vipers at 15:42 - Dylan Walchuk from Michael Zalewski

Vernon outshot Westside 38-25. Blake Voth made 23 saves, while Kevin Boyle made 36 saves in the tie.

http://www.bchl.ca/leagues/hockey_boxscores.cfm?clientID=1413&leagueID=2393&gameID=840330&link=bchl

Saturday, December 4th @ Westside: Vernon wins 3-2 in overtime

SCORING SUMMARY

PERIOD 1

Vernon Vipers at 11:03 (PP) - Dylan Walchuk from Michael Zalewski and Brett Corkey

PERIOD 2

Westside Warriors at 8:41 - Brett Mckinnon from Matt Cronin and Brett Mulcahy
Westside Warriors at 12:22 (PP) - Max French from Quinn Gould and Tom Kroshus

PERIOD 3

Vernon Vipers at 13:51 (PP) - Bryce Kakoske from Steven Weinstein and Adam Thompson

OVERTIME PERIOD 1

Vernon Vipers at 2:52 - David Robinson from Adam Thompson and Bryce Kakoske

Vernon outshot Westside 39-23. Kirby Halcrow made his Viper debut making 21 saves picking up the win, while Kevin Boyle made 36 saves in the loss.

http://www.bchl.ca/leagues/hockey_boxscores.cfm?clientID=1413&leagueID=2393&gameID=840271&link=bchl

Here's a look at both teams rosters:

Vernon:

Dylan Walchuk (17-24-41)
Bryce Kakoske (13-23-36)
David Robinson (19-11-30)
Michael Zalewski (10-16-26)
John Knisley (7-18-25)
Kyle Murphy (12-12-24)
Aaron Hadley (9-11-20)
Adam Thompson (4-16-20)
Malcolm Lyles (4-15-19)
Marcus Basara (9-8-17)
Trevor Fitzgerald (7-8-15)
Brett Corkey (0-14-14)
Steven Weinstein (2-12-14)
Max Mowat (1-11-12)
Darren Nowick (3-9-12)
Patrick McGillis (6-5-11)
Todd Skirving (4-5-9)
Colton Sparrow (0-5-5)
Zach McPhee (2-1-3)
Philip Patenaude (0-1-1)

Kirby Halcrow With Quesnel (5-18-1 Record, 3.56 GAA)
With Vernon (3-2-1 Record, 2.22 GAA)
Blake Voth (17-9-3 Record, 2 Shutouts, 2.07 GAA)

Westside:

Alex Grieve (20-32-52)
Grayson Downing (24-20-44)
Kyle Singleton (16-18-34)
Tyler Brickler (16-18-34)
Quinn Gould (14-17-31)
Tyler Krause (6-18-24)
Max French (7-17-24)
Dru Morrison (11-13-24)
Matthew Maher (5-18-23)
Tom Kroshus (7-14-21)
Michael King (5-13-18)
Travis Blanleil (4-13-17)
Matt Cronin (4-10-14)
Brett Mckinnon (7-6-13)
Tyler French (0-12-12)
Shawn Hochhausen (3-9-12)
Brett Mulcahy (4-7-11)
Peter MacIntosh (0-10-10)
Brayden Sherbinin (3-5-8)
Izaak Berglund (0-7-7)
Stefan Nicholishen (4-2-6)

Kevin Boyle (13-13-1 Record, 2.86 GAA)
Cole Holowenko (4-2 Record, 3.36 GAA)