Kak Closes His Viper Career:

This is posted on the Vipers website:

Kak closes his Viper career

by Don Klepp | Added 2011-05-12

Bryce Kakoske can’t believe it’s all over – he’s had 5+ years of Junior hockey and it seems to have gone in a flash.

The big redhead has had a stellar career – 344 BCHL regular season and playoff games and another 33 games in Doyle Cup and RBC Cup action. He finished with a flourish, scoring two superb goals to lead the Vipers to a 4-1 win over the Wellington Dukes in a semi-final showdown on May 7.

Riding the bus on the way to the Edmonton airport on May 9, Bryce was hurting from losing in the RBC final this year, but he was philosophical: “The sun came up this morning, and we gave it a really good shot, so there’s nothing to be ashamed of. There are lots of teams who would have loved a chance to play in an RBC final, so let’s look on the bright side.”

Bryce had his best year in the 2010-11 season, reaching the 50-point plateau in the regular season for the first time and adding 16 playoff points. “A lot of that had to do with getting lots of ice time, and I loved being on a line with Dave and Murph.”

Bryce started his career as a 15-year-old affiliated player with the Vipers. “I got to play with my brother Ryan, which was special. Then, the next two years I played in Westside against Ryan, and that was pretty cool, too.”

After the RBC final game on Saturday, the brothers had a long talk: “He told me that he was proud of me and we went over some of the things that have happened over the past five years.”

Bryce appreciated the chance to play for two years in Westside, but his heart was in Vernon. When he compares the two teams, he says that “There’s a lot more tradition here. Vipers take winning pretty seriously and a lot of that has to do with Mark and Jason. They set the precedent and then expect the vets to make sure that the new guys know what our culture is. Definitely, it was a breath of fresh air, coming here.”

He says that playing in Vernon has been “an incredible experience, especially because of the success we’ve had over the past three years. The fans here are just the best. To come out on the ice and see 1700 or more fans in the seats on a week night is really special for a player. These fans support us no matter what. In the final two games in Camrose, over 200 fans were chanting, ‘Go Vipers Go.’ What more could you ask for?”

When asked about his future plans, Bryce replies “That’s a scary thought. I’m not sure at this point. I’d love to play hockey for a few more years, preferably at the college level, because getting an education is important.”