Vernon To Face Pembroke In RBC Cup Championship:

This is in the Edmonton Journal Newspaper:

Vernon to face Pembroke in RBC Cup championship

Host Camrose Kodiaks drop second semifinal to Lumber Kings

By Chris O'Leary, Special to The Journal, edmontonjournal.com May 7, 2011

CAMROSE — The Vernon Vipers will look for their third consecutive RBC Cup today, when they face the Pembroke Lumber Kings.

The Vipers disposed of the Wellington Dukes on Saturday afternoon in the first Canadian junior A hockey championship semifinal, with a 4-1 win. The Lumber Kings topped the host Camrose Kodiaks 4-2 on Saturday night’s second semi, avenging their loss to Camrose earlier in the week in round robin play.

After his Vipers won on Saturday, head coach Mark Ferner was asked about the possibility of playing either the Kodiaks or the Lumber Kings.

“Pembroke is a pretty damned skilled hockey team,” he said. “They’ve got some guys that we know can put the puck in the net that haven’t had a lot of success in this tournament yet.”

Vipers forward Bryce Kakoske, who had a pair of goals on Saturday, had similar sentiments on the Lumber Kings.

“Pembroke is a great team as well. I think either way (facing Camrose or Pembroke) it’s going to be a good game.”

Lumber Kings head coach and general manager Sheldon Keefe knows that the Vipers will be a very tough opponent.

“Vernon’s virtually cakewalked their way right through this tournament and they’ve been dominant right from Day 1,” he said.

Vernon was a perfect 4-0 in this week’s round-robin play and defeated Pembroke 5-3 on Thursday.

“We know the opponent and the challenge ahead of us,” Keefe continued. “It’s not going to be easy. We have to find a way to bring it to another level.”

Pembroke winger Brandon Gagne, who had the game-winner against Camrose on Saturday night, said he was looking forward to seeing the two-time defending national junior A hockey champions tonight at 6 p.m. (9 p.m., TSN, same-day tape).

“They have a lot of respect around here for winning two years in a row,” he said. “If you want to be the best, you’ve got to beat the best. We’re up for the challenge.”

It was a tough loss for the Kodiaks to take, after a successful week in the buildup to Saturday’s game. Hosts of the RBC Cup, they played all the way to the Alberta Junior Hockey League championship series before falling to the Spruce Grove Saints. They had the second-best round-robin record at the tournament, going 3-1. Pembroke went 1-3 in their path to the final.

“They might not realize it now, but it’s been a very good year for them,” Kodiaks head coach and general manager Boris Rybalka said. “I’m very proud of them.”

Goals from Matthew Peca and Maurice Alvarez had the Kodiaks down 2-0 early in the second period. Camrose found its offensive game from there on, though, and fought their way back into the contest. Rylan Weist scored at 18:03 of the second period and struck again at 10:03 of the third for the home team to even it up.

The Lumber Kings didn’t come undone. Gagne’s stab at a puck in front of the net had just enough on it to trickle across the line at 14:13. The 19-year-old Pembroke native didn’t realize he had scored the goal until the celebration began.

“Personally, I didn’t even see it cross the line,” he said. “I saw my winger, he started cheering. I don’t think it crossed the line by much, but obviously enough.”

Mitchell Gallant scored on an empty net with 21 seconds left in regulation to seal the Kodiaks’ fate and to punch his team’s ticket into today’s game.

“We got a big win and gave ourselves a chance to play in a one-shot game for a national championship,” Keefe said.