(Game Preview) Exhibition: Wenatchee @ Vernon:

Wenatchee (0-0-0-0) @ Vernon (0-0-0-0)

Tonight is the first pre-season game of the year for the Vernon Vipers and the NAHL Wenatchee Wild.  Vernon is coming off a very short two day Training camp Thursday & Friday.  Wenatchee opens a three game road trip in Canada to faceoff against five BCHL teams in pre-season action (Vernon, Salmon Arm, Langley, Penticton & West Kelowna).  Tonight's game wont be broadcasted over the internet or radio. Tonight's game starts at 7:00pm
 

Next Game:

Monday, August 27th West Kelowna @ Vernon

Sunday, August 26th Wenatchee @ Salmon Arm

 

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

Vernon Vipers Returning Players:

Brett Corkey (92)

Marc Hetnik (92)

Geoff Crisfield (93)

Aaron Hadley (93)

Colton Sparrow (93)

Jedd Soleway (94)

Brendan Persley (93)

Danny Todosychuk (94)
Riley Hunt (95)

Ryan Renz (93)

Adam Tambellini (94)

Vernon Vipers Departing & traded players from last years team:

Michael Zalewski (92)

Darren Nowick (91)
John Knisley (92)
Colton Cyr (91)
Patrick McGillis (91)
Sean Robertson (91)
Ben Gamache (91)
Max Mowat (93)
Turner Lawson (94)
Kirby Halcrow (91)

Incase you dont know much about the Wild here is a little brief story on the history of the hockey club.

The Wenatchee Wild is a Tier II Junior A ice hockey team in the North American Hockey League's West Division based in Wenatchee, Washington. The team joined the NAHL as an expansion team for the 2008-09 season, the team plays its home games at the 4,300-seat Town Toyota Center.

On September 12, 2006 ground was broken on a new multipurpose event center that would be home to a new ice hockey team. On February 22, 2008, the NAHL granted Wenatchee Junior Hockey LLC. with conditional approval for an expansion team. On May 20, 2008, Wenatchee Junior Hockey LLC. announced the franchise would be the "Wild." The name was chosen by a "name-the-team contest" held at local schools in Wenatchee and East Wenatchee. The name beat out other options being the Wranglers, Bombers, Wonders, Hockeyes, Winning Walruses and Ice Busters. The Wild played their first game on September 17, 2008 losing to the Motor City Metal Jackets 2-1 in overtime.

Here is the Wild website,

http://wenatcheewild.pointstreaksites.com/view/wenatcheewild

The North American Hockey League (NAHL) is one of the top junior hockey leagues in the United States and is enterting its 36th season in 2011-12. It is currently the only Junior A Tier II league, sanctioned by USA Hockey. The NAHL currently acts as an alternative to the United States Hockey League (USHL). The NAHL is the oldest and largest junior hockey league in the United States.

The league currently consists of five divisions with a total of 28 teams. The teams span the United States from New York in the East to California in the West; from Alaska in the North to Texas in the South. The teams play a 58-game regular season, starting in mid-September and ending in early April. The winner of each division will join the host team of the Robertson Cup Championship Tournament, a six team round-robin event.

From its beginning in 1975, the NAHL was primarily a 6-12 team league based in the Midwest. All that changed in 2003 when the league and the defunct America West Hockey League merged to form a 19-team league, which has since grown to an all-time high of 28 for the 2011-12 season

As of the 2012-2013 season the Soo Eagles of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League will leave the NOJHL and join the NAHL.

Wenatchee Wild Returning Players:

Brendan Vetter (94)
Chris Knudson (93)
Chris Hansen (93)
Brad LeLievre (95)
Kyle Vogel (92)
Max McHugh (93)
Evan Schmidbauer (93)
Michael Lant (92)
Chris Kerr (92)
Shawn Pauly (92)
Jacob Barber (92)
Blake Roubos (93)
Trevor Stewart (92)
Jerad Tafoya (93)
Matt Cope (93)
Dylan Abood (93)
Blake Saylor (92)
Ben Carey (92)
Tyler Rostenkowski (93)
Trace Redmond (92)
Robert Nichols (92)

Wenatchee Wild Departing & traded players from last years team:

Kyle Huson (91)
Alec Shields (91)
Greg Lewis (91)
Julian Difilippo (NA)

Ben Carey lead the Wild last season in scoring with 30 goals and 57 pts (27-30-57)

Robert Nichols got the bulk of the load between the pipes playing in 34 games going (24-6-4) with 10 shutouts and a 1.49 GAA