I was at the BCHL Showcase In Penticton for the Vipers-Warriors game as West Kelowna defeated Vernon 4-0 in front of a very small crowd at the South Okanagan Events Centre. (No attendance was announced)
1st Period: The Warriors started the game on the power play, after Logan Cash was given a warmup violation penalty before the game started. West Kelowna would get there first and only shot on the PP with about nine seconds left as the Vipers killed off the minor. The Vipers quickly responded with several back to back hard working shifts, would jump out to a 3-0 lead in shots early before Connor Sleeth with a quality chance about five and a half minutes into the game couldn't solve Johnny Derrick as the Vipers come close to opening the scoring. WK comes right back the other way, off the ensuing play. Jacob Brockman with a slick move in front, had Max Palaga deked out, but somehow managed to miss the open cage, hit the post as the Warriors looked to open the scoring, but missed an open net on a missed opportunity. Shortly after Vernon would get it's first power play of the night. Ben Sanderson's shot from the top of the crease would be stopped before getting through traffic, was rolling through the blue paint and towards the open cage, before a Viper forward and a Warriors d-man both went for the loose puck. The Warriors defender was able to clear the puck out of the crease and out of harms way. The Snakes come close to opening the scoring on the PP, while the Warriors catch a big break on a strong defensive play as West Kelowna killed off the penalty. Minutes later the Tribe would get there second look with the man advantage. Max Palaga had to be sharp, was forced into making at least two or three saves from in tight. WK with some good looks but couldn't find the back of the net on the power play, as the Vipers killed off the minor. Brendan Kim blocked a shot while on the penalty kill, was in some discomfort on his way off the ice, was attended to by the trainer, as both went down into the Vipers dressing room but both returned later and Kim stayed in the game. West Kelowna slowly started to take over the edge in play. Vernon was outshooting the Tribe 4-1 at one point and now the Warriors battled back, were outshooting the Snakes 5-4. Within minutes the Vipers went from having four shots on goal down to three shots. With about three and a half minutes left in the opening frame, the Warriors would lose Brandon Dent who was given two minutes for a check to the head and an automatic ten minute misconduct. Dent would miss the remainder of the period and the first seven minutes of the 2nd period. The Snakes struggled with the man advantage as WK killed off the minor, seconds after the penalty expired, Vernon went back to the PP as the Warriors got into penalty trouble late in the frame. The Snakes would struggle with the man advantage, couldn't capitalize before the final buzzer. It was 0-0 after 20 minutes of play. Neither team really stood out or looked that good. Both teams went 0-2 with the PP and both teams never really created/or generated much for offence. After starting the game on the penalty kill, I thought the Snakes had a good PK managed to kill off the minor and then had a few shifts with some pressure and a quality opportunity. Other then that Vernon didn't really do much. The Warriors gained a little life after killing off there first penalty, had a bit of zone time but not many quality chances. Jacob Brockman will be shaking his head in between periods after missing an open net. West Kelowna outshot Vernon 5-4.
2nd Period: The Vipers started the middle frame on the man advantage, that was carried over from the 1st period. The Tribe would kill off the minor. Just as Jacob Brockman got out of the penalty box, he went right back in, sending the Snakes back to the power play. The Vipers only got halfway through the PP before Logan Cash took his third minor of the contest, evening the play. West Kelowna would get a shortened power play but unable to capitalize. Just as the penalty expired, former Vernon Vipers tryout goaltender Johnny Derrick was forced to make a tough save using his shoulder off a shot from Ben Helgeson from the circle. Minutes later on an odd man rush, Brendan Pigeon setup former Vernon Vipers defenceman Austin Chorney going to the net, Chorney beat Max Palaga giving West Kelowna a 1-0 lead at 8:42 Pigeon collected the helper. The Warriors would jump on the PP on the following shift, but unable to grab a two goal lead. Two minutes later Vernon would go on the man advantage but like the Tribe, unable to find the back of the net. Less then a minute later with the Snakes pressing, Landon Fuller was driving towards the net, shoved a Warriors defenceman into Johnny Derrick. Fuller would be sent to the sin bin for roughing, giving WK there third power play of the period. It didn't take the Tribe long to make Fuller and the Vernon Vipers pay. Brandon Dent's shot from the point went in and off Lucas Cullen, giving West Kelowna a 2-0 lead at 16:11 Dent & Declan Douthart drew the assists. Vernon Vipers starting goaltender Max Palaga had no chance on a bit of a lucky bounce. Dent's shot looked to go in and off Cullen's high chest area/or face and into the back of the goal. Cullen was down for a few seconds, before shaking it off. Cullen could have easily been injured on the play if he wasn't watching the play. This was an undisciplined penalty on Fuller's part and it cost him and the Snakes. Less then three minutes later, former Salmon Arm Silverbacks forward Trevor Adam's shot would be redirected on it's way to the net by Austin Chorney, giving West Kelowna a 3-0 lead at 18:44 Adams with the lone assist. This basically put the game away, with the way the Vipers were playing. The wheels coming off for the Vipers late in the period. It was 3-0 West Kelowna after 40 minutes of play. The Vipers didn't look very good at all in the 2nd period. Poor passing, no pressure in the offensive zone, not a whole lot of time with the puck and gave up three goals, putting themselves in a huge hole to start the 3rd. I didn't think the Vipers had any real scoring chances. Vernon didn't have much puck possession. The Warriors also didn't have a lot of puck possession and didn't create/generate much for chances but scored on there few opportunities. The Tribe managed to get two huge goals late, to put Vernon on the ropes. This was a very boring period with not a lot of action. It looked more like a pond hockey game. Neither team looked all that great. West Kelowna was the better of the two teams, only because they scored three goals and had a slight more edge in play at times. West Kelowna outshot Vernon 11-10.
3rd Period: The Warriors jumped on an early PP just 0:58 seconds into the final frame. On the man advantage, Max Bulawka looked to have Max Palaga beat but not the post as the Tribe come within inches of grabbing a 4-0 lead. WK with some pressure, had some looks couldn't convert on the power play. The Vipers would get a powerplay about six minutes in but struggled with the man advantage. Vernon with a lot of offensive zone time were making Johnny Derrick look good as the West Kelowna Warriors starting goaltender flashed the leather with the glove making a few saves that were very routine and from well out. Just past the midway mark Ryan Novecosky with a wicked seeing eye shot from the circle beat Max Palaga high over the shoulder on a tough shot, gave West Kelowna a commanding 4-0 lead at 11:14 Declan Douthart picked up the assist. Less then a minute later both teams would exchange power plays and both hockey clubs couldn't capitalize on the PP. The Snakes had a few looks but shots from well out, weren't going to break Johnny Derrick's shutout bid on chances like that. The Warriors would hold on for the 4-0 victory. It took the Vipers about six or so minutes to get going but Vernon carried a lot of the play, had a lot of zone time but struggled offensively. The Vipers didn't create/or generate much if any in all three periods. The Snakes were getting pucks to the net but shots from well out with no traffic in front. With a three goal lead, the Tribe looked to sit back before adding a little extra insurance with there fourth goal. The Warriors did hold the Vipers to the outside, limit there time and space. Vernon outshot West Kelowna 15-13.
Top Player's: (Vernon)
I didn't think any Vipers stood out/played well
Game Thought's: (Vernon)
The Vipers wrapped up there second and final game of the BCHL Showcase and didn't look or play overly well tonight. I wasn't very impressed with the Vipers for most of tonight's hockey game. The Snakes passing has struggled the past two or three games. The Vipers didn't have any jump/or energy in there game at all. The team looked off, out of sink of sorts. I didn't see enough hard work for sixty minutes from all four lines. There were a few kids who played hard but not many. Vernon struggled offensively and has all season. The Vipers players returning from last season that were suppose to add scoring this year, haven't done that yet and the new recruits/committed players that were brought in for scoring, also haven't shown that yet. I was really expecting a lot more from guys like Connor Sleeth, Matt Kowalski, Ben Helgeson, Ben Sanderson, Logan Cash, Elan Bar-Lev-Wise, Brett Fudger. This team cant score and it's shown over the weekend. The Vipers go 0-6 with the man advantage, needed to bury a few on the power play to put West Kelowna away. Taking seven penalties yourself also doesn't help trying to win hockey games. I thought this team looked good on paper before training camp and even during training camp and the preseason, I was excited. After eight games the Vipers haven't shown too many bright spots and are very inconsistent. Did the Vipers look at the standings and overlook the last place Warriors? How do you lose to a team with only one win on the season? And this fans are the reason why we play the games. I only saw a small group of Viper fans in attendance. With today's game starting at 4pm I was expecting a lot of Viper fans down for the weekend. I was pretty disappointed with the turnout of Viper fans over the weekend. A very small crowd on hand for tonight's game. I would guess maybe 400-500 at most? If that. After tonight the Snakes will play fourteen of there next seventeen games on the road. The Vipers were the home team tonight, wearing there home white jerseys, while the Warriors were the road team, wore there new black away jerseys. I was very surprised Max Palaga got the start in goal today vs the 1-9-2-0 West Kelowna Warriors. I think Palaga let alone any goaltender needs a break by now and facing a struggling Warriors hockey club, was a good chance to give Palaga the night off and let your backup make his first start of the season. Palaga has started/played in all of Vernon's eight games. Cole Steinke who was added to the Vipers roster Thursday as an "AP"/affiliated player, was the backup tonight. Steinke was wearing jersey #1 with his name on his sweater. With the loss the Vipers fall to 4-6-4-2 all-time at the BCHL Showcase. The Vipers will finish there three game road trip, Wednesday in Chilliwack. With the loss Vernon falls to 3-5-0-0 sit 5th in the Interior Division are tied in points with 6th place West Kelowna. The Vipers & Warriors are only two points up on last place Merritt.
Top Player's: (West Kelowna)
Declan Douthart (2 assists) I thought played well on the Warriors backend. Was moving the puck, getting involved in the play and played well defensively.
Austin Chorney (2 goals) Played 17 games with the 2018-19 Vernon Vipers before being traded to West Kelowna for Matt Kowalski. Chorney scored twice in the 2nd period was very good at both ends of the rink. Must have felt good to not only score two goals against his former team but also come away with the win.
Jacob Brockman Took two penalties but was involved in the play in and around the Vernon goal. Looked to open the scoring in the 1st period, somehow missed a wide open cage, hit the post. Seemed to be in and around the net looking for opportunities.
Game Thought's: (West Kelowna)
This wasn't much of a hockey game, for the fans who didn't make the trip up from Vernon or West Kelowna. The Warriors won 4-0 but I didn't think either team looked or played all that well. Both teams struggled on the power play, the Tribe went 0-7 with the man advantage. I thought the Warriors had a little more edge in play at times and had the better of the scoring chances but overall didn't get a whole lot more then Vernon. WK capitalized on there opportunities and scoring three goals in one period, basically put the game away the way the Vipers were playing to this point. This game didn't have a lot of action, was more like a pond hockey game at times. Both teams made lots of mistakes and errors. Former Vipers goaltender Johnny Derrick made 29 saves for the shutout, wasn't tested much through out the game. Most of Vernon's 29 shots were from well out with no traffic in front. I thought Derrick had a fairly easy night between the pipes. The Warriors come into action tonight riding an eight game losing streak. West Kelowna's only victory this season was a 8-5 win in Langley September 13th. The Vipers & Warriors met on opening night in West Kelowna, with the Vipers coming away with the 4-2 win. These two teams don't see each other until January 24th in West Kelowna. The Warriors unveiled new jerseys this season. Tonight the Tribe was wearing there new black away jerseys. I sure like these jerseys. I saw the Warriors home jerseys when Vernon played in West Kelowna on opening night and wasn't as big as fan of the home jerseys. The Warriors will now play ten of there next fourteen games on the road. For a team that has had so much off ice turmoil and not the greatest start to the regular season, it was great to see a fare amount of Warrior fans come out to cheer on there team tonight. Give yourselfs a pat on the back. With the win West Kelowna improves to 2-9-2-0 are tied in points with Vernon.
Scratches:
Vernon:
Colby Feist
Jack Glen
Brett Fudger
Kobe Grant
West Kelowna:
Parm Dhaliwal (Injured)
Jake Harrison (Injured)
Levi Stauber (Injured)
Drew Vieten
Energy Player of the Game:
Lucas Cullen (1 goal)
Three Star's:
1st Star: Johnny Derrick (29 saves-Shutout)
2nd Star: Austin Chorney (2 goals)
3rd Star: Trevor Adams (2 assists)
Boxscore-Game Summary,
https://bchl.ca/stats/game-summary/9687
Game Report,
https://lscluster.hockeytech.com/game_reports/official-game-report.php?lang_id=1&client_code=bchl&game_id=9687
Text Boxscore,
https://lscluster.hockeytech.com/game_reports/text-game-report.php?lang_id=1&client_code=bchl&game_id=9687
Please feel free to leave a suggestion or comment below, in the comment box at the bottom of this post. I always enjoy and post all comments. Thank you for your comments and visiting my blog.
Here are some pictures I took before and during tonight's Vipers-Warriors game,
8 comments:
I was going to make the trip down but changed my mind after watching last night's game online. This team is plain and simple bad and it starts with the over rated GM and Coach. The only reason he is here is because of his relationship with the owner John Glenn and its not because of "outstanding resume " that has been brought up on this blog many times. Look closely at his record as a coach and really there's nothing there to say that this guy is good at all. So we all know by now that John Glenn and Mark Ferner didn't get along at all but have some smarts and bring in someone who knows what it takes to win in the BCHL. Last year ended on an extreme high for this team by getting to the finals and since the Ferner firing its gone to crap! Who's laughing now?
Nobody else of any value would work for that owner. Meddles way too much. He should just give himself the GM title because he pretty much is or tries to be with ZERO success. I feel horrible for the players and particularly Connor Marritt. He is one of the most outstanding young men I have ever met and to have to put on a brave face and smile through all this horsecrap must be incredibly difficult. I would love to support the boys but my moral compass simply will not allow me to give a nickel to this ownership.
Lets be fair. The coaching staff that John Glenn hired are not to be judged just yet. I would say lets us as fans be the judge and juror after the new year. Now, should this team not be any better than John Glenn as a business man I am sure doesn't need to be told what to do. In business an old Jewish statement stands true. It reads like this: You know I like you very much but friendship is friendship and business is business. Now may you have a very nice life. Let us know that John will make the right decision because it is a business and I hope for his sake that by bringing in this new coaching staff it is the right one because at the end of the day the only one it effects is his pocket book and the fans. GO.VIPERS.GO.
My initial comment wasn't posted because I had negative comment about our coach. Yes I'm sure players aren't happy, I'm wondering why we have 2 goalies. How many times have you heard in the BCHL a team starting the game short handed. No goals and many many power plays, that says what's wrong with the coaching. Saying to wait till New Year may be to late, we need action now something is broken and needs fixing now.
Waiting till New Year may be too late we need action now so many power plays and no goals, starting a game shorthanded, looks to me poor management, I though we had 2 goalies doesn't appear so. We played the poorest team in our division and our second goalie sat on the bench. We've always had a great fan base but that could change if something isn't done.
It will be to late if we go 0-3 this week
If business is business then the best move is to keep the best coach. IF John was a business man he would be running the families real business cars. You can't fire family so you create a position somewhere else to keep him out of your hair. I think your attitude of business is business is exactly what is wrong with this world. It gives licence to behave and act poorly being able to justify your actions by saying it's just business.I do not know Mr Glenn and from what I hear around town I do not want to. I will agree with Go Vipers Go because the boys will need our support this year.
Whats interesting,is this years Vipers have exactly the same record after 8 games,as last years team....3 wins and 8 losses (including 2 at the showcase,to a last place team) They have played fewer games than any other team in the league...maybe we should give the coach another few games,before we run him out of town ?
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