Tigers Snag Silver In Esquimalt:

This is in todays Morning Star Newspaper:

Tigers snag silver in Esquimalt

Published: August 04, 2009

You’ve heard of underdogs – what about undercats?
The Vernon Re/Max Tigers are happy to walk away from the B.C. Junior B Lacrosse Championships as silver medalists.
The Tigers, who went 3-1 in round-robin play, bowed 9-5 to the powerhouse Port Moody Thunder in the gold-medal game Monday afternoon at Archie Browning Arena in Esquimalt.
The Tigers opened the scoring, but the Thunder fired several quick goals to steal the momentum and never looked back.
“Those first couple goals we let in kind of killed us in the end,” said Tigers’ captain Robbie Short. “They’ve got a lot of good shooters and have good ball movement on offence.
“They got a few lucky goals and we took a few penalties, but a few lucky bounces and we could have turned it around.”
Added Tigers’ head coach Rich Zecchel: “Losing 9-5 to a team like Port Moody is OK, but the guys were disappointed they lost. We still had a pretty outstanding year.
“They’re (Thunder) a highly-skilled, strong side. They’d be a very competitive Junior A team. A lot of those kids play A1 all through minor – we don’t even have an A1 team.”
Zecchel adds there is always an element of uncertainty heading into provincials, and after bowing 14-3 to the Thunder in preliminary action, he is proud of the way the Cats responded.
“It’s an unknown,” said Zecchel. “You know you’ll be competitive with the Island, but the Lower Mainland will be the toughest always because of their numbers.
“I think we all surpassed our expectations. Winning the (Thompson Okanagan Junior Lacrose League) was the most important thing. That’s what you compete for all season every year.
“Going to provincials is a bonus, and winning a silver medal is a bonus on top of that.”
Short says the silver medal is all the more satisfying knowing the Cats, who finished third in the TOJLL standings, weren’t expected to get as far as they did at provincials.
“Historically, the Okanagan teams are usually pretty underrated, but we always do fairly well.
“We were definitely underdogs going in and I think we surprised a few teams. I don’t think they expected us to be as physical as we were, or as fast.”
The Cats, who last earned silver in 2003, iced the Westshore Bears of Juan de Fuca 10-4 Saturday morning, clipped the host Esquimalt Eagles 5-4 Sunday morning and thumped the Prince George Posse 9-5 that afternoon.
Against the Eagles’ net, the Tigers’ Brennan Plante connected with Ryan Landels as he cut through the middle for the winner late in the third to secure a berth in the gold-medal game.
“It was back and forth right until a few minutes left,” said Zecchel. “As the host team, they were hoping to make it to the gold-medal game, but by beating them, we got there instead.”
Landels posted 9-2-11, including four powerplay goals in four games, and Zecchel says he was the Tiger who perhaps raised his game the most at provincials.
“That nearly reached his totals for the regular season (14 points) in just one weekend,” grinned Zecchel.
The Cat’s Jordan Jarvis (4-8-12) and Miles Jespersen (5-4-9) also chipped in on offence. But Zecchel says the Tigers’ defence, the play of netminder Josh Phillips and a team-first attitude are what got them to the medal round.
“Our goaltending got us there,” said Zecchel. “Josh Phillips was a second team all-star. He’s got a couple years left with us, so that’s good for us.
“Our defence was strong, our goaltending was strong – it was just an all around team effort.”
Zecchel thanked team sponsors – Re/Max, Coca-Cola, Boston Pizza, Canaccord Capital and Kal Tire.

Vipers Lose Chance At Bid For 2011 RBC Cup:

Reading last weeks front page of the Vernon Morning Star Newspaper, It's too bad the Vipers & the City of Vernon didnt have more time to try and get a bid in for the 2011 Royal Bank Cup. With the team already hosting the 1990 Centennial Cup and now just winning the 2009 RBC Cup and being a record 5 time National Champion, the Vipers and the city of Vernon would be perfect to host the 2011 RBC Cup in one of the leagues best arena's. I do have to ask this question, why did they just find out about the 2011 bidding now, when the due date is just weeks away? How come nobody knew about this sooner, so they would have a chance at making a strong bid for the RBC? I dont remember the exact year but I do remember Troy Mick and the Vipers making a bid for the RBC Cup shortly after the Multi-Plex opened and the Vipers & the City of Vernon lost out to Grande Prairie I think? Correct me if I'm wrong. With the Multi-Plex fairly new and the strong history behind the Vipers I was a bit surprised the Vipers lost out in the bidding wars. I sure hope the City of Vernon and the Vipers start acting now and come up with a solid bid to host the 2012 Royal Bank Cup. With Vernon not putting in a bid for 2011 you have to wonder if any of the other BCHL teams-cities will or have submitted a bid to host the RBC. Maybe Penticton? Guess time will tell.

Vipers To Face The BCHL's Best At 2010 All-Star Game:

This is on the BCHL website:

Vipers to face the BCHL's best at 2010 All-Star Game

Tuesday, August 4, 2009 - Submitted by BCHL Media

The British Columbia Hockey League’s 2010 All-Star Game will see the defending Fred Page Cup champion Vernon Vipers take on a team of league All-Stars on Wednesday, January 13th at the Frank Crane Arena in Nanaimo.

"The British Columbia Hockey League is very excited to announce a new All-Star Game format that will make for a tremendous event in a great hockey city," BCHL Commissioner John Grisdale says. "We’re looking forward to an intense and highly-skilled contest."

The game marks a first for the league and a departure from the Coastal versus Interior conference structure that has long been in place for the BCHL’s annual All-Star showcase.

"This new and improved All-Star format will be a huge hit with players and fans alike," says Nanaimo Clippers General Manager Bill Bestwick. "The concept of having the previous season’s champion play the BCHL All-Stars will prove to be extremely competitive and the Clippers are looking forward to hosting Vernon and the rest of the league in this first-ever event."

The Vernon Vipers will be the first defending Fred Page Cup champion to participate in the game under the new format. The Vipers went on to hoist the Doyle and RBC Cups earlier in 2009, marking the team’s fifth National Championship victory.

"I think this is a fun concept and a great twist for an All-Star Game," says Vipers Head Coach Mark Ferner. "I know our players will be excited and it’s a nice reward for them and for the organization for winning a league championship."

Former Viper Hunt Back With Creston:

The Creston Valley ThunderCats are very excited to announce bringing back Assistant Coach Grady Hunt of Vernon B.C. Grady once played nets for the Creston Valley Thunder in the RMJHL days and was the last Thunder player to receive the MVP award before Wade Waters won it last season. Hunt also helped lead the Fernie Ghostriders of AWHL to 31 consecutive wins... Named AWHL second-team All-Star and helped Fernie to a Borne Cup victory... & RMJHL league MVP. Since then Grady attended Bemijdi State University on scholarship and graduated with a teachers degree. After a few years of semi-pro in the U.S Grady helped coach the U.S Air Force Academy to a NCAA Atlantic Hockey Association Championship. Hunt also played for the Vernon Vipers & Merritt Centennials in the 1997-98 BCHL season. In 5 games with the Vipers that season, Hunt went 0-4 giving up 21 goals with a 5.53 GAA

Grady Hunt's Bemidji State Hockey Bio,

http://www.bemidjistate.edu/athletics/sports/mhockey/roster/2003-04/Hunt-Grady.html

Grady Hunt's Hockey Stat's,

http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=55566

Billets Needed:

This is posted on the Vipers website:

Billets needed! by viper staff Added 2009-07-31

The Vernon Vipers players are in need of homes for the upcoming hockey season! If you are interested in becoming a billet family please contact Jason Williamson at 250-542-6022 or email him at jason@vipers.bc.ca He will be able to help you out with any questions you may have.

Jones Baseball Season Comes To An End:

This is posted on Shawn Mullins Smoke Eaters Blog:
http://smokeeatersblog.blogspot.com/

Mountain FM news reported yesterday that the Trail Jays lost 12-6 to Treasure Valley last night and were eliminated from the American Legion Baseball Idaho State AA Tournament. The loss ends Trail's seasons and the junior ball careers of all their 1990 born players. This was Trail's first trip to state since 2002 and a season to be very proud of. It marks the peak of a great turn around under President Ed Ferraro and Manager Nick Schuerman. Congrats to all involved. We'll have more on this on Overtime this Tuesday.

Tigers Fall In B.C. Playoff Opener:

This is in todays Morning Star Newspaper:

Tigers fall in B.C. playoff opener

Published: August 02, 2009

The Vernon Tigers got a wake-up call as they bowed 14-3 to the Port Moody Thunder in their opener at the B.C. Junior B Lacrosse Championships Friday night at Archie Browning Arena in Esquimalt.
“There’s a lot of good teams here, so we’ve got our work cut out for us,” said Tigers’ head coach Rich Zecchel.
“We got into penalty trouble and they can bury the ball, so it just got ugly.
“We played poorly, and we’ve really got to raise our level to be competitive. It was an eye-opener for our guys, but it will be a good experience – we’re here to learn, too.”
Zecchel noted that three of Port Moody’s players racked up roughly 25 points each in just five West Coast Junior Lacrosse League playoff games.
Miles Jespersen, Jordan Jarvis and Steve Clark handled the Cats’ attack. Jespersen missed the Tigers’ Saturday afternoon game against the Westshore Bears (Pacific North West Junior Lacrosse League champions) after he earned a one-game suspension for fighting Friday night.
The Cats face the host Victoria-Esquimalt Eagles this morning and end round-robin play tonight against the Great White North Junior Lacrosse League champions Prince George Posse.
The medal round games start Monday morning.

Hockey Bid Requires Time:

This letter was in todays Morning Star Newspaper:

Hockey bid requires time

Published: July 28, 2009

There is no question that Vernon is a hockey town and any chance to celebrate the sport is welcome.
So the prospect of bringing the RBC Royal Bank Cup here in 2011 would have been extremely enticing. After all, anyone who was here when Vernon hosted the 1990 national Junior A tournament knows what a major boost it was for the community. It bolstered civic pride and fuelled greater interest in tourism.
But council was right Monday not to launch a bid for the 2011 event.
As beneficial as the tournament would have been, there just isn’t enough time to put a bid package together before the Aug. 19 deadline. Besides needing a volunteer committee in place to oversee the bid process and organize the event if selected, there is a need for considerable dollars to be guaranteed.
Given the looming deadline, it would have been virtually impossible for Vernon to bring corporate sponsors on board, particularly during the current economic downturn.
But while council was wise not to pursue 2011, it is equally right to look at possibly hosting a major sports event for 2012, whether it’s the Royal Bank Cup or international hockey.
Sports tourism is extremely lucrative as demonstrated in the past by the World Women’s Curling Championship and cross-country skiing at Sovereign Lake. Vernon has demonstrated it can host such events, and residents will sign on as volunteers.
But for a bid package to be successful, planning is required and that takes time. Instead of rushing towards 2011, let’s get our ducks in a row and work towards 2012.

Twin Falls Defeat Jones Twins & The Jays:

This is posted on Shawn Mullins Smoke Eaters Blog:

http://smokeeatersblog.blogspot.com/

The Trail Jays lost 9-6 to Twin Falls this evening at the Idaho State AA American Legion Baseball double elimination tournament. Kellen Jones got tagged with the loss. Trail now moves to the loser's bracket and will play a do or die game against Treasure Valley tomorrow at 4pm. Cam Strachan is the probable starter for Trail. They need a strong effort from their #3. Treasure Valley and Trail are both top seeds from their region, but they both lost in the second round. Both are now on loss away from the end of their seasons. Tune in to Mountain FM news tomorrow for more details.

Many thanks to Shawn Mullin for updating us Vernon fans on the Jones Twins and the Trail Jays Baseball team, much appreciated.

Jays Win Opener:

This is posted on Shawn Mullins Smoke Eaters Blog: http://smokeeatersblog.blogspot.com/

Connor Jones went 8 1/3 innings today to get the win as Trail beat the Boise Centennial Cannons 11-5 in the opening game of the Idaho AA American Legion Baseball State Tournament. Brady Glover had 2 hits and 3 RBIs in the game for the Jays. Trail got up 10-0 but couldn't hold Boise off the board to secure an early mercy rule win. Kellen Jones gets the start tomorrow in their second round game. The tournament is double elimination. Pitching Cocah Collin Gibbs joins me on Mountain FM's Overtime tonight. The West Kootenay Diamondbacks head to the U16 Washington State Tournament on Saturday.

For more info and stats on the Trail Jays check out the team's website,

http://www.ballcharts.com/trailjays

Tight Deadline Ices Bid For National Final:

This is in todays Morning Star Newspaper:

Tight deadline ices bid for national final

By Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star

Published: July 28, 2009

Any quick stick-handling by Vernon to host a major hockey tournament has been benched.
Council voted Monday not to bid for the 2011 RBC Royal Bank Cup because it just learned about the event and the deadline for submissions is Aug. 19.
“It’s a good event, but with what’s needed, it takes a big commitment. For Aug. 19, it’s too tight,” said Mayor Wayne Lippert.
Hockey Canada had been considering either Thunder Bay, Ont. or Summerside, P.E.I. for the national Junior A tournament but both of those communities have now been rejected. That means the bidding process has been launched again and communities with Junior A teams are being approached.
City officials met with the Vernon Vipers last week to discuss the prospect of putting together a bid package.
“It’s an excellent opportunity but a lot more investigation needs to be done,” said Kevin Poole, economic development manager.
The primary issue to be considered is financial and how to generate the funds needed for hosting.
“You are responsible for everything. You put together the tournament and find local sponsors,” said Poole.
When Prince George hosted the Royal Bank Cup in 2007, it raised $250,000 in cash and $100,000 in in-kind services.
Poole believes it would be difficult to bring sponsors on board in a short time period, and the recession also plays a role.
“Try hitting up sponsors right now. It’s a tough game,” he said.
A volunteer committee would also have to be established to oversee the bid process.
Michelle Jefferson, tourism manager, also urged council not to launch a bid for 2011.
“There would be a profile and great things happen but we would need to analyze it,” she said.
“If we’re putting up money for it, what return on investment would we get?”
Jefferson also pointed out that Greater Vernon will also be hosting the B.C. Winter Games in 2011 and that could place significant pressure on resources.
“It’s an issue of volunteer fatigue,” she said.
While the 2011 Royal Bank Cup has been turned down, council has instructed staff to look at possibly pursuing a sports event for 2012, whether it’s the Royal Bank Cup or an international hockey tournament.
“This is the kind of thing we’d have lots of buy-in on and support from the hockey community,” said Coun. Mary-Jo O’Keefe.

Jones Twins Advance To State Tournament:

Trail's play by play man, Shawn Mullin has been doing a great job at covering the Trail Jays baseball team wich features Vernon Vipers twins, Connor & Kellen Jones. I copied some of what Shawn has posted on his Smoke Eaters Blog,

The Trail Jays advanced to the Idaho State Tournament. The Jays beat Cranbrook and Lewis-Clark to start the double elimination North Idaho District Playoffs. The wins put Trail into the finals of the tournament and when Lewis-Clark made it through the loser bracket to get to finals as well it guaranteed Trail the top seed from their region. Lewis-Clark is hosting the State Tournament so they had a special "host" seed and as such it didn't matter who won the district. Kellen Jones got the win in Saturday's game over Lewis-Clark and Connor Jones picked up the save. Jays Manager Nick Schuerman says he'll be counting on the twins for big innings if they have any shot of winning State.

The Jays had their season banquet last night and both Jones Brothers took home some hardware.

MVP: Connor and Kellen Jones
Top Pitcher: Connor and Kellen Jones
Top Hitter: Connor and Kellen Jones

Read the rest of this story on Shawn Mullins Smoke Eaters Blog,

http://smokeeatersblog.blogspot.com/

For more info and stats on the Trail Jays check out the team's website,

http://www.ballcharts.com/trailjays

Bouchard Speaks About Pierce Hiring:

Brian Wiebe has posted on his Merritt Centennials Blog, the interview with Merritt Centennials Head Coach and GM Joey Bouchard on the hiring of former Merritt Centennial-Vernon Viper Luke Pierce as the team's new Assistant Coach. Pierce was named Assistant Coach just over two weeks ago. Check out Brian's Merritt Centennials Blog for the interview,

http://merrittcentennials.blogspot.com/

Vernon Vipers 2009 RBC Cup Photos:

I come across a fellows website that has some amazing pictures of the Vernon Vipers from the 2009 Royal Bank Cup. Check it out, http://www.gordonleephotography.com/rbc/vernon/index.htm

Jones & The Jays Win Opening Game:

This is posted on Shawn Mullins Smoke Eaters Blog:

The Trail Jays won the first game of the North Idaho American Legion Baseball district playoffs yesterday. Connor Jones got the win as the Jays beat Cranbrook 11-5. The win guarantees Trail a spot in the state tournament. Stay tuned to Mountain FM for more updates on the Jays.

Many thanks to Trail's play by play man, Shawn Mullin who has been keeping us all updated on the Jones Twins and the Trail Jays. You can catch all updates and info on the Jones Boys and the Jays by checking out Shawns Smoke Eaters Blog,


http://smokeeatersblog.blogspot.com/

Tigers Rally To Claim Junior Title:

This is in todays Morning Star Newspaper:

Tigers rally to claim Junior title

By Nicole Berg - Vernon Morning Star

Published: July 23, 2009

It’s been a few years, but the Vernon Tigers are once again the cream of the crop in the Thompson Okanagan Junior Lacrosse League.
The Tigers strung together six-straight third-period goals to upend the Kamloops Venom 9-5 in Game 5 of the best-of-five championship final Wednesday night at Wesbild Centre.
It is Vernon’s first league title since they won back-to-back banners in 2002 and 2003. They now advance to the B.C. championship, which goes July 31-Aug. 3 at Archie Browning Arena in Esquimalt.
“It’s just unbelievable and it is such a good feeling to have won the whole championship,” said Tigers’ coach Brian Klein. “We did what we set out to do which was to win every shift and to go out there and break their hearts, and we did just that.
“It was a slow start as we were losing 4-1 at one point, but the whole time I thought we were OK and our leadership of Robbie Short, Steven Clark, Braidy Webb, and Blake Lewis shined through.
“Kamloops is a good team who played a close, tough series. They had really strong goaltending in Stu Ford (37 saves) who was the best goalie in the league, so it’s an accomplishment to have been able to beat him.”
The Tigers had a rough start, trailing 4-3 after 40 minutes.
Ryland DeRose, Liam Hagerty, Ryan Hildebrand, and Duncan Schulz notched the Venom’s first four goals. Riley Soleway, Ryan Landels, and Matt Kolb responded for the Cats, who came alive in the third stanza and played the Venom tough from the start.
Steven Clark ignited the Tigers’ attack, scoring just 21 seconds into the frame.
Clark, who is graduating from the Tigers’ program after five seasons, was ecstatic with the win.
“There are just no words to describe it. I’m so jacked that we won this whole championship. I just wish (teammate) Pat Quigley was here to share this with us, as he is out of town for military training.
“This is probably the biggest thing I’ve won in my whole life. I’m proud of the way the boys came together tonight to win the game. It’s wicked how we were down two games at the beginning of the series but we rallied back to beat them in the end. It’s an awesome feeling.”
Goals by Jordan Jarvis, Steven Kolasko, Miles Jespersen, Skylar Hodgson, and Short rounded out the offence.
Hildebrand fired a late goal for Kamloops.
Said first star Short: “I was really happy to get the win and it feels so good to have won two championships this year (the other was a national Junior A hockey title with the Vernon Vipers).
“We knew we had the right team to win this series because we have such a good group of defencemen, and a great goalie in Josh (Phillips) who’s just played outstanding for us all year long.”
Venom coach Al Forster praised the Tigers’ resiliency.
“This series was so evenly matched that it could have gone either way. We played great the first two periods, but Vernon just came out with more intensity and wanted it more come the third period.”
This was the Venom’s first-ever championship final in only their second year in the league. They finished regular season play in fifth place with a 6-6-2 record. Vernon, who spotted Kamloops a two-game series lead, missed first place by one point at 8-4-2.
“I’m very proud of the way we’ve played all year, considering it’s just our second year in the league and we’ve made it to the league finals already,” added Forster.
Earlier, Jespersen turned the hat-trick as the Tigers grounded the Venom 5-3 in Game 4 Tuesday night at Kamloops Memorial Arena.
“It was a low-scoring game – the goalies were good, it’s tough dee, and it’s tough to get a good scoring opportunity,” said Tigers’ head coach Rich Zecchel.
One of Jespersen’s goals came shorthanded on a smart pass from Phillips.
“He’s been really solid this whole series,” said Zecchel, of Jespersen. “Lots of hustle, and he’s just a hard-working young man.”
“Everybody just put in a real team effort.”
Short and Webb (empty-netter) rounded out the Tigers’ attack.

Kellen Jones Throws No Hitter:

Vernon Vipers forward, Kellen Jones threw a no hitter on Friday against Coeur D'Alene in North Idaho American Legion Baseball action. His team (Trail Jays) needed the win to secure second place and Kellen deliverd under huge pressure. Vernon Vipers forward, & twin brother Connor Jones was the catcher and scored the winning run of the game in extra innings.

Trail Smoke Eaters play by play man, Shawn Mullin has more posted on this story wich you can read on his Smoke Eaters Blog,

http://smokeeatersblog.blogspot.com/

Vernon Vipers 2009-10 Regular Season Schedule:

Vernon Vipers 2009-10 Regular Season Schedule:

Exibition Schedule:

2009-08-29 at Salmon Arm Silverbacks 7:30pm

2009-08-30 at Revelstoke vs Salmon Arm Silverbacks 7:00pm

2009-09-01 vs Westside Warriors 7:00pm

2009-09-02 at Westside Warriors 7:00pm

Regular Season Schedule:

2009-09-11 vs Salmon Arm Silverbacks 7:00pm

2009-09-12 at Salmon Arm Silverbacks 7:30pm

2009-09-18 at Trail Smoke Eaters 7:30pm

2009-09-19 vs Trail Smoke Eaters 7:00pm

2009-09-25 vs Quesnel Millionaires 7:00pm

2009-09-26 vs Williams Lake Timberwolves 7:00pm

2009-10-02 at Westside Warriors 7:00pm

2009-10-03 vs Penticton Vees 7:00pm

2009-10-04 vs Burnaby Express 2:00pm

2009-10-09 at Penticton Vees 7:00pm

2009-10-10 vs Cowichan Valley Capitals 7:00pm

2009-10-11 vs Alberni Valley Billdogs 2:00pm

2009-10-15 at Quesnel Millionaires 7:30pm

2009-10-16 at Williams Lake Timberwolves 7:30pm

2009-10-18 at Prince George Spruce Kings 3:00pm

2009-10-21 vs Merritt Centennials 7:00pm

2009-10-24 vs Quesnel Millionaires 7:00pm

2009-10-30 at Merritt Centennials 7:00pm

2009-11-03 at Salmon Arm Silverbacks 7:30pm

2009-11-06 at Prince George Spruce Kings 7:00pm

2009-11-07 at Quesnel Millionaires 7:30pm

2009-11-08 at Williams Lake Timberwolves 4:00pm

2009-11-10 at Merritt Centennials 7:00pm

2009-11-13 vs Trail Smoke Eaters 7:00pm

2009-11-14 vs Trail Smoke Eaters 7:00pm

2009-11-18 at Powell River Kings 7:30pm

2009-11-20 at Surrey Eagles 7:00pm

2009-11-21 at Langley Chiefs 7:00pm

2009-11-22 at Burnaby Express 2:30pm

2009-11-26 vs Prince George Spruce Kings 7:00pm

2009-11-27 vs Westside Warriors 7:00pm

2009-12-04 vs Penticton Vees 7:00pm

2009-12-05 at Trail Smoke Eaters 7:30pm

2009-12-08 vs Merritt Centennials 7:00pm

2009-12-11 vs Salmon Arm Silverbacks 7:00pm

2009-12-12 at Penticton Vees 7:00pm

2009-12-18 vs Victoria Grizzlies 7:00pm

2009-12-19 vs Nanaimo Clippers 7:00pm

2009-12-29 at Trail Smoke Eaters 7:00pm

2009-12-31 at Salmon Arm Silverbacks 7:30pm

2010-01-02 vs Salmon Arm Silverbacks 7:00pm

2010-01-05 vs Merritt Centennials 7:00pm

2010-01-08 at Westside Warriors 7:00pm

2010-01-09 vs Williams Lake Timberwolves 7:00pm

2010-01-15 at Nanaimo Clippers 7:30pm

2010-01-16 at Victoria Grizzlies 7:00pm

2010-01-17 at Cowichan Valley Capitals 2:00pm

2010-01-19 at Alberni Valley Billdogs 7:00pm

2010-01-22 vs Westside Warriors 7:00pm

2010-01-23 vs Westside Warriors 7:00pm

2010-01-29 vs Powell River Kings 7:00pm

2010-01-30 vs Langley Chiefs 7:00pm

2010-02-05 at Merritt Centennials 7:00pm

2010-02-09 vs Merritt Centennials 7:00pm

2010-02-12 vs Penticton Vees 7:00pm

2010-02-13 vs Prince George Spruce Kings 7:00pm

2010-02-17 at Penticton Vees 7:00pm

2010-02-19 at Salmon Arm Silverbacks 7:30pm

2010-02-20 at Westside Warriors 7:00pm

2010-02-21 vs Surrey Eagles 2:00pm

Former Vipers Head Coach Mark Holick & NHL Stars Coming To Penticton:

NHL stars commit to charity classic

by Ryan Pinder July 17, 2009

Three members of the Penticton Vees will be lining up with NHLers at the BC Hockey Hall of Fame Charity Game at the South Okanagan Events Centre on July 25th.

Joining the likes of Jarome Iginla, Chuck Kobasew, Duncan Keith, Cliff Ronning and other pros past and present are local power forward Logan Johnston, diminutive 2009 BCHL Interior Conference Rookie of the Year Garrett Milan and Ohio State bound defenseman Devon Krogh.

Imagine a line of Ryan Smyth, Jarome Iginla and Garrett Milan, or a defense pairing of Devon Krogh and Duncan Keith and you can start to feel the excitement that will fill Penticton on the 25th of July.

Devon Krogh is already feeling that rush: “I’m just so honoured to be selected to be on the same sheet of ice as these guys.” Off to Ohio State next year Devon will have his hands full defending the cast of stars.

Committed to the charity event to date are 4 invited players to Team Canada’s 2010 Olympic Camp in Ryan Smyth, Jarome Iginla, Duncan Keith and Shea Weber.

The inaugural event is set to benefit minor hockey and young kids looking to get involved in hockey. Former Penticton Bronco and current St. Louis Blues VP of Sales Bruce Affleck is organizing the event after hearing registration numbers at the grassroots level have been dropping in Penticton in recent years.

Here is a look at the roster of players committed to the event.

NHLers
Jarome Iginla (Calgary Flames)
Chuck Kobasew (Boston Bruins)
Ryan Smyth (LA Kings)
Andrew Ladd (Chicago Blackhawks)
Duncan Keith (Chicago Blackhawks)
Shea Weber (Nashville Predators)
Matt Pettinger (Tampa Bay Lightning, UFA)
Justin Pogge (Toronto Maple Leafs, RFA)

NHL ALUMNI
Cliff Ronning (1137 NHL Games, 869 Points)
Dave Babych (1195 NHL Games, 723 Points)
Paul Reinhart (648 NHL Games, 560 Points)
Stan Smyl (896 NHL Games, 673 Points)

VEES
Garret Milan (2009 Interior Conference Rookie of the Year)
Devon Krogh (Ohio State 2009/2010)
Logan Johnston (Local Power Forward)

COACHES
Pat Quinn (Edmonton Oilers)
Tom Renney (Edmonton Oilers)
Fred Harbinson (Penticton Vees)
Mark Holick (Kootenay Ice & Under 18 National Team)

SPECIAL GUEST
Taylor Kitsch (Actor from TV show Friday Night Lights)

Tickets are available at SOEC.ca, or by phone at 1-877-763-2849.

Ryan Pinder is the play-by-play voice of the Penticton Vees. Check out his blog at

http://pentictonvees.podbean.com/

Tigers Stay Alive:

This is in todays Morning Star Newspaper:

Tigers stay alive

It was a nail biter, but the Vernon Tigers prevailed with a thrilling 5-4 overtime win against the Kamloops Venom in Game 3 Saturday night at Wesbild Centre to keep their Thompson Okanagan Junior Lacrosse League final hopes alive.
Playing in his first game of the playoffs, Tigers’ veteran Darren Kirby collected the winner with 5:07 remaining in double-overtime on a spectacular pass from Jordan Jarvis. Jarvis faked a shot on Venom netminder Stu Ford then fed a great pass to Kirby who slammed it in the net.
Game 4 of the best-of-five series went Tuesday night at Kamloops Memorial Arena.
A fifth game, if required, goes tonight at Wesbild Centre (7:30).
“That was such an intense game,” said Kirby, who can only play parttime with the Tigers, as he attends school in Vancouver. “Having not played in like three weeks, I felt fine out there.
“Everyone felt nervous in the beginning of the game, but the nerves wore out by the second period.
“This has definitely been a series of defensive plays and as the saying goes, defence wins championships, so our guys on the back end are going to have to keep up what they did tonight and keep the Venom shooters away.”
Despite the Tigers winning the overall game, the Venom scored the first goal of every period. Ryland DeRose, Tyler Reid, Ryan Hildebrand, and Zach Bruneau handled the Venom attack.
Riley Soleway, Brennan Plante, and Miles Jespersen, with a pair, rounded out the Tigers’ offence.
Jespersen’s first came after the Venom had put a ton of pressure on the Tigers’ defence, but netminder Josh Phillips was a rock. Vernon finally got possession after Jarvis made a big hit on a Venom player and then sprung Jespersen for the goal.
Even though the Tigers scored only five goals, they threw 77 shots Ford’s way. Ford led the league’s goaltenders with a .871 save percentage.
Phillips stopped 36 Venom shots.
Said Tigers’ coach Brian Klein: “The game turned out the way I thought. All the games in this series have been really close with lots of defence.
“Both goalies on both teams played extremely well. Our defence was really outstanding and it’s been a big accomplishment to us to keep Riley Donahue, one of the league’s top scorers, scoreless.
“Also, this was Darren’s first game of the playoffs so it was really nice to see him get the winner. He played a great game.”

2009-10 BCHL Roster Preview:

With just over a month to go before BCHL training Camps open, I thought I would take a look at each team and get a early preview on rosters. I copied each teams roster from the BCHL website, now not all team rosters are current and reliable as some trades and new recruits havnt been added to some team rosters. Of course some if not most rosters are going to change before the season, I just wanted to take a peak at wich players are returning from last year and get a basic idea on each teams lineup. Williams Lake isnt listed as they were not in the league last season.

Coastal Conference:

Alberni Valley Bulldogs

Ryan Corbiell

Ethan Gardner

Adam Hout

Robert Lindores

Brody Lynott

Mitch MacMillan

Zack Mazo

Sam Mitchell

Brett Mohler

Mark Morikawa

Warren Muir

Taylor Orser

Colin Phaneuf

Johnny Rogic

Kevin Ross

Curtis Tonello

Burnaby Express

RJay Berra

Luke Challier

Jared Chernoff

Dan Correale

Colin de Jersey

Simon Denis

John Digness

Todd Fletcher

Matt Frydrysek

Dylan Herold

Gaven Hohl

Ilya Kravtchouk

Garrick Perry

Matt Ridley

Konrad Sander

Jacob Verheyden

Mike Chan

Richie Virtanen

Harrison May

Cowichan Valley Capitals

Nick Anderson

Spencer Edwards

Jackson Garrett

Curtis Gedig

Alex Gellert

Ryan Green

Taylor Holst

Matthew Johnston

Joey Massingham

Shayne Taker

Nicholas Wong

Taylor Pears

Kiefer Smiley

Langley Chiefs

Brad Bakken

Colton Beck

Trevor Gerling

Brad Goss

Travis Irving

Josh McEwan

Elgin Pearce

Dennis Robertson

Mac Roy

Dillon Scholten

Brandon Thompson

Joe Walter

Andrew Walsh

Nanaimo Clippers

Greg Bay

Michael Boivin

Cody Bremner

Colton Cyr

Aaron Enns

Brandon Fagerheim

Tyler Mah

Joe Perry

Carson Schell

Kyle Weber

Powell River Kings

Mat Bodie

Reid Campbell

Jordan Gallea

Jordan Grant

Justin Hogan

Darcy Huisman

Alex McDougall

Chad Niddery

Andrew Pettitt

Ben Schmidt

Jason Yee

Carsen Chubak

Surrey Eagles

Andrew Christ

Cole Gelley

Liam Harding

Derek Henderson

Mike Henderson

Doug Marshall

Tyler Morley

Chris Santiago

Chris Stew

Nolan Toigo

Grant Toulmin

Andrew Wallace

Jordan Wilkins

Paul Barclay

Vinny Lessard

Victoria Grizzlies

Kevin Bodker

Teal Burns

Justin Courtnall

Madison Dias

Craig Eisenhut

Wade Epp

Jordan Heywood

Derek Lee

Tyler Matheson

Jonathan Milhouse

Dustin Mowrey

Sean Robertson

Shawn Stuart

Alexandre Peck

Interior Conference:

Merritt Centennials

Ryan Aynsley

Jake Baker

Ryne Bodger

Brad Bourke

Casey Fratkin

Thomas Hardy

Derek Hills

Dustin Johnson

Alexander MacMillan

Matt Mazzarolo

Tyler Miller

Michael Nardi

Kevin Philp

Tyler Pistone

Gary Rai

Colton Sobchak

Jordan Soquila

Alessio Tomassetti

Steve Tresierra

J.J. Waldrop

Jeff Zmurchyk

Kyle Nielsen

Penticton Vees

Eric Filiou

Jimmy Geerin

Joey Holka

Ryan Johansen

Derik Johnson

Logan Johnston

Devon Krogh

Mitch Labreche

Johnny Mahovlich

Denver Manderson

Curtis McKenzie

Garrett Milan

Kaare Odegard

Travis Ouellette

Matt Paltridge

Brad Reid

Erik Slemp

Ryan Viselli

Adam Zamec

Sean Bonar

Prince George Spruce Kings

Alex Allan

Adam Baldassarre

Joe Becker

Matt Betker

Neil Chambers

Colten Derickson

Nick DeSousa

Justin Fillion

Tyson Hall

Wes McLeod

Geoff Morgan

Joe Morgan

Sam Muchalla

Andrew Pickering

Josh Pineiro

Evan Smith

Alex Wright

Quesnel Millionaires

Robbie Bailey

Matt Brown

Breyden DeCock

Mitch Galbraith
Kyle Golz

Trever Hertz

Sam Higgins

Brett Howe

Thomas Kala

Riley Marsh

Joshua Martin

Eliot Raibl

Taylor Rovatti

Justin Sotkowy

Rylan Stanyer

Adam Stuart

Evan Karambelas

Jeff Malcolm

Salmon Arm Silverbacks

Travis Briard

Mitch Chapman

Tyler Gubb

Levi Hantula

Christopher Hoe

David Killip

Bobby Lipsett

Conor Morrison

Greg Noyes

Mike Puddifant

Zac Rasmussen

Jayson Reardon

Travis Statchuk

Brent Vandenberg

Matt Wray

Mark Zengerle

Tony Ierfino

Trail Smoke Eaters

Justin Brown

Darnell Dyck

Adam Gummer

Scott Jacklin

Steve Koshey

Colin Lidster

Riley Loyst

Paul Mailey

Sean Nugent

Nick Sandor

Travis St. Denis

Graeme Strukoff

Devon Murtagh

Vernon Vipers

Nick Amies

Mike Collins

Cole Ikkala

Connor Jones

Kellen Jones

Bryce Kakoske

Cory Kane

Kevin Kraus

Braden Pimm

Kory Roy

Rob Short

Adam Thompson

Steven Weinstein

Graeme Gordon

Westside Warriors

Trevor Bailey

Grayson Downing

Brendan Ellis

Quinn Gould

Alex Grieve

Tyler Krause

Vince Mihalek

Michael Quinn

Cam Reid

Justin Schultz

Kyle Singleton

Joel Woznikoski

Kevin Jebson

Cats Trail Series 2-0

This is in todays Morning Star Newspaper:

Cats trail series 2-0

Published: July 19, 2009

With the Thompson Okanagan Junior Lacrosse League championship series heating up, the Vernon Re/Max Tigers’ offence went cold Thursday night at Memorial Arena in Kamloops.
The Tigers lost 3-1 to the Kamloops Venom and went into Game 3 of the best-of-five series Saturday night at Wesbild Centre down 2-0. A fourth game, if required, would go Monday night in Kamloops. Game 5 would be played Wednesday night in Vernon.
The Tigers jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead in the opening few minutes on a breakaway beauty by Craig Bigsby.
After that, the Tigers’ defence went soft, allowing three straight goals by Ryan Hildebrand, Tyler Reid, and Steve Bordon.
“We played a poor game and couldn’t hit the net tonight,” said Tigers’ coach Rich Zecchel. “We had lots of trouble trying to break through Kamloops’ defensive zone and didn’t get very many good outside shots.
“Their goalie Stu Ford (36 saves) played well and we just couldn’t get anything past him. Even though our offence played poorly, our defence did play well, which was led by Joel McKenzie, Jake Soleway, Steve Kolasko, Ryan Oliverius, Blake Lewis, Russell McLean, and Joey Klein.
“Our goaltender Josh Phillips (40 saves) played a solid game and let in the least amount of goals he’s let in all year.”
The Tigers took 22 penalty minutes to the Venom’s six.
In what could be their final game of the season Saturday, Zecchel said: “We’re going to have to turn this ship around really quick. We should be up 2-0 in this series. It’s been really close and the games could have gone either way. Our big guns are going to have to put all the pressure they can on Ford and our defence will have to do their best to blank their top scorers, such as Riley Donahue.”

Pelley Set To Fill John Madden's Role:

This is in the New Jersey Star Ledger Newspaper:

by Matt Gelb

Thursday July 16, 2009

Rod Pelley hoping to live up to comparisons to former NJ Devils center John Madden:

When the Devils let John Madden walk as a free agent, they had Rod Pelley in mind.

"We have to make room for Rod Pelley and a couple of others," general manager Lou Lamoriello said on July 1.

High praise for someone who has played all of 67 NHL games, considering Madden's celebrated 10-year career with the Devils. Whether or not Lamoriello intentionally wanted to send Pelley a message, it worked.

"To come out public like that, there's a lot of confidence," Pelley said. "You're basically telling the player, 'You better be ready. This is your opportunity. It's in your hands now.' That's basically how I interpret that. That's what I'll be ready in September for."

This week, the 24-year-old Pelley is the resident veteran at the Devils rookie camp at the Prudential Center practice facilities. He is expected to fill the role of defensive forward that Madden, who signed with the Blackhawks, excelled in for so long.

Pelley said he doesn't like comparing himself to Madden, simply because he hasn't accomplished what Madden has. But there are similarities in the way both forwards play defensively. Both are listed at 5-11, while Pelley is five pounds heavier at 195.

"Just even being mentioned, his name in the same sentence as mine, that's pretty humbling for myself," Pelley said.

Pelley is fully aware of the opportunity the Devils will award him in training camp. He would have preferred the chance come a year earlier, but the time he spent in the minors last season might have been for the better, he said.

In the first season of a two-year, $1.1 million contract, Pelley played in 75 games for Lowell, the Devils' AHL affiliate, and had 15 goals and 23 assists for a professional career-high 38 points. The assignment gave him a chance to polish the little things missing from his game.

"It helped me a lot," Pelley said. "I played a lot of hockey in all different situations."

While Pelley called Lamoriello's anointing "humbling," he has since moved past the surprise phase. Beginning with this week's rookie camp, it's time to start living up to it.

"It's definitely an opportunity," Pelley said. "It's up to myself to take advantage of it."

Rod Pelley played in the BCHL with the Prince George Spruce Kings during the 2000-01 season before being traded to the Vernon Vipers during the 2001-02 season. Pelley then went on to play the next four years at Ohio State University.

Venom Sting Tigers In Final Second:

This is in todays Morning Star Newspaper:

Venom sting Tigers in final second

By Nicole Berg
Morning Star

The outcome was all decided in less than a second.
Duncan Schulz corralled a loose ball in the corner, quickly cut to the net, and took a diving shot which eluded goalie Josh Phillips with 0.4 of a second remaining as the Kamloops Venom bounced the Vernon Re/Max Tigers 9-8 in Game 1 of the Thompson Okanagan Junior Lacrosse League championship series Tuesday night at Wesbild Centre.
Game 2 in the best-of-five final series went Thursday night in Kamloops. The third game goes Saturday night (7:30) at Wesbild Centre. Game 4, if required, is Monday, while a fifth game would o Wednesday in Vernon.
The winner advances to the provincial tournament, July 31-Aug. 3 at Archie Browning Arena in Victoria.
"It was unbelievable to get that goal right before the buzzer sounded to win the game," said Venom coach Al Forster. "We didn't play as well as we could have in the first period as we came out of the period down 3-1, but we came back and held a 6-5 lead coming out of the second. In the third, we pulled together, determined not to give up. Vernon's a strong team who never gives up and their captain Robbie Short (three goals) played incredible. We have to watch out for him."
The fifth-place Venom opened the scoring 61 seconds in with slick Riley Donahue pocketing his first of four goals on the night.
"Knowing we were down in the third period, we knew we had to step it up and really play hard if we wanted to win," said Donahue, who had 33 points in the regular season. "Vernon played us hard and they're a really tight team defensively so it's hard to get any balls past them, but we found a way tonight, and we'll have to keep that up if we want to win this series."
Vernon pulled away with a 3-1 first-period lead on goals by Ryan Landels, Jordan Jarvis and James Dobrowolski.
The game turned in Kamloops' favour in the second period, as they outscored Vernon 4-2 on goals by Cole Eustache, Rob Peterson, and a pair by Donahue, to take over the lead at 6-5. Short provided two goals for the Cats.
Eustache, Schulz, and Donahue notched the remaining Kamloops goals. Jarvis, Braidy Webb, and Short replied for Vernon.
Stu Ford made 46 saves in net for Kamloops, while Phillips stopped 43 shots.
"It was up and down both ways," said Vernon coach Rich Zecchel. "It was a good, hard-fought game on both sides. We ran into a few problems defensively when Kamloops got the majority of their goals in the second period. We showed lots of heart though by battling back and came within a tie but it wasn't enough to win the game."