Friday, August 23, 2019

Game Preview: Exhibition: Grande Prairie @ Vernon:

Grande Prairie (0-0-0-0) @ Vernon (0-0-0-0) 7pm

Tonight is the first and only meeting of the 2019-20 season vs the Alberta Junior Hockey League Grande Prairie Storm. The last time these two teams met, The Vipers swept the Storm in the 2009 Doyle Cup.

Last Game:

Wednesday, April 17th (BCHL League Finals) Game 5 Prince George defeated Vernon 3-1

Monday, March 11th 1st Round AJHL Playoffs: Game 4 Fort McMurray defeated Grande Prairie 5-1

Next Game:

Wednesday, August 28th Vernon @ Salmon Arm
Saturday, August 24th Grande Prairie @ Trail 

Here's a look at the previous meetings vs Grande Prairie:

The Vernon Lakers defeated the Grande Prairie North Stars in two games in the 1987-88 Mowat Cup

The Vernon Vipers defeated the Grande Prairie Storm in four games in the 2008-09 Doyle Cup


Let's take a look at the Vernon Vipers:

The 0-0-0-0 defending Interior Division Champion Vernon Vipers open the 2019-20 pre-season vs the Alberta Junior Hockey League Grande Prairie Storm. The Vipers enter the 2019-20 season with a new Head Coach/GM In Jason McKee and added a new second assistant coach In Erik Morrissette. Vernon finished last season 4th in the Interior Division with a 26-21-8-3 record lost in the league finals in five games to the Fred Page Cup Champion Prince George Spruce Kings. The Snakes will play four exhibition games with three of those games being played at Kal Tire Place. The Vipers will face two teams from the AJHL this pre-season. Grande Prairie and the defending National Champion Brooks Bandits. The Vipers struggled at home last season, going 12-11-5-2 Third year forward Connor Marritt will wear the "C" this year as the Vipers captain. Vernon has ten players returning from last year's team, seven recruits/committed players and two players acquired over the off season in trades. 

Vernon Vipers Roster:


Teddy Wooding (21-19-40) lead the team lead in goals last year with twenty one, while Matt Kowalski (13-30-43) lead the team in points last year with fourty three

Vernon Vipers 2018-19 regular season stats:

Games Played: 58
Wins: 25
Losses: 21
Overtime Wins: 2
Overtime Losses: 8
Shootout Wins: 1
Shootout Losses: 3
Home Record: 11-11-5-2
Road Record: 14-10-3-1
Overtime Record: 2-8
Record vs Interior Division: 17-13-5-1
Record vs Island & Mainland Divisions: 8-8-3-2
When the Vipers score first: 17-5-5-0
When the opponents score first: 8-16-3-3
Leading after the 1st period: 13-2-3-0
Tied after the 1st period: 10-7-4-1
Trailing after the 1st period: 2-10-1-2
Leading after the 2nd period: 18-3-5-1
Tied after the 2nd period: 4-8-3-1
Trailing after the 2nd period: 3-10-0-1
Out shooting opponents: 20-9-5-1
Out shot by opponents: 3-10-3-1
One goal games: 9-9-8-3
Goals for: 162
Goals against: 159
Standings: 4th Place (Interior Division)
Win-loss Streak: One game losing streak
Longest winning streak: Four games
Longest losing streak: Four games

Vernon Vipers Returning Players:

Matt Kowalski (99)
Ben Helgeson (00)
Ben Sanderson (00)
Nicholas Cherkowski (00)
Logan Cash (00)
Elan Bar-Lev-Wise (01)
Landon Fuller (99)
Brendan Kim (00)
Trey Taylor (02)
Max Palaga (00)

Vernon Vipers departed & traded players from last years team:

Jagger Williamson (98)
Jesse Lansdell (98)
Tyler Ho (00)
Josh Latta (98)
Teddy Wooding (99)
Lane Zablocki (98)
Coleton Bilodeau (00)
Michael Young (98)
Will Dow-Kenny (00)
Jack Judson (00)
Carver Watson (98)
Aidan Porter (99)
Bradley Cooper (99)

Let's take a look at the Grande Prairie Storm:

Grande Prairie Storm History:

The organization was founded in 1966 as the Junior Athletics[1] as a member of the Peace Junior B Hockey League (PJHL). The team rebranded around 1972 as the Grande Prairie North Stars.[2] When the Quesnel Millionaires and Prince George Spruce Kings joined the league in 1975, the league became the Peace-Cariboo Junior Hockey League (PCJHL). In 1980, the league and teams were promoted to Junior A. The North Stars were financially struggling and sat out two seasons from 1989 to 1991. They came back as the Grande Prairie Chiefs in 1991, but the league had brought in teams from the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League and reformed as the Rocky Mountain Junior Hockey League (RMJHL). In 1995, with the Chiefs continuing to have financial difficulties, a community-led group bought the team with the goal of paying off its $150,000 in debts and restoring junior A hockey to prominence in the Peace Country. The team rebranded as the Grande Prairie Storm and moved to a brand new arena, the Canada Games Arena, built for the 1995 Canada Winter Games. In 1996, the Storm moved from the RMJHL to the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL). The Storm qualified for the AJHL post season in each of its first 18 consecutive seasons before missing in 2014. In 2004, the Storm won their first AJHL championship. They also hosted the 2004 Royal Bank Cup national junior A championship tournament that season, where they lost in the semifinals. The Storm have been a major success off the ice as well as the franchise perennially leads the AJHL in attendance, and often leads the entire Canadian Junior A Hockey League in attendance.[citation needed] The Storm broke the previous attendance record for the Royal Bank Cup by over 9000 fans in 2004.

The 0-0-0-0 Alberta Junior Hockey League Grande Prairie Storm make their first and only visit of the 2019-20 season to Kal Tire Place. The Storm open the pre-season with six exhibition games, three of those six games are played in BC (Trail & Vernon). Tonight's the first of three straight pre-season games this weekend. The Storm finished 5th in the AJHL North Division which consists of eight teams (Sheerwood Park, Bonnyville, Spruce Grove, Fort McMurray, Drayton Valley, Whitecourt and Lloydminster. The Storm went 30-26-4 last season going out in the opening round of the AJHL playoffs in five games to the Fort McMurray Oil Barons. Grande Prairie has sixteen players back from last year's squad. 

Grande Prairie Storm Roster:


 Grande Prairie Storm 2018-19 regular season stats:

Games Played: 60
Wins: 30
Losses: 26
Overtime Losses: 4
Home Record: No stats available
Road Record: No stats available
Goals for: 208
Goals against: 215
Standings: 5th Place (North Division)

Grande Prairie Storm Returning Players: 

Jarin Sutton (99)
Tyrell Boucher (99)
Kaeden Tenkoppel (00)
Nathan Morgan (02)
Nathanial Bierd (01)
Alex Nordstrom (00)
Zachary Okabe (01)
Bryce Osepchuk (00)
Nicolas Porterfield (01)
Jackson Wozniak (00)
Ethan Strang (01)
Lukas Konashuk (01)
Zachary Cunningham (99)
Alexis Girard (99)
Lars Kaliel (01)
Kaeden Lane (01)

Grande Prairie Storm departed and traded players from last years team: 

Vincent Milot-Ouellet (00)
Zachary Webb (00)
Connor Blake (00)
Noah Corson (98)
Cruz Cote (00)
Xavier Pouliot (00)
Jared Power (98)
Jonothan Hader (00)
Payton McIsaac (02)
Walker Cote (98)

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