I was born and raised in Vernon, BC and been watching/following Junior hockey in Vernon my whole life. My family watched Senior men's hockey in Vernon in the 1950's and has been watching Junior hockey in Vernon since it started in 1961. I have two family members that played Junior hockey in Vernon. I have had season tickets since 1990 and missed 5 home games since 2004 and 46 home games since 1990. I started and created this blog in November 2008 and have over 2.6 million viewers. For anyone who couldn't watch or attend tonight's Vipers game, here are my thoughts and views from tonight's hockey game. You may agree or disagree, but we all have our own opinion on the hockey game and see things differently. I try to be professional and give a fare game recap from both sides. Thank you for visiting my blog.
I was at tonight's Vernon Vipers-Cranbrook Bucks game as the Vipers defeated the Bucks 3-1 in front of 2,209 fans at Kal Tire Place.
Starting Goaltenders:
Vernon Vipers: Ethan David
Cranbrook Bucks: Carter Compton
Before tonight's Vipers home opener, a twenty minute delay to the start of the hockey game after the Vipers honored former owner Duncan Wray with a special pre-game ceremony, re-naming the street outside Kal Tire Place "Duncan Wray Way" a video tribute and raised his banner to the rafters.
2nd Period: The Bucks would get back to back to back power plays after the hometown Vipers got into penalty trouble in the middle frame. Ethan David coughed up the puck on the PP allowing Bryce Sookro to tie the game 1-1 at 11:02 A bad decision from the Vipers goaltender, cost the team a goal and evened the hockey game. The visiting Cranbrook Bucks were the better team and carried the better of the play, had more puck possession, a ton of zone time and created some opportunities. The Bucks with an aggresive forecheck, forced Vernon into turning over the puck in their own end again on several plays. The Snakes didn't look or play that well, couldn't seem to find their legs, get their game going and struggled to gain puck possession and time in the offensive zone. Vernon did manage to create/generate a couple of quality chances but Carter Capton had some luck on his side with a couple of big stops. Vernon didn't get the bounces or puck luck in the 2nd period. This was a bit of a chippy period with both teams getting involved in some after the whistle activities. The Bucks go 1-2 with the PP while the Vipers go 0-1 on the man advantage. Vernon outshot Cranbrook 10-9.
3rd Period: The Vipers with a strong effort in the final twenty minutes, were the better of the two hockey clubs. The Snakes had their legs going, played hard, carried the better of the play, had more puck possession and zone time. Cranbrook would get into penalty trouble taking four penalties. Vernon created/generated several quality chances but Carter Capton was solid between the pipes. The Vipers would capitalize on a double minor late in the contest. Adam Csabi & Hank Cleaves with back to back power play goals, gave Vernon a late 3-1 lead. The Bucks would get Carter Capton to the bench with fifty nine seconds remaining but Vernon would hang on for the 3-1 victory. The Bucks had troubles mounting offence, played a lot of the period on the PK and in their own end. Carter Capton had to be sharp, keeping his team in the game with the hometown Snakes pressing. The Vipers go 2-4 with the man advantage. Vernon outshoots Cranbrook 12-4.
Vernon Vipers Top Performers:
Georgios Stavrianeas I thought got better as the game went along. Didn't stand out but made some good plays in the 3rd period and played well.
Adam Csabi (1 goal) This kid is a player and a treat to watch. Scored the game winning goal on the PP and looked good through out the game tonight
Owen Kim I thought played a hard fought game. Not the biggest kid but never stops skating, plays hard, finishes his checks and competes every shift.
Ethan David (24 saves) Made some big saves at key times in the contest with the game close. Made a big mistake in the 2nd period, coughing up the puck behind his net, giving Bryce Sookro an open cage for the game tying goal. I thought David was a little loose coming out of his crease at times but other wise played well in goal.
Game Thought's: Vernon Vipers
- The Snakes played well at times, struggled at times and looked good at times. I thought were inconsistent and need to play sixty minutes
- A great pre-game ceremony & tribute for former owner Duncan Wray
- It was nice to see someone other then Salmon Arm for the home opener. It seems like every year the Silverbacks are here for the teams home opener
- Vernon went 3-6 with the man advantage
- A big crowd for the home opener. Tonight's attendance was announced at 2,209
- I really liked Vernon's PK
- Vernon didn't get any bounces or puck go their way
- The Snakes struggled breaking out of their own end, turned the puck over in their own end a lot
- The Vipers next game is September 29th at home vs Merritt
- The Vipers don't shoot enough on the PP. The Snakes pass the puck around and around way too much. I'd like to see the boys get more pucks to the net
- The Vipers wore their yellow third jerseys from last season tonight
- The Vipers went 1-3-0-1 vs Cranbrook last season
- Vernon junior hockey alumni Colton Sparrow, Chris Crowell, Lennie Rampone, Marty Stein, Kevin Kraus were a few in attendance tonight
- Both teams looked very scrambled and disorganized for at least the first half or more of the opening period
- All concessions were closed during the Vipers exhibition games. Tonight, two out of the three were open
- The Vipers played and looked their best in the 3rd period, a period they controlled and were the better team. The Vipers need to learn to play like this for the entire game
- With the win, Vernon improves to 1-1-0-0
Cranbrook Bucks Top Performers:
Patrick Czarnecki I thought played very well in the loss, other then taking a double minor late in the hockey game for high sticking
Zion Green was another Bucks forward that impressed me
Luke Pfoh Was involved in the play, played hard and looked good up front for the Cranbrook Bucks
Carter Capton (27 saves) Made some big stops, giving his team a chance to win. A bigger goaltender, covers a lot of the net, had some puck luck go his way but was solid between the pipes
Game Thought's: Cranbrook Bucks
- Cranbrook's last win in Vernon was a 6-5 shootout victory on November 25th 2022
- I really like the Bucks jerseys, one of the sharpest in the league
- These two teams will meet again October 14th in Cranbrook
- The Bucks went 1-4 with the power play
- Cranbrook plays with an aggresive forecheck, forced Vernon's defence into turning over pucks often through out the hockey game
- Tonight was the Bucks second game of a four game road trip
- I thought the Bucks best period was the 2nd period where they were the better of the two teams
- These two teams will meet seven times during the 2023-24 regular season
- Other then a sloppy/scrambled 1st period this was an entertaining and exciting hockey game
- The Bucks are quick, always moving their feet and have a good transition game
- The Bucks next game is September 29th in West Kelowna
- Cranbrook's lone goal was a gift. Vipers goaltender Ethan David turned over the puck behind his net, allowing Bryce Sookro to hit the open net to tie the hockey game
- Cranbrook struggled with the man advantage, didn't generate a whole lot on the PP
- Bucks Assistant Coach Roman Vopta played four seasons in the NHL from 1995-1999 with Los Angeles, Philadelphia, St. Louis and Chicago
- With the loss, Cranbrook falls to 1-1-0-0
Scratches:
Vernon Vipers:
Cooper Cleaves
Owen King
Walker Gelbard
Bronson Ross
Cranbrook Bucks:
Tyler McGowan
Malachi Freh
Jack Silich
Tyden Redlick
Energy Player of the Game:
Julian Facchinelli (1 assist)
Three Star's:
1st Star: Adam Csabi (1 goal)
2nd Star: Bryce Sookro (1 goal)
3rd Star: Erik Pastro (2 assists)
Boxscore-Game Summary,
Game Report,
Text Box Score,
Vernon Junior Hockey History website,
Please feel free to leave comments or suggestions in the comment box below. Please be respectful when leaving comments.
16 comments:
Mark Ferner was at tonight’s game
Ethan David bails them out again!
A big win for the Vipers, a good result on Duncan Wray Night and the fans go home happy. I do not think the Vipers played well though. In my humble opinion the Bucks were the better team for most of the game and deserved a better fate. It was unfortunate that the game was decided on the double high sticking call with less than 4 minutes in the game. I agree with a minor penalty but question the double. There was no sign of blood or major damage in the huddle at the viper bench. Regardless the call was made and the Vipers scored twice. After a entertaining game it would have been an exciting finish to see the Bucks battle from one goal down.
On a positive I think the Vipers have selected a good looking team. They have good size, speed and goal tending. Csabi will be a treat to watch once he has a few games under his belt. I also expect The Lukes (Pakulak & Buss) and Facchinelli to have big years. Once they really start to gel I think the Vipers should have a respectable year. Go Vipers Go!!!
PS... Is Kaslo Ferner any relation to Mark Ferner?
The Vipers look pretty good last night
good attendance for the Vipers home opener
The Vipers off-ice team & City of Vernon continue to do a lacklustre job in all areas. That was the least climactic home opener I have ever been to, I feel like it has been the exact same for the last 10 years and it’s time to take a step forward like EVERY other team has. Heck, even Merritt has flashing lights and a game presentation that can be learned from. The exact same intermission content, actually, even less than before. Watching an old lady in a side-by-side do donuts has been old for a couple years now. One concession, a coffee maker situated directly behind the seats, where fans have to listen to an espresso machine whistle annoyingly. One beer gardens, which sold out of local beer in the 2nd period. A speaker system from 2003 - Rambo is a beauty but he does not have the voice to be heard at all in the poor acoustic confines of Kal Tire Place. And how is one supposed to see the projector board that has a picture like it was bought from the Costco parking lot? This is also just as much on the City of Vernon, the scoreboard lights are going out, bathrooms running out of paper towel, I’ve heard rent continues to go up, and they aren’t giving the staff to allow the Vipers volunteers to do their tasks. It’s time to reach for the stars and quit settling with what gets the team by!
Thankfully hockey is the reason people are there, not the lack of concession stands or intermission ice activities.
I heard the Vipers are in talks with the City to take over the lease of the arena
I think the city of vernon would be more than happy to lease it out as a long term lease. I feel the arena for the city is more of a pain in the ass for them to look after. I feel the city feels it has more important things to look after. So I hope they do lease it out as its better for the city and better for the owners of the vipers. Go vipers go
I agree with Anonymous
The problem is the Vipers don't have and never have had a professional marketing manager.
The same music-songs are played game after game and for over ten years. The games/activities between intermissions have been the same for a while or for many many years. The home openers have been the same for many many years. Nothing really changes and for long time season ticket holders or fans that go to games often, it's time for a change.
I also wish Rambo would announce the goals and penalties twice like all announcers do at hockey games. Sometimes you don't hear it or catch it the first time and I also wish Rambo would announce the shooters before a penalty shot and shootout. I also would like to see them announce the rules before overtime and the shootout for fans who are new to the BCHL/Junior hockey and don't know how long overtime is, how many shooters shoot in the shootout etc. If you have been to a Rockets game or other junior hockey/NHL games they do this.
Kal Tire Place was built in 2001 and the Okanagan Sports Hall of Fame was added a few years later. Since then the display cases have been changed twice. Once when the cases and Okanagan Sports Hall of Fame was added and then again in 2014. That's almost ten years ago and those cases should be changed more often.
Speaking of Kal Tire Place. The outside of the building needs a new paint job. The colors are faded and need to be repainted.
There are all kinds of things wrong at Kal Tire Place, it wont be too long when it will be another Civic Arena, demolished or replaced because it will be dilapidated.
The City has to spend money on upkeep to maintain the Vernon show piece of Kal Tire Place.
We taxpayers spent millions of dollars for this building, to let it depreciate because of cost savings is not acceptable.
The outside doors have peeling paint. There is and abundance of rust on the outside hand rails and posts. Above the main doors, there is rust on the yellow beams over-head. At the top of the arch, on the south end, some tiles are coming loose over-head, if they fall at some point they could hit someone, law suit anyone? The guard rails at the south end are missing or bent out of shape, deplorable state of affairs. In the same area there is garbage everywhere, even below amongst the trees. The bird droppings need to be cleaned up and prevented.
As a spectator to hockey game the glass MUST be cleaned better for viewing, this includes removing all the tape and scuff marks. When trying to sit in my season ticket spot many times I have found the area not clean or shoe marks all over the seats. Previous liquid spills, wrappers and food stuffs strewn about often. How hard can it be to have all the banners aligned at the same level, really! How hard can it be to have the hole at the timekeepers box be at the correct height, weird is all!
I am sure there are many other things that may be listed!
The building, Kal Tire Place, is now over twenty years old and very much starting to show its age. Public buildings need to be treated just like most peoples private residences, you MUST spend a certain amount of money each and every year to maintain the look and integrity of the building.
COME ON CITY OF VERNON WE DO NOT WANT ANOTHER CIVIC ARENA FIASCO!!!!
NOW THEY WANT TO BUILD aN ACTIVE LIVING CENTRE AND THEY CANT LOOK AFTER THE BUILDINGS THEY GOT!!!!!
BS!!, WTF!!
I really enjoyed reading your recap of the Vernon Vipers' home opener! It's always exciting to see our favorite team back in action. The atmosphere, the energy, and the passion of the fans really shine through in your description.
frugalishness
So, I sent a mass email to Vernon Mayor and Council, the Mayors response was a forward of the email to the Operations Director, no one else replied.
I forgot to mention the sometimes poor state of the washrooms, the fact that they had six months to get the concessions in order. Why they couldn’t just lease out the individual concession spots to some of our awesome local business people.
RECEIVED THIS MORNING….
Good morning Mr. Beugeling,
Thank-you for your email dated September 26, 2023. Feedback such as this, is greatly appreciated.
The timekeeper glass was damaged earlier in the season. It was replaced with an older piece of glass while we await the delivery of the final replacement piece.
Recreation Services does have a funded asset management and replacement plan in place for all Recreation buildings. Projects for Kal Tire Place are identified and submitted during the annual budget process and then worked on through-out the year, in alignment with the ice schedule.
I have since met with our Manager, Recreation Operations regarding the specific concerns addressed in your email. Staff are being tasked with glass cleaning/replacement, and spectator area cleaning as part of the home show floor conversion needed to support this weekend’s events.
Staffing shortages continue to be a significant challenge, which has unfortunately led to decrease in our ability to perform routine cleaning and upkeep in a timely manner.
Our staffing and recruitment strategy is currently being focused towards these critical areas.
Once again, I thank-you for coming forward with your concerns. Please feel free to contact myself directly if I can provide and more information.
Sincerely,
Jason Blood
Hey Paul. Thanks for contacting City Hall to explain the deficiencies at Kal Tire Place. Mr Blood came up with lots of excuses but you should tell him... "you are now making YOUR problems OUR problems. Just fix it!!!" Perhaps a shift in the concession stand or chipping in on the cleaning detail for Mr Blood and his well paid cohorts will speed up rectifying the issues we all see.
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