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 missing only 40 home games. Since 2001 I have missed 10 home games. I started and created this blog in November 2008 and have over 3 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 game between the Vernon Vipers & Salmon Arm Silverbacks as the Vipers defeated Salmon Arm 4-0 in front of 1,298 fans at Rogers Rink.
Starting Goaltenders:
Vernon Vipers: Colin Reay
Salmon Arm Silverbacks: Ryan Grout
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2nd Period: The S'Backs got off to a good start and played very well as Salmon Arm was the better of the two teams. I thought the Gorillas were the better team, had more puck possession, zone time and created/generated several quality chances. SA had the balance in play but couldn't solve Vipers starting goaltender Colin Reay who was sharp between the pipes. The Vipers couldn't seem to get much going this period, did play very well defensively. The Snakes were blocking a ton of shots, getting sticks in the way, kept the Silverbacks to the outside, limiting their chances. It was 1-0 Vernon after 40 minutes of play. Shots were 15-8 Silverbacks.
3rd Period: The Snakes would re-group after a tough 2nd period and come out strong. Marko Stojkov and Charlie Kresl gave Vernon an early 3-0 lead 2:57 into the final period. The Vipers never looked back, were the better team and outplayed SA for most of the period. Vernon carried the better of the play, had more puck possession, zone time and were capitalizing on their opportunities. The Vipers played very well in the final frame to seal the win. The Apes couldn't seem to recover after giving up two early back to back goals, then got into penalty trouble as Salmon Arm didn't look or play very well in the final twenty minutes. Vipers come away with a 4-0 win. Shots were 13-6 Vernon.
Vernon Vipers Top Performers:
Landon MacDonald (1 assist) I thought played very well in the win. MacDonald has really fit in nicely since being signed just days before the start of the 2024-25 regular season. MacDonald played well at both ends of the rink, was involved in the play, was physical, played hard, competed, was going to the net and generating some offence
Zhenya Miles The former West Kelowna Warriors defenceman I thought played a strong game on the blueline tonight
Marko Stojkov (1 goal) Scored the Vipers second goal of the game 1:40 into the 3rd period, also played well on the backend. Stojkov is another player that has been a good fit for the Vipers
Koji Gibson has really started to come into his own lately. Gibson competed, played hard, did a lot of the little things tonight, played well
Will Schumacher (2 assists) Don't look now but Will Schumacher is leading the team in points with thirteen. Here is another key addition the Vipers signed just days before the start of the regular season. Schumacher has really fit in and started to put up points. Schumacher was all over Rogers Rink this evening, was one of Vernon's better players
Lucas Brennan Competed, had a couple of looks/chances, took a few big hits, played well
Keaton Dowhanuik (1 goal) Opened the scoring for the Snakes 18:33 of the 1st period, was another defenceman who had a strong game on the backend. Dowhanuik is another player that has fit in nicely since being acquired
Colin Reay (31 saves-shutout) Picked up his second shutout with the Vipers, was solid in goal. Reay made some big stops with the Silverbacks pressing, didn't give up any rebounds, looked very calm/confident between the pipes
Game Thought's: Vernon Vipers
- The Vipers last three wins in Salmon Arm have all been shutouts
- Tonight's the fifth game of a six game road trip
- For a team that only has won four games out of their first twelve games, I thought the Vipers played very well on the road in a tough rink to play in vs a very good Salmon Arm team
- Several Vipers fans at tonight's game
- How big is tonight's win? For a team with only three wins heading into tonight and lots of roster changes, tonight's win will be a huge confidence booster and maybe a turning point in the season
- The Vipers PK was good
- The Vipers are 1-1-0-0 vs the Silverbacks this season
- Assistant Coach Eric Morrissette was back behind the Vipers bench tonight
- The Snakes went 2-6 with the man advantage
- I thought the Vipers got off to a good start, had the early edge in play, were the better team in the first half of the 1st period, played well. Vernon was getting pucks to the net, had some looks/chances
- The Vipers next game is Saturday in Penticton
- Vernon's defence played very well through out the hockey game. I thought the Vipers defence was at it's best in the 2nd period with the Silverbacks pressing. The Snakes blocked several shots, got sticks in the way, kept Salmon Arm to the outside, limiting their shots/chances
- The Vipers play five of their next seven games on home ice
- The Vipers snapped Salmon Arm's four game winning streak
- The Vipers struggled with the man advantage. They scored twice but had difficulties setting up, getting pucks to the net and making plays. Before they capitalized on the PP I think they had two shots in each of the previous PPs
- The Vipers are 3-5-0-0 on the road this season
- The Snakes have won three of their last four games
- Vernon struggled in the 2nd period, couldn't seem to get much going. The Vipers were back on their heels, struggled to clear the zone/get pucks out. The Vipers gave up way too many opportunities and didn't generate or create enough offence. Colin Reay made some key saves this period, to keep it a one goal game
- The Vipers & Silverbacks face each other seven times this season
- Salmon Arm plays in Vernon November 1st for the first time this season
- I really liked Vernon's 3rd period. After a tough 2nd period the Vipers re-grouped and come out hard to start the final twenty minutes. The Vipers with two quick back to back goals 2:57 into the period, played very well and outplayed the Backs for most of the period
- The Vipers started the season with six straight games without a win but have improved, playing much better and now beat some of the top teams in the Interior Conference. I know the team hasn't been winning but I like the looks of the team and think we have a better team then our record shows
- The Vipers have won eleven of the last sixteen games vs the Silverbacks
- Rogers Rink has a video screen mounted on the one wall behind the entrance to the arena. Whoever is operating the video screen, should be showing all replays of not only just goals but hits, penalties and especially plays that have gone to video review so fans can see what we missed or what has happened
- The Snakes are the first team to win in Salmon Arm this season
- I didn't see what happened but Charlie Kresl and I Riley Ashe got involved in an altercation at the Vipers bench. When I looked at the bench I saw Kresl laying punches at Ashe who was inside the Vipers bench
- With the win, Vernon improves to 4-7-1-0 sit 10th in the Interior Conference
Salmon Arm Silverbacks Top Performers:
Roenick Jodoin I thought was one of the lone Silverbacks who stood out, played with lots of jump/energy
Ryan Grout (27 saves) Was also good in goal as both goaltenders played very well. You can't blame Grout on any of the three Vernon goals
Game Thought's: Salmon Arm Silverbacks
- The Apes went 0-3 with the power play
- Tonight's the first game of a two game home stand
- I thought SA got off to a slow start. The Silverbacks needed five and a half minutes to record their first shot on goal, couldn't get much going early, were back on their heels before re-grouping and playing much better in the second half of the 1st period. The Backs were outshot 6-1 at one point with final shots at the end of the opening frame were 10-10
- The Silverbacks next game is Saturday vs the visiting Trail Smoke Eaters
- A good crowd at Rogers Rink tonight as tonight's attendance was announced at 1,298
- Salmon Arm took some untimely penalties and undisciplined penalties
- I thought the Silverbacks best period was the 2nd period where the Apes were the better team, carried the better of the play, had more zone time, puck possession and several quality looks/opportunities. Down 1-0 need to capitalize on at least one of those chances with Vernon back on their heels
- The Silverbacks home record falls to 4-1-0-0 after tonight's loss
- The S'Backs play four of their next five games at home
- Judging by the coaches body language, the Salmon Arm bench looked very frustrated and not happy in the 2nd and 3rd periods
- Down 1-0 heading into the 3rd period, was anyone's game until the Vipers scored two quick back to back goals early to take a 3-0 lead. This not only changed the momentum of the hockey game/period but took the crowd out of the game as the Snakes cruised for the remainder of the period to come away with the victory
- The Silverbacks gave up four goals in the loss tonight, only gave up four goals in the teams previous three games
- The Gorillas have won four of their last five games and seven of their last ten games
- I don't think the S'Backs were at their best this evening and it showed at puck drop and in the 3rd period. Salmon Arm's best period was the 2nd period
- With the loss, Salmon Arm falls to 8-3-1-0 sit 3rd in the Interior Conference
Scratches:
Vernon Vipers:
Jakub Galnor
Joey Mugaas
Salmon Arm Silverbacks:
Ryan Philbrick
Nate Crashley
Energy Player of the Game:
Carson Olsen
Three Star's:
1st Star: Colin Reay (31 saves-shutout)
2nd Star: Will Schumacher (3 assists)
3rd Star: Marko Stojkov (1 goal)
Boxscore-Game Summary,
Game Report,
Text Box Score,
Vernon Junior Hockey History website,
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