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 & Cranbrook Bucks as the Bucks defeated the Vipers 8-5 in front of 2,114 fans at Kal Tire Place.
Vernon Vipers: Jari Kykkanen
Cranbrook Bucks: Kolton Bourret
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2nd Period: The Bucks were the better team and had the better of the play for a lot of the period. Cranbrook scored twice less then five minutes into the period, to take the lead, scored five goals in a pretty solid period. The Bucks offence was firing and capitalized on their chances. Cranbrook tightened up defensively, didn't give up nearly as many scoring chances, played much better in front of their goaltender and took advantage of some Vernon sloppy plays/mistakes. The hometown Snakes didn't repeat the 1st period, weren't very good. A key point in the hockey game was the Vipers down a goal, had three shots on a five minute man advantage. The Vipers struggled offensively, struggled making a pass, several turnovers, sloppy play. It was 5-2 Cranbrook after 40 minutes of play. Shots were 10-10.
3rd Period: The visiting Cranbrook Bucks looked to put the game away with an early goal, come very close to blowing a 6-2 3rd period lead. The Snakes stepped up their play in the final frame, played with some jump/energy and pushed hard. Vernon didn't quit but some poor passes, turnovers and some sloppy play cost them at the end. The Snakes were the better team and carried the better of the play for a lot of the period. A huge push got Vernon to within a goal before the Bucks scored two late goals to seal the victory. Cranbrook got into penalty trouble, were caught running around in their own end, missed coverage in front, cost them a few goals. The Bucks come away with the 8-5 win. Shots were 12-9 Vernon.
Vernon Vipers Top Performers:
Ryan Watt (1 goal & 1 assist) I thought played with a lot of jump/energy, was stopped on a 1st period penalty shot. Watt is quick on his feet, generated some offence, was one of the better Vipers
Tyson Zimmer (1 goal & 3 assists) Come to play in the final game of the season, was another kid who had lots of jump/energy, was getting pucks to the net, played hard and competed until the final buzzer
Game Thought's: Vernon Vipers
- Very disappointed in the 2024-25 Vernon Vipers. This team was very hard to watch all season long and hard to get excited about
- Tonight was the Vipers final game of the 2024-25 regular season
- Vernon went 1-3 vs the Bucks this season
- Since November 29th the Vipers have seven wins in the last thirty two games
- Since 1961 only nine other Vernon teams have finished the regular season with fewer then fifteen wins
- The Snakes played well and looked good in the 1st period. Vernon had several odd man rushes, was creating/generating opportunities but no finish. The Snakes played with some jump/energy, were competing and playing hard. The Vipers opened the scoring, could have easily been up by a couple of goals if they capitalized on some of their chances
- The Vipers are 9-12-5-0 at Kal Tire Place this season
- The Vipers wore their baby blue & yellow third jerseys this weekend, two jerseys I don't like
- It will be interesting to see what players are eligible to return and if they want to return
- Vernon went 3-7 with the power play
- Since ownership bought the team in 2018 I myself have yet to see a competitive Vipers team since going to the league finals in 2019. Year after year after year I have seen mediocre teams with poor coaching and poor recruiting. The Vipers haven't been the same since Duncan Wray passed away
- Tonight was the second and final game of a two game home stand
- Tonight's attendance was announced at 2,114
- The Snakes have lost four of their last five games and lost seven of their last ten games
- After playing so well in the opening period, Vernon didn't look good in the 2nd period, a period that cost them the game. The Vipers struggled offensively, couldn't make a pass, were turning over pucks, making mistakes, gave up five goals, struggled with the man advantage. The Snakes were down 3-2 and had a chance to either tie the game or take the lead but struggled on a five minute PP couldn't capitalize
- The Vipers will miss the playoffs for a seventh time in franchise history
1977-78
1980-81
1981-82
2000-01
2011-12
2012-13
2024-25
- The Snakes scored three times on the PP but also struggled with the man advantage. Poor passing, three players below the red line, nobody in front of the net and on the five minute PP in the 2nd period managed just three shots
- Vernon has been outscored 23-8 in the last three games
- Other then the 2nd period, tonight's game was much more entertaining/exciting compared to last night's 8-0 loss to Trail
- It looked like the game was over after the Bucks scored early into the 3rd to take a 6-2 lead before the wheels almost fell off. The Vipers pushed hard and played hard to get within a goal in a wild/exciting 3rd period ended up falling short. Give the Snakes credit for not packing it in and playing hard until the end. The Vipers played with a lot of energy, were generating chances, come very close on several chances to tie the game before the Bucks added an empty netter
- Changes need to be made. This was the worst season I have seen in all of my years watching Junior hockey in Vernon. I don't care how many players come and gone, the team looked the same, played the same, didn't show any signs of improvement. A coaching change is needed
- I was very disappointed in Erik Pastro's play and undisciplined penalty in the 3rd. The seasons over, it's the last game of the season and your frustrated, I get it but your the captain and need to lead by example. To go off at the official when leaving the ice like that was disrespectful
- It's hard to believe the Vipers are still struggling making a pass at this time of the season and the amount of mistakes/turnovers. No wonder they finished where they did. Who's coaching this team?
- Forward Lucas Brassard made his Vipers debut tonight wearing jersey #27
- I had to ask myself, games like tonight and the game March 16th vs Spruce Grove (Vipers 4-3 overtime comeback win) Where was that effort and play the entire game? Or even the entire season? What's with the big push, strong play in the final period this late in the season? Why weren't you guys doing this every game?
- The Snakes only win over the Bucks was a 5-2 victory October 19th in Cranbrook
- This was by far the worst Vipers season I have ever seen. From the amount of player turnover to the amount of trades, players leaving the team, players being added to the team, to the team itself, to the teams poor performance, to it's poor record and so, this season was a complete disaster from the start to the finish
- The Vipers better put together a much better and more competitive team for next season. The past five seasons have been hard to watch. The team hasn't been anywhere near good enough to not only finish within the top three but compete for a division title or league championship
- With the loss, Vernon ends the 2024-25 regular season with a 15-33-6-0 record finishing 10th in the Interior Conference and 19th overall in league standings
- On a final note, I would like to thank all the fans who visit my blog. Thank you for the support. I do this as a hobby and in my own personal time. I have been going to games and watching Junior hockey in Vernon my entire life, I have been a dedicated season ticket holder since 1990. Through out the season, these are my thought's, views and opinion on the Vipers. Some fans agree, some don't. Everyone has their own opinion. Thanks again for visiting my blog.
Cranbrook Bucks Top Performers:
Malachi Freh Played a very solid game on Cranbrook's backend. I like this kid, seems like he plays well vs the Vipers
Shane Baker (1 goal & 1 assist) Played well, looked good
Patrick Murphy (2 goals & 1 assist) Played well, generated some offence, looked good in the Bucks victory
Rasmus Svartstrom (3 goals) Leads the team in scoring, gave the Vipers trouble this evening. Was hard to contain/defend, played well
Kolton Bourret (29 saves) Kept the Bucks in the game in the opening frame. The Snakes opened the scoring but if it wasn't for Bourret, the hometown Vipers could have easily been up by a couple or more goals after the 1st period. Bourret didn't get any help from his team in the 3rd but managed to make some big stops to hold down the fort
Game Thought's: Cranbrook Bucks
- The Bucks will open the BCHL Playoffs vs the Trail Smoke Eaters
- Tonight was the second and final game of a two game road trip
- Assistant Coach Roman Vopat was drafted by the St. Louis Blues in 1994 played four seasons in the NHL with Los Angeles, St. Louis, Chicago & Philadelphia
- This was a mean nothing game for both teams but with the Bucks heading into the playoffs next weekend, I'm sure playing it cautious was the memo coming away with not only a win but no injuries
- A good turnout of Bucks fans tonight
- Cranbrook was lucky to only be down a goal after one period. A period where the Vipers were the better team. The Bucks gave up way too many opportunities/odd man rushes. The Bucks did get a couple of good looks/chances but relied on their goaltender to keep them in the game
- Cranbrook went 1-3 with the man advantage
- The Bucks are 16-9-2-0 on the road this season
- Starting goaltender Kolton Bourret stopped Ryan Watt on a 1st period penalty shot
- The Bucks are 2-0 in Vernon this season
- Cranbrook stepped up their play and played very well in the 2nd period, a period where they controlled most of the play and were the better team. The Bucks had lots of opportunities, scored on their chances, scored five times to take a 5-2 lead into the 3rd
- Cranbrook has some size but got into penalty trouble
- The Bucks have lost three of their last five games and lost six of their last ten games
- The Bucks gave up three PP goals tonight, but I thought their PK was pretty good, especially on the five minute major
- The Bucks looked to put the game away adding a sixth goal early in the 3rd before the wheels fell off and Cranbrook almost blew a 6-2 3rd period lead. The Bucks were back on their heels, saw a lot of the period in their own end, struggled defensively, didn't give their goaltender much help with some poor defensive coverage in front but the Bucks escape after adding an empty netter to come away with the 8-5 win
- With the victory, Cranbrook finishes the 2024-25 regular season with a 30-22-2-0 record 6th in the Interior Conference and 10th overall in league standings
Scratches:
Vernon Vipers:
Price Grimes
Luc Bydal
Charlie Kresl
Malcolm Baar
Brock Heidecker
Cranbrook Bucks:
Jordan Murray
Kaslo Ferner
Leyton Stewart
Miles Roberts
Energy Player of the Game:
Lucas Brassard
Three Star's:
1st Star: Rasmus Svartstrom (3 goals)
2nd Star: Tyson Zimmer (1 goal & 3 assists)
3rd Star: Patrick Murphy (2 goals & 1 assist)
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.
8 comments:
Another season has come and gone. One final thank you to everyone for visiting my blog. I started this blog in 2008 and had no idea it would get to be this big. I average between 800-4000 viewers a day and am very close to 4 million viewers. I do this blog as a hobby and spend hours upon hours of my own personal time to make this blog happen. Through out the season, I give my thought's, views and opinion on the team, some fans may agree, others may not and that's totally fine. I have come to realize everyone has an opinion and sees the game/team differently. With the season all but over, I will continue to post everything and anything Vipers over the summer. Thanks again for all the support. Go Vipers Go!
Pastro is a top 6 forward on this team, he proved it last year when given the opportunity by mckee, a coach who actually understands and played the game at a high level. This game he was moved to the 4th line as a winger I place of an ap, elbowed in the face, no call, high sticked in the head, no call, bitten by Belanger while sticking up for a smaller player. I will cut him some slack for letting his frustration get the best of him. As was stated, seasons over, mean nothing game. Better have a coaching change this summer...
Not to disparage any of the award winners last night, but I believe kykonnen is the mvp. Only reason we won games most nights, and hung out to dry in losses, with no team defense in front of him but still held his own and kept competing.
So, wondering why no coaching change this year?
1. Season was over very early at the start?
2. Crowds at Kal Tire was reported as over 2000 average?
3. Was cheaper than hiring a better one for more $
Might be more but, you would think that if you really want a contender in this league a major change would have happened long ago by the Owners. So, why did the Owners not make that change, do they not care?, can't see that when they put the $ into the team, must be a reason though!
Curious, why no recap of the annual awards ceremony after the game?
Give lomicky an award for the punishing tactics of the glens of do as I say or find the front door as still hanging around. Give pastro an award for the only man still left standing
I left as soon as the game ended. A bunch of us season ticket holders were talking between periods and all laughed when we heard they were having an awards night. How can you hand out awards when half or more of the players have only been here for a month or two. I would have posted the awards on here but like always the Vipers website wasn't updated. Like always the Vipers either are days late or say nothing at all. I noticed they finally posted the awards today.
Classy. Sure you’re a ‘diehard’ fan? Sounds like You’re more like an ‘I’ll support the team only when they win “ fan.
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