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 & Spruce Grove Saints as the Vipers defeated the Saints 4-2 in front of 1,816 fans at Kal Tire Place.
Starting Goaltenders:
Vernon Vipers: Jari Kykkanen
Spruce Grove Saints: Bodee Weiss
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2nd Period: I thought the hometown Vipers were the better team and had the better of the play. The Snakes looked hungry, played with a lot of jump/energy, were skating, moving the puck but also turning over the puck a lot. Kyren Gronick tied the game on the power play. I thought Vernon played with pace, had a much stronger period. The Saints struggled offensively, only had six shots on goal, couldn't seem to generate much offence this period. Spruce Grove saw a lot of time in their own end. It was 2-2 after 40 minutes of play. Shots were 8-6 Vipers.
3rd Period: The Spruce Grove Saints were the better team, had more puck possession, more zone time, had loads of pressure in the offensive zone, were pressing hard. But it was the Snakes who would kill off an early power play, before capitalizing on a hard working shift down low to take the lead. The Saints had a ton of pressure, had some quality chances, couldn't solve Vipers starting netminder Jari Kykkanen. Vernon played well defensively, was still turning over the puck, didn't get a lot of time in the offensive zone before adding an empty netter to earn the victory. Vipers with just back to back wins for only the second time this season. Shots were 16-7 Spruce Grove.
Vernon Vipers Top Performers:
Luc Bydal (1 goal) I thought played very well in the win tonight. A big body that was hard to defend, had the the puck on his stick a lot this evening, created some open ice and made some plays
Tyson Zimmer (1 goal) Opened the scoring on the PP also played well for Vernon, other then turning over the puck a couple of times. Zimmer has been a nice addition to the Vipers lineup. A veteran 20 yr old Western Hockey Leaguer, has played well and added some veteran presence to the lineup
Talan Blanck (2 assists) Played very well this weekend in both Vipers victories. After trading leading scorer Will Schumacher at the deadline, Blanck is one of these kids that needs to step up offensively and he has and has played well since signing with the Snakes
Kyren Gronick (2 goals) Put the game away with an empty netter, also played well and played well this weekend. Gronick is another recent addition that has played well since coming to Vernon. This kid comes to play and works hard every game
Eric Johnston (1 assist) Played well on the blueline. A veteran 20 yr old looks calm, doesn't make many if any mistakes, has also looked good on the Viper blueline since signing at the trade deadline
Jari Kykkanen (28 saves) The former Kelowna Rockets goaltender has kept the Snakes in a lot of games this season and was forced too again tonight in the 3rd period with the Saints pressing. Kykkanen played very well, made some big saves in the 3rd
Game Thought's: Vernon Vipers
- The Vipers next game is Friday in Blackfalds
- Vernon has lost three of their last five games and lost seven of their last ten games
- This was a much better game and more entertaining game compared to Friday's win over Alberni Valley
- Tonight was the second and final game of a two game home stand
- I thought both teams were fairly even in the 1st period with the Saints having a bit of an edge in play from time to time. The Vipers opened the scoring for the second straight game, still have trouble turning over the puck, something they did through out the hockey game. Both teams didn't get a whole lot of opportunities with each team not getting many shots on goal
- The Vipers are 1-1-0-0 vs the Saints this season
- I thought the Vipers had a pretty good roster on opening night but I think the current Vipers roster has been the best lineup we have seen this season. I for one think the Snakes have a lot more skill/offensive players now then a few months ago. Due to the fact the Vipers roster was constantly changing from week to week, this current roster seems to be slowly coming together and starting to gel. It's too bad the Vipers are running out of games and this team wasn't together back in December, maybe the standings wouldn't look the same as they do now
- The Vipers are 8-9-5-0 at Kal Tire Place this season
- Tonight's attendance was announced at 1,816
- Vernon went 2-4 with the power play
- The Vipers have won back to back games for only the second time this season
- The Vipers & Saints will meet twice more this season
- Vernon with a strong 2nd period was the better team in the middle frame. I liked the Snakes effort/game in that 2nd period. The Vipers played with pace, were really skating, moving the puck, had some puck possession, zone time and played with a lot of jump/energy. I also thought they defended well, didn't give up a whole lot but still coughed up the puck way too many times
- The Snakes have eight games remaining in the 2024-25 regular season
- The Vipers have six wins in their last twenty four games
- Vernon is still turning over pucks way too often and did turn over or cough up the puck a lot tonight
- This was a very entertaining hockey game
- The Vipers are eight points back of the Okotoks Oilers for the final playoff spot
- I thought Vernon's defence looked much better and played much better tonight
- With the win, Vernon improves to 14-26-6-0 sits 10th in the Interior Conference and 19th overall in league standings
Spruce Grove Saints Top Performers:
Matheson Mason (1 assist) Was one of the more skilled forwards who played well in the loss. Mason was involved in the play a lot, was hard to defend/contain
Brandon Funk I thought played hard, played with a bit of an edge, was in the face of the Vipers often and wasn't afraid to be physical
Gabriel Kenny has some size, was physical, in the face of the Vipers and played well on the Saints backend
Carson Lloyd (1 goal) Was another d-man that played well and played well vs his former team. Lloyd started the 2024-25 season with the Vipers before being traded to Spruce Grove
Stephen Kirkpatrick Played well well, has some wheels and another skilled forward who was hard to defend/contain
Bodee Weiss (17 saves) Wasn't tested nearly as often as Jari Kykkanen but played well. Both goaltenders played well
Game Thought's: Spruce Grove Saints
- The Saints last game played in Vernon was during the 2010 & 2011 Doyle Cup
- Tonight's the second and final game of a two game road trip
- The Saints went 0-3 with the man advantage
- I spotted a couple of Saints fans in attendance
- Spruce Grove fell behind 1-0 in a fairly even played 1st period. Neither team had a lot of shots or scoring chances but the Saints did score two quick goals to take their first lead of the night, did have an edge in play from time to time
- The Saints & Vipers meet again March 16th in Vernon
- Spruce Grove is quick, can move the puck, have some good skaters
- Defenceman Carson Lloyd started the 2024-25 season with the Vipers, was traded to Spruce Grove October 1st 2024
- I really like the Saints jerseys
- The Saints next game is Friday vs the visiting Okotoks Oilers
- Spruce Grove has lost three of their last five games and lost seven of their last ten games
- The Saints have a very lively bench with a lot of chatter going on as well as the players slapping their sticks against the boards
- Forward Max Seguin committed to the Vipers for the 2022-23 season. Seguin was released before the start of the 2022-23 regular season
- The Saints are 9-13-1-0 on the road this season
- Spruce Grove is five points ahead of 10th place Vernon and three points back of 8th place Okotoks
- The Saints struggled offensively in the 2nd period, gave up the game tying goal on the PP couldn't get much going, only recorded six shots on goal. The Vipers had the better of the play and were the better team in the middle frame
- This was a tight checking game at times with both teams playing hard
- Spruce Grove has nine games remaining in the regular season
- A good push by Spruce Grove in the 3rd as the Saints were the better team. The Saints had lots of pressure in the offensive zone, couldn't solve Vipers goaltender Jari Kykkanen who was solid between the pipes. The Saints didn't get a few calls go their way, looked to hit the post or crossbar two or three times in the final frame
- With the loss, Spruce Grove falls to 17-23-5-0 sit 9th in the Interior Conference and 18th overall in league standings
Scratches:
Vernon Vipers:
Edvin Nilsson
Price Grimes
Malcom Baar
Spruce Grove Saints:
Luke McCrady
James Richards
Adam Perron
Joseph Quintillio
Energy Player of the Game:
Charlie Kresl (1 assist)
Three Star's:
1st Star: Kyren Gronick (2 goals)
2nd Star: Luc Bydal (1 goal)
3rd Star: Jari Kykkanen (28 saves)
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.
38 comments:
team starting to gel a little, good performance, hey two in a row. keep going. go,vipers,go.
Hockey fans from other than Okanagan teams say it's nice to hear some positive comments rather than from only all the constant complainers.
An entertaining game to watch. The Vipers may be finally starting to play together now, albeit about 20 - 30 games too late. They did turn the puck over a lot tonight though, not a trait of a good team.
I was very impressed with D-man Johnson and, as always, Kykkanen. Also thankful we have Blanck and Gronick who have carried the scoring since landing here. I have not seem Pastro be a factor in a game for a while now.
It was frustrating watching the face offs. The linesmen took a ridiculous amount of time to drop the puck and tossed far too many players out of the circle. Just drop the puck and get out of the way. The officials are not the show here!
Last nights game was better played than Friday’s
Please don’t get me started on Pastro as a captain . Vernon needs to stop with this make a Vernon kid captain . Make it the right choice . Internal problems because of this decision.
Having said that Max Seguin captain of Saints ? So is recruiting actually doing a good job finding players and the coaching is the problem because I see a lot of the viper recruited players doing well on other teams . Don’t tells me it’s not recruiting but coaching /ownership interference.
I heard a rumor last night the BCHL will make all teams carry ten Canadian players next season and allowing teams to have up to twelve twenty year olds & having up to ten American/Europeanq players?
so, season tickets sales started….
Early, Early Bird price, $329 or $12.65 per home game
Early Bird price, $369 or $13.04 per home game
Regular price, $399 or $15.35 per home game
What is the walk up price,$16, $17, $18 ????
It used to be about 50% of the walk up price, back in the mid 80s
$18 at the rink but only $13 at Safeway
Every thing was less expensive in the 80’s.
So, what is the advantage of buying season tickets???
You get the same seats all season long
What’s wrong with Pastro as captain?
I wonder if you can get tickets from safeway for future games or is it just the same day. If you don't care where you sit that's a great deal.
With the Safeway tickets it dosent make sense to get season tickets if all it means is you get the same seats for buying them or am I missing something?
Pastro is a good 2 way player. He has been pushed down the lineup by this coach and plays with 3rd line wingers. Under mckee he flourished, got pp time and played with other players that could make plays. Very rarely gets scored on, even while on pk and makes a lot of plays that don't get finished. Should have been traded so he could flourish elsewhere like so many other players this season.
What internal problems have been caused by a local product being captain? Have some inside information do you?
Please elaborate on internal problems, you should back that up with some facts if you have some...
If you purchase season tickets, the seat you choose is reserved for the regular season/playoffs. You also get 15% off all souvenirs.
I have had season tickets for 35 years and pay $329 lets someone moves here from Vancouver and gets season tickets, they also pays $329. Shouldn't I be getting a discount? Or something for having season tickets for so long?
I think your dedicated/long time fans/season ticket holders should be recognised and be given some kind of discount or gift etc. Someone with season tickets for ten plus years should get something. Someone with season tickets for 15 years gets this? Someone with season tickets for 20 years gets this? and so on.
Just my opinion
Pastro is a great kid. Not sure why the hate.
Stop with making vernon kids captains?? Hmm
Just curious where you get your information..internal? Please tell.
Yes those two score but they mostly score on pp..and are often scored on 5 on 5. Kind of even things out?
Former players did not feel he was the right choice for captain. The points are low and not a captain like player who stands up for a teammate, 10 pen mins. A lot of games he is not even noticeable out there. Sorry if that pulls at your feelings but it’s fact.
Your, dreaming DieHard, I have had season tickets since the 1986 season and am lucky if I get so much as a thank you!
Apparently he asked but John Glenn refused to move him.
Not true
Thank you Paul for being a long time season ticket holder of the Vernon Vipers. I think everyone is very much appreciated.
Are you a billet or parent of a player? Who else would have these "facts"?
Sounds like "character" teammates. Maybe that's why they are former players.
Pastros points are low? Is this team an offensive juggernaut? They score on the pp almost exclusively...put pastro on pp1 and the points go up. As far as a captain having to goon it up I present Connor McDavid, Quinn Hughes, Sidney Crosby as examples...who cares what some former players apparently think...none of them have leadership qualities if they make derogatory comments about their captain. No wonder this team doesn't play like a team.
I've played a lot of hockey in my life on many teams, captains are not always unanimously loved by their teammates so who cares if some complained.. grow up, get over it and be a good teammate and play to help the team win.
If the season went sideways because a few players didn't like the choice for captain, I guess we better do a better job recruiting boys that have some mental toughness.
I now feel lucky!
Question for VDHF. With 31 posts on this topic and only 7 have actual names can we assume ANONYMOUS is a different person on each post or the same person just keeping us entertained?
I don't know who anonymous is and or if it's the same person or someone different every time. That's why I have really thought long and hard about not allowing comments from someone anonymous and asking fans to leave comments with some kind of name. Either their name, a nickname, or something creative etc Just have something different then anonymous so fans know who's who and can reply to certain people. I also would like fans to leave comments with names/nicknames etc this way I can see what fans are leaving comments and how often the same fans are leaving comments.
What do you think?
A pretty small ask by the creator of this fine BLOG. Simple, if you don’t want to use your real name just use a nick name, then people can comment, agree or disagree on your post. Please, let’s all show some respect here.
I dont see what difference that would make, an anonymous poster could just create a bunch of different names for each post. I say, leave as is!
I only post anonymous because it's easier, no login or re adding nickname etc. I would prefer a simple login that wouldn't require personal info to be shared
Your personal information will not be shared with anyone. I have yet to see anyone's personal information when leaving a comment. I would like all fans to choose a name/or nickname instead of using Anonymous. When five or more people reply with questions or answers with the username "Anonymous" it's difficult to respond knowing who's who. Is it the same person or five different people? If you don't want to use your real name, pick a different name, a nickname, your initials or something like Vipers fan or Vipers season ticket holder etc
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