Dr. Duncan Wray
Owner and Governor
Vernon Vipers Hockey Club
Dr. Wray,
It is my pleasure to congratulate you and the Vernon Vipers Hockey Club on another tremendous season. Once again, the Vipers have proven to be an outstanding representative of the British Columbia Hockey League by winning the 2010 RBC Cup in addition to previous Fred Page and Doyle Cup victories. It is a tribute to your leadership as the team’s Owner and Governor that the Vipers have solidified their standing as the best run Junior ‘A’ hockey franchise in Canada.
I would also like to extend a well-deserved congratulation to Head Coach Mark Ferner, Assistant Coach Jason Williamson and the team’s coaching and scouting staffs for their work in building a back-to-back National Champion. It takes incredible ability, strength of will and a relentless desire for excellence to walk the path that the Vipers have in the past nine months. It is a credit to Mark and Jason that these qualities have been instilled so successfully in a remarkable group of young athletes.
I have no doubt that all of your graduating players will carry for the rest of their lives the experience of winning a championship together in Vernon. I wish each of them only the best in their future endeavors and congratulate those who have earned a university or college scholarship. I’m certain that their days as Vipers have helped prepare them for the success in hockey and in life that is sure to follow.
We both know that a successful organization is built in large part by those who receive the least amount of credit. I would like to thank your staff and volunteers for their tireless work throughout the season and playoffs. Having spent a great deal of time in the Wesbild Centre recently, I can speak firsthand to their dedication, professionalism, and love for their team. They have done the BCHL proud.
Finally, I would like to congratulate the Vipers’ fans for their extraordinary support of an extraordinary team. It is always gratifying to see a tremendous group of fans rewarded for their loyalty and passion, and nowhere have fans been rewarded more often than in Vernon.
Yours truly,
John Grisdale
BCHL Commissioner
Letter From The BCHL Commissioner
Fans, city honour national champs
Roger Knox - Vernon Morning Star
Dropping the Vernon Vipers off at the Kelowna Airport prior to their departure for the Royal Bank Cup in Manitoba, team bus driver Mike Rogers made the team a vow.
Win a sixth national junior A hockey championship, and he would replace the number five on the side of the bus, fronting the message, “5 time National Champions,” with the number six.
Both promises were kept.
“They did and I did,” smiled Rogers Tuesday at Spirit Square at City Hall, after delivering the Vipers for a lunch-hour barbecue. On the side of the team bus, the number five was X-ed out, replaced with a six.
Close to 400 fans, friends, parents and well-wishers were on hand to greet the six-time Canadian champions at the barbecue hosted by the City of Vernon, who treated participants to free burgers, hot dogs and drinks.
Among the first to show up for the event were Pearl and Eric Pharo, both 81, season ticket holders since 2001. The pair watched Sunday’s championship game, won by the Vipers 8-1 over the host Dauphin Kings, twice on TSN2.
“The first time we tried to watch it was 1-0 Vernon, then they made us furious by going to a three-minute ad, and when the game was back on, all of a sudden it was 4-0 Vernon,” said Pearl. “We taped the game later and watched it again. We knew with Connor (Jones) coming back that Vernon was going to win. They have such great speed and skill on the ice. They skated rings around them (Kings).”
Speaking of Connor, Miranda Blatny, a Grade 6 student at Kidston Elementary, attended the barbecue with her mom, Cindy, decked out in her Connor Jones sweater.
“When we first moved to Vernon and watched the Vipers, Connor was wearing 10 and that’s my lucky number,” said the soft-spoken Blatny, who had her picture taken with her favourite Viper.
Mayor Wayne Lippert, decked out in his Vipers’ home white jersey, called the team true ambassadors of the city, and the North Okanagan region.
“You guys are six-time Canadian champions, and the only city to have won back-to-back Canadian championships twice,” said Lippert of Vernon’s accomplishments in 1990-91, and 2009-10.
Team owner Dr. Duncan Wray, celebrating his fourth Royal Bank Cup title, thanked the fans for coming out, and vowed to go after a seventh Canadian championship.
“We will have some challenges ahead of us, but we’re going to go for a three-peat,” said Wray, which drew a huge cheer.
Following the speeches, the players mingled with fans, signing autographs and posing for pictures.
Coldstream resident Myrna Hastie, a snowbird who catches the Vipers whenever she’s in Vernon, shared a few moments with defenceman Adam Thompson.
“I congratulated him on his defensive game, and that he should be proud of what they’ve done,” said Hastie. “They’re such beautiful young men. All of Vernon should be proud of them.”
For captain Kevin Kraus, this week will wrap up his three-year career with the Vipers. The California product will fondly remember his time in Vernon.
“The fans here are great, and they have been ever since I got here,” said Kraus. “My first year, we lost to Penticton in the second round, and that really hurt, but the fans stuck with us and they’ve been great at every game.”
Vernon native Rob Short said Tuesday’s turnout was just amazing.
“When you start playing junior hockey, you don’t know if you’ll ever have the chance to play for a national championship, let alone win two in a row,” said Short, one of four Vernon products on the team. “There was so much pressure on us this year as defending champions, and to win it again is so worth it for all of the guys on the team.”
Kim Robinson, mother of Vipers forward David, and daughter of legendary Vernon junior hockey figure, the late Vern Dye, was happy for her son as she took in the festivities.
“I’m very excited for him and I’m a very proud mom,” smiled Robinson, who followed the team in Manitoba on the radio and Internet. “I thought the Vipers were a much-better team than Dauphin and they showed it on Sunday.”
Vernon back to back Canadian champs
Watch CHBC News - RBC Highlight (click here)
CHBC News, Kelowna
An Okanagan junior hockey team are the best in the nation for the second year in a row.
The BCHL Vernon Vipers stole the show Sunday in Dauphin, Manitoba, winning the RBC Cup 8-1 over the hometown team.
While the Vipers scored only one goal in the first, they peppered Kings netminder Joe Caligiuri with 16 shots in the opening 20 minutes.
Vernon went on to make significant gains in the second period.
Dylan Walchuk, Kellen Jones and Cole Ikkala scored goals in a span of 48 seconds early in the second period, turning a 1-0 lead into a 4-0 advantage.
The Kings attempted to respond with their first goal in the second period on a power play, as Bryce Lamb ended Graeme Gordon’s bid for his second consecutive shutout.
But it was far from enough to stop Vernon, who would add three more points in the third to handily win the RBC Cup.
The defending championship Vernon Vipers took back to back national wins when they were the Vernon Lakers in 1990-91 as well.
The champions are set to arrive home at Vernon’s Wesbild Centre around 6pm on Monday.
A community celebration is set for City Hall on Tuesday @ 12 noon.
© Copyright (c) CW Media Inc.
Vernon wins second straight RBC Cup
DAUPHIN, Man. — The Vernon Vipers blitzed the host Dauphin Kings for three goals in a 48-second span in the second period Sunday and went on to defend their RBC Cup title with an 8-1 victory in the final.
Dylan Walchuk, Kellen Jones and Cole Ikkala scored the flurry of quick goals, which gave the Vipers a 4-0 lead in front of a sold-out Credit Union Centre. The Pacific region representatives have now won a record six Canadian junior A hockey championships.
“It’s a great feeling,” Jones, the Vipers’ player of the game, told TSN after the game. “The team came out and played great today. I can’t say enough about the guys. This is a great feeling right now.”
Vernon also won back-to-back titles in 1990-91. Prince Albert is the only other team in RBC Cup history to win consecutive titles, accomplishing the feat in 1981-82.
The Vipers recruited players throughout the United States and it paid off Sunday with three Americans — Ikkala, Cory Kane and Garrett Noonan — lighting the lamp in the final.
Jones, from Montrose, B.C., said playing for the storied Vipers franchise means dealing with increased expectations, but credited coach Mark Ferner with preparing the team for the challenge of trying to defend the title.
“Our coach kind of really beat the memo into us to go out there and work hard every night,” Jones said. “That’s what we tried to do every night and that’s why we were so successful.”
Kane opened the scoring for Vernon in the first period, firing a shot past Dauphin netminder Joe Caligiuri from the top of the circle while skating down the right wing.
Walchuk extended the lead in the second, faking a pass on a two-on-one, then shooting it past Caligiuri. Jones scored 39 seconds later, blasting a shot from the high slot and then crashing the net to fire the rebound past Caligiuri. Nine seconds after that, Ikkala fooled Caligiuri with a shot off the rush.
Bryce Lamb, the Kings’ player of the game, put Dauphin on the board midway through the second, taking a centring pass from Ryan Dreger off his skate, kicking it to his stick and firing it past Vernon goaltender Graeme Gordon.
Patrick McGillis restored the four-goal advantage before the second period was out. Sahir Gill, Jones and
Noonan completed the scoring for Vernon in the third period.
Gordon finished with 23 saves, while Caligiuri blocked 28 shots.
The Kings went through the round robin undefeated — including an overtime win over the Vipers — but were unable to use home ice to their advantage in the final. They entered the game with a record of 43-2-1 at Credit Union Centre in 2009-10, including regular season, playoffs and RBC Cup.
The last Manitoba Junior Hockey League team to win the national title was the Selkirk Steelers in 1974.
The 2011 RBC Cup will be held in Camrose, Alta.
© Copyright (c) Canwest News Service
Vipers repeat as RBC champs
DAUPHIN, MAN. – Good, better, best. That was the natural progression of the Vernon Vipers' play at the Royal Bank Cup this week in Manitoba, culminating in an 8-1 drubbing of the host Dauphin Kings in the championship game Sunday afternoon at Credit Union Place.
The Vipers are the first team to repeat as national junior A hockey champions since the Vernon Lakers accomplished the feat in 1990 and '91.
"They should be proud of themselves, and the fans of Vernon should be very proud of these kids because it wasn't easy. They've had a target on their back all year and they just kept getting better and better as the year went on," said Vipers' head coach Mark Ferner, piloting his club to its second title in just three years behind the bench.
With the Kings having to grind out a win over the physical La Ronge Ice Wolves in the late semifinal Saturday night (Vernon stopped the Brockville Braves 2-0 in the afternoon semi), Ferner suspected there might be an opportunity to take advantage of a tired opponent.
"That's why we wanted to push the pace real early and just make sure we get a good jump in this hockey game. And our guys responded," he said.
The Vipers took advantage of a lethargic-looking Kings squad from the outset, controlling the play and keeping the Dauphin defenders on their heels with a blinding forecheck. Cory Kane, using a defenceman as a screen, pegged Vernon to a 1-0 lead with a quick blast from the the high slot at 14:28 of the first period.
Rookie Dylan Walchuck's winner at 6:28 of the second period marked the start of a three-goal spree over a 48-second span that the Kings never recovered from. A pair of carbon-copy goals just nine seconds apart by Vernon Game MVP Kellen Jones and Cole Ikkala had the Kings reeling, and the home crowd stunned.
Said Kings' captain Steven Shamanski: "They're a skilled team and they really put the pressure on us. They buried a couple quick ones on us and we just got behind the eight-ball and it was tough to come back against a skilled team like that."
Bryce Lamb pocketed the Kings' lone goal midway through the second period, but the Vipers fired four unanswered goals to seal the win before 2,260 fans.
Patrick McGillis, Sahir Gill, Jones and Garrett Noonan, with a rocket from the face-off circle, completed the Vernon assault.
Netminder Graeme Gordon recorded 23 saves for the win, his best when he slid cross-crease to deny sniper Shane Luke on an odd-man rush early in the second period.
"I can't wait to celebrate with the boys, it's been an unreal two seasons," said Gordon. "I gotta thank Ferns for bringing me here and I gotta thank Duncan (Wray, Vipers' owner) and the staff. Repeat champions, that's the best way to close it out, I don't know what more to say."
Joe Caligiuri faced 36 shots, but didn't get a lot of help as his team got caught pinching, turned over the puck a lot in the neutral zone and allowed countless odd-man rushes.
The Snakes fell 6-5 in overtime to the ANAVET Cup champion Kings to open the tournament more than a week ago, but their play and their confidence steadily progressed throughout the week.
"We got better as the tournament went on," said Ferner. "We didn't start the way we wanted to, but that's fine. We got ourselves in the semifinal game, and that last game against Brockville (Braves) in the round-robin we were good and we just built on that."
The loss was Dauphin's first in 21 home playoff games, and Vipers' captain Kevin Kraus was happy to be the one to deliver it.
"We came to this tournament and all we heard was Dauphin wanted a team that would challenge them, and we did that in both games," said the bearded veteran.
"We had some rough games in the beginning of the tournament, losing some leads, but we weren't going to let that happen with the championship on the line."
Dauphin head coach Marlin Murray accepted responsibility for choosing the late semifinal slot (round-robin winner gets to choose), as it may have been a factor in his team's inability to keep up with the speedy Vipers.
"If you need to point fingers, point fingers at me for making that decision. I will take full responsibility for it," said Murray.
Gracious in defeat, he added Vernon deserves full credit for the win.
"You gotta give the Vernon Vipers a ton of credit. They've got a helluva team, coached very well.
"It ended up a bit of wash, but earlier on we had chances to score… two real good opportunities by Shamanski and Shane Luke that we just didn't bury the puck."
Once the initial sting is gone, Murray says his club will have a lot to be proud of.
"Overall a real successful season. I'm really proud of the guys, it's been one of my best seasons to be part of a hockey club, playing or coaching."
Vernon Vipers defeat Dauphin Kings 8-1 to capture RBC Cup championship
Canadian Press - http://www.nhl.com/
DAUPHIN, Man. - The Vernon Vipers won their second consecutive RBC Cup in style.
Dylan Walchuk, Kellen Jones and Cole Ikkala scored goals in a 48-second span early in the second period as the Vipers hammered the host Dauphin Kings 8-1 in Sunday's RBC Cup final.
It's the second time Vernon has won back-to-back Canadian junior A hockey championships. The Vernon Lakers won in 1990 and 1991. No other team has performed the feat.
Vernon's sixth junior A title puts it two ahead of the Prince Albert Raiders, the only other team to win four.
Dauphin came into the game unbeaten in the tournament, including a 6-5 overtime win over the Vipers on the opening day of the tournament.
But the momentum seemed to be with Vernon, which peppered Kings netminder Joe Caligiuri with 16 shots in the opening 20 minutes. Cory Kane was the only one to score, with a snap shot past the glove of Caligiuri at 14:28.
The tournament hosts tried to tie the game early in the second period, but both Steven Shamanski and Shane Luke had point-blank shots turned away by Vernon goaltender Graeme Gordon.
Vernon then blew the game open with three quick goals. Walchuk got it started at 6:28 of the second period, beating Caligiuri off the left wing on a two-on-one.
Jones made it 3-0 at 7:07, batting a puck out of mid-air, and Ikkala pushed the lead to four at 7:16, scoring on another two-on-one, this time off the right wing.
Bryce Lamb ended Gordon's bid for his second consecutive shutout with a power-play goal midway through
the middle frame, but Patrick McGillis tapped home a Walchuk rebound to restore Vernon's four-goal lead.
With the result all but decided, the Vipers added three more in the third period. Sahir Gill made it 6-1 before Jones and Garrett Noonan rounded out the scoring with power-play goals.
The Vipers will try to become the first team ever to win three consecutive junior A championships at the 2011 RBC Cup, which will be held next May in Camrose, Alta.
Q&A With Captain Kraus
What's it like being at the RBC for the second straight year?
Its pretty surreal. At the beginning of the season if you told me we would be at the RBC again I probably would of been pretty surprised. But we worked our bags off and got to where we are at now.
How would you compare the teams at the RBC this year to last?
I think the teams this year are a lot bigger and tougher teams then they were last year. It's a pretty even tournament if you ask me.
How would you compare the Vipers team this year to lasts?
Well its pretty hard to compare when we lost so many key guys from last season. But we have another great team this year and were fast and pretty shifty. I feel lucky to be captain of such a great team and a great group of guys.
What have you guys done during your off time?
Oh boy really not a whole lot. Its been either raining or snowing so when we get time off we've just been staying in the hotel and hanging out watching the NHL playoffs or eating at good ol' Boston Pizza!!
Are the Vipers fans noticeable while you're playing?
Of course! Vipers fans are always noticeable. We have had great fan support ever since I have been apart of this organization, and its great to see and hear them here with us all the way in Dauphin!
You have a couple days off before playing in the semi-finals on Saturday, what's the general feeling from the team?
It's starting to feel really good, we're all pretty excited to be in the semi's and to find out who we're playing and get ready to win and get into the finals.
The last game your team was down 2-0 going into the 3rd, what do you say and how does the team get motivated to come back and score 4 unanswered goals?
Well basically we just tried to stay positive and get ready for the next 20 minutes where we had to come out and give it everything to get back in the game and eventually win. We have been down before and have battled some adversity and I think our team responded well and we came out with a victory.
Fans are predicting a Dauphin/Vernon final on Sunday and the Kings were the only team to beat you so far, if you see the Kings in the finals what will your team do differently to have a different outcome?
If that turns out to be the case I don't think we will have to really change much. We just have to play our game and play Viper hockey. We cant afford to stray away from our team defense systems, and we are going to have to take advantage of our scoring opportunities.
Any other comments or shout-outs?
I would just like to say thank you to all our fans and friends and family members who have supported us through out the year and just want to let them know that it doesn't go unnoticed! Go Vipers Go!!!!!
Snakes surge late to bounce Braves
By Graeme Corbett - Vernon Morning Star
DAUPHIN, MAN. – It was role reversal time for the Vernon Vipers Wednesday afternoon at Credit Union Place. After playing hot potato with third-period leads so far in the Royal Bank Cup, the Vipers went into the final frame of their last round-robin game against the Brockville Braves of Ontario down 2-0.
Whether it was the comfort of knowing they had already locked up a semifinals berth, or because they simply don't like to lose, the Vipers cranked up their offence to record four unanswered goals, earning a 4-2 win before 1,160 fans.
The win secures second place for Vernon in the round-robin. They will play in the Saturday afternoon semi (noon PT) against the winner of the Braves-La Ronge Ice Wolves game, which goes Thursday night. As round-robin winners, the host Dauphin Kings opted for the Saturday night semi (5 p.m. PT).
The Vipers' Sahir Gill jumpstarted the comeback, swatting home the rebound from Adam Thompson's point shot off the end boards. The all-rookie line of Pat McGillis, Trevor Fitzgerald and Dylan Walchuk equalized for Vernon less than two minutes later as McGillis tucked a wraparound five-hole on netminder Justin Gilbert. Fitzgerald, who hadn't played since the Vipers' final regular-season game on Feb. 21, won a puck battle in the corner to keep the play alive.
"My game-plan going into today wasn't anything to do with getting on the scoresheet. It was just every chance I got, dump the puck in deep and see if we could get a forecheck going. It was more to keep it out of our end," said the 17-year-old Vernon product.
McGillis, who has been playing in place of the injured Connor Jones (Jones is expected to play Saturday), has enjoyed the RBC thrill ride.
"I sat out all playoffs for the BCHL so it was definitely nice to come in here and play some games. I like playing in this rink, a new environment, not a lot of pressure. It's nice just being here with your teammates… who you're here for, what you're here for and you're focused on one thing, and that's to win a national championship."
With a semis berth locked up, Vipers' head coach Mark Ferner wanted to get his taxi squad in the game, dressing Darin Robak and Fitzgerald in place of veterans Bryce Kakoske and Dan Nycholat. Rookie netminder Blake Voth started in place of Graeme Gordon.
Ferner praised the rookies for adding fresh energy to the lineup.
"These kids have been here all year and they've worked just as hard as anybody else. We knew adding a few new guys was going to add some enthusiasm and it worked out for us. They were a big part of our success tonight," said Ferner.
"I thought it was our best effort regardless of what the score was. Finishing off the round-robin with our best effort of the tournament has to make our team feel good."
Ferner also noted the Vipers played 26 playoff games in 42 days leading up to the RBC, which might explain some of the uncharacteristic mental lapses they have experienced this week.
"Maybe we were thinking way too much," said Ferner. "I told the guys between periods 'Let's just go react and not think too much about it, and if you're going to be the first guy in let's just take time and space away, and let's just get after these guys.'"
Vernon had a great opportunity to take control early with a lengthy 5-on-3 in the opening minutes, but managed just a one shot on Gilbert, who posted a 40-save Game MVP performance.
Voth's first test in more than six weeks of watching from the bench happened to be a clear-cut breakaway, which Braves' captain Shayne Thompson ripped past the Herbert, Sask. product at 3:44 of the first period.
Other than earning an early lead, Thompson wasn't overly impressed with his club's performance.
"We didn't actually get off to that good of a start. We were lucky to score a goal, but after that we shut down for the first. In the second we were able to play our game, but we let go in the third."
Voth (25 saves) didn't get much help on Brockville's second goal, as he denied Sebastien Gingras on his doorstep, but couldn't recover in time to stop Shayne Stockton on the rebound.
As the game wore on in the third period, the Vipers appeared to regain confidence by the minute. David Robinson, taking a feed from Robbie Short, wheeled up the left wing and blew a shot past Gilbert from 40 feet out. Cole Ikkala sealed the win with an empty-netter.
Braves' head coach Todd Gill, a Brockville native with more than 1,000 games of NHL experience (mainly with the Toronto Maple Leafs), says Gilbert probably should have stopped the second and third goals, but credited his keeper for keeping them alive in the early going.
"We let them dictate the play and that's not the way to win hockey games," said Gill. "They forced us a lot more than any other team, and guys were kinda used to the teams being a little more static and sitting back. We're used to that in our own league and why that affected us so much tonight… we just held onto the puck too long.
"We had an opportunity to win a game in the third and we let it slip away, which isn't our style, which disappoints me more than the loss. It's how we lost that bugs me more than the loss itself."
Vipers survive late Blade charge
Graeme Corbett-Morning Star Staff
DAUPHIN, MAN. – While the Vernon Vipers are still searching for their A game, it appears a trio of subpar performances have been good enough to earn them a berth in the semifinals of the 40th Royal Bank Cup national junior A hockey championship.
Curtis Gedig fired a pair of goals, including the winner at 13:25 of the second period, as the Vipers survived a third-period collapse to outlast the Oakville Blades of Ontario 5-3 Tuesday afternoon before 925 fans at Credit Union Place.
The 0-3 Blades have a slim mathematical chance of staying in the competition, but the Vipers all but eliminated them from the five-team tournament.
Vernon will look to secure second place as they face the Brockville Braves of Ont. Wednesday (noon PT). Brockville ambushed Oakville 11-2 Sunday. The host Dauphin Kings (2-1) had a chance to lock up first place in the round-robin when the faced the La Ronge Ice Wolves in the Tuesday night game. The round-robin winner gets to choose which semifinal time slot they play in.
Perhaps realizing his team is in a somewhat fragile state, Vipers' head coach Mark Ferner chose not to reprimand his club for another third-period meltdown.
"I could see our guys squeezing their sticks a little bit. You'd like to think at this time of the season that that's not going to happen, but they're kids. I could have went in there (locker room) and gave them the ol' what for, but it's too late for that. I have to go the other way and let them know that we haven't been at our best, and that's fine."
Besides, as Ferner notes, there are worse situations to be in.
"We've also put ourselves in a situation where we're two wins away from a national championship."
Vernon – playing without injured leading scorer Connor Jones for the third straight game – took about half a period to really get going as back-to-back penalties in the first five minutes caused their lines to be out of sync. The Blades hemmed Vernon in their own zone with some solid perimeter work on the powerplay, but only managed to generate four shots in the period.
Once the Vipers settled in, they began working the puck down low and utilizing their pointmen to get shots on Oakville netminder Daniel Savelli (18 saves).
Gedig, a smooth-skating blueliner, opened the scoring (scoresheet credits Sahir Gill) with a point shot that deflected off a Blade defender at 14:32 of the first period. The winner was a little more unique as he banked a hard dump-in off the glass which completely fooled Savelli.
"I shot it in off the glass and the goalie lost it in the seats, I guess, and it just bounced between his legs," grinned Gedig, who is second in Viper scoring at the RBC with 2+2. "I love the icetime. It's awesome. I feel the more I play the more I'm in the game."
Dan Nycholat made it 2-0 less than two minutes after Gedig's opener, sneaking a point shot through traffic while on the powerplay. Gill (Game MVP) and Jonathan Milhouse earned assists.
Cole Ikkala, with his first of the tournament, put the Vipers in full control early in the second period, but as has been the case with Vernon in this tournament, they struggled to protect the lead. Less than a minute later, the Blades' Game MVP Josh Ranalli blew by a Viper d-man and ripped a shot on netminder Graeme Gordon, and Michael Ingoldsby pounced on the juicy rebound.
Ranalli was proud of the way his club pushed Vernon to the end, especially after they suffered that embarrassing loss to the Braves.
"We had an off day (against Brockville) and we knew that. We had nothing to lose so we just went out there and played our best and showed that we can play with the best of them," he said. "That fourth goal kind of took the wind out of our sails, but we got it back. We just worked our butts off.
Added Oakville head coach Jason Nobili: "We're going to hold our heads high after that performance because we pushed it right to the end, and outside of a few bounces and a few goals that could have gone the other way, we could have walked away with a win.
"We were a little bit apprehensive after that 11-2 game and you could probably see our game today was a bit of a feeling out (process). We certainly refocused in the third and showed a lot of character."
The Blades made a game of it in the final frame pulling within one on goals by Ryan Murphy and Mark McGowan. Gordon (23 saves) stopped a series of shots from in close before Murphy netted his goal. McGowan, cruising through the slot, chipped a one-timer past the Vernon tender on a slick pass from behind the net from Steven Guzzo.
With Savelli pulled for the extra attacker, the Vipers repelled a solid Oakville forecheck before clearing the puck. Kellen Jones rubbed out a Blade defender in a puck chase, and then spotted Milhouse for an easy empty-net tap-in.
The Vipers realize they're going to have to buckle down if they're going to defend their RBC title.
"First period was obviously great, and the start of the second, but with these games coming you have to play a full 60. That's the only way your'e going to win," said Gill. "We've been letting teams back in the game in the third period, and that's not how we play and that's not characteristic of our team.
"I think we started looking too far ahead. I think we just get lazy mentally a little bit and we try to do too much. Before you know it they get a couple goals and you're on your heels."
Robinson leads Viper rebound
DAUPHIN, MAN. – It wasn't pretty, but the Vernon Vipers found a way to post their first win at the Royal Bank Cup Junior A Hockey Championship Sunday night at Credit Union Place. A day after a disappointing overtime loss to the host Dauphin Kings in their opener, the Snakes got a gritty two-goal performance from veteran forward David Robinson to double the La Ronge Ice Wolves 4-2 before 1,300 fans.
With the two clubs deadlocked 1-1 after 20 minutes, Robinson netted goals three minutes apart in the second period, including the winner on a powerplay, to put Vernon in full control. The feisty Vernon forward also did his best to get under the Saskatchewan champions' skin. A three-year veteran with the WHL Chilliwack Bruins before joining his hometown Vipers in January, Robinson is at his best when he plays the antagonist. It is a role he relishes.
"That's just the way I play. They probably don't like me too much over there, but that's when I play my best is when I'm in all those scrums and going to the net hard and getting in guys' faces," grinned the tenacious 170-pounder, adding it felt good to get on the scoresheet.
"It's good for the confidence to get producing a little bit. I haven't produced the way I wanted to throughout the playoffs so to get a couple on the board tonight and one yesterday (against Dauphin), it helps the confidence."
The Ice Wolves tried to slow the game down by unleashing their physical style of play, while the Vipers turned to their skill game to push the pace and stay a step ahead.
Jonathan Milhouse opened the scoring when he tipped defenceman Curtis Gedig's point shot past Joel Danyluk at 3:56 of the first period. Just 28 seconds later, La Ronge's Doug Lindensmith equalized, beating Graeme Gordon with a backhand wraparound, bouncing his shot off the Viper netminder's leg. Aaron Enns, a former Nanaimo Clipper, earned an assist.
Vernon has developed a worrisome habit of not being able to protect a lead lately. They squandered a pair of two-goal leads against Dauphin, and have had similar slip-ups earlier in the playoffs. Robinson says it's just a matter of paying attention to detail.
"We've just been harping on one another that when we get up by one or two we've got to play solid defensively and play that simple game. We're not used to giving up six goals in a night and Ferns (Vernon coach Mark Ferner) was pretty disappointed in us and so were we."
Added Ferner: "The first period, I think our guys were tentative to go out and play. They tried to be very physical with us and when that happens you need to make the puck do all the work. Even though it wasn't what we felt was our typical game, we just needed to find a way to win tonight and we did that."
The Vipers had more than a minute of 5-on-3 hockey late in the first period after Wolves' captain Dustin Stevenson took an interference call with teammate Robert Monfore already off for holding. But the Vipers managed little in the way of offence.
Stevenson, a smooth skating defenceman who recently inked a three-year entry level contract with the Washington Capitals, delivered a crushing open-ice hit on the Vipers' Pat McGillis early in the second period. McGillis left the ice to get stitches to his face, but returned later.
There was a trio of disputable goals in the game – referee Jeff Hopkins awarded two in Vernon's favour, including Robinson's second goal as he crashed the net in a goalmouth scramble. The other came at 7:48 of the third period when Viper defenceman Adam Thompson tapped in a loose puck to netminder Adam Bartko's right (Danyluk left the game with an apparent leg injury at the end of the second period). Hopkins discussed the call with his linesmen before awarding the goal, earning a solid rebuke from the boisterous La Ronge cheering section.
Hopkins also waved off what might have been a possible La Ronge goal, as a pack of players jammed Gordon's crease.
While probably frustrated by the calls, Ice Wolves' head coach Bob Beatty didn't dwell on it.
"That's kind of like closing the gate after the cows get out. We could dispute it for a long time but I don't think there's any profit in that. We'll take our lumps. Some games you get breaks and some games you don't and hopefully we're due for some."
Beatty praised his squad for staying focused and for pressing the action in the third period.
"We probably outplayed them in the third period and the first period was give or take. We slowed our pace a little bit at times in the second and you can't do that against a club that's that explosive. But overall I'm pretty happy with the effort."
Lindensmith added a consolation goal late in the third period, but the Vipers were solid defensively to close out the game.
"We gave it a 40-minute effort, but facing the RBC champs you've got to give it a full 60 all game," said Lindensmith, a Michigan product.
If the Wolves face Vernon later in the tournament, Lindensmith says there will be more physical play in store for the Snakes.
"We just got to do what we did in the first period and just pound 'em. They're not used to the physical play of the SJ(HL), so we just gotta pound them and keep it up for all 60 (minutes)."
After an average game against Dauphin, Gordon rebounded with a solid 24-save showing against the Ice Wolves. His most acrobatic save came when he partially blocked a shot as La Ronge charged in on the rush, and then dove back into his crease to glove the puck as it arced back towards the goaline.
In the Sunday afternoon game, Zak Zaremba and Scott Arnold each had a hat trick and two assists as the Brockville Braves hammered the Oakville Blades 11-2.
