Vipers Here & There

Quinnipiac Men's Ice Hockey Loses To UMass, 5-2

Senior captain Scott Zurevinski (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan) and Kellen Jones (Montrose, British Columbia) both scored in the loss for the Bobcats while Connor Jones (Montrose, British Columbia), Zach Hansen (White Bear Lake, Minn.) and John Dunbar (Calgary, Alberta) all picked up assists. Full Story

No. 2 Men's Ice Hockey Skates to 4-4 Tie with Brown

Four different Terriers found the back of the net, including sophomore Ben Rosen, who collected his first collegiate goal. Senior Joe Pereira and sophomore Alex Chiasson each tallied their fifth marker of the season and freshman Garrett Noonan and junior David Warsofsky both earned a pair of assists.


The Terriers still had a one-goal deficit entering the second period, but Pereira knotted up the contest at 4:48 of the middle stanza on a 2-on-1 rush when he poked in a rebound off his own shot with assists from freshmen Sahir Gill and Noonan. Full Story

Buckeyes Downed by No. 14 Alaska, 5-2

The Buckeyes held a 1-0 lead after the first period on John Albert's fourth goal of the season. He skated down the left side and pulled Alaska goalie Scott Greenham out of position. He was able to wrap around behind the net and score before Greenham could get to the other post. Sergio Somma and Curtis Gedig assisted on the goal, as they led the breakout of the Buckeye zone. Shots were 15-11 in favor of the Buckeyes in the stanza. Full Story


2 Days Left To Crown MOvember Winner

It looks like its a race between Voth and McGillis for best Movember Stash! Be sure to cast your vote! See the rest of the best below in pictures taken from last week!



Coldstream Light Up

The Vernon Vipers were out at the annual Coldstream Light-Up on Sunday night. Here are a few pictures from the night and stay posted to Vipers TV for video and interviews from the event.

McPhee boosts Vernon content

By Graeme Corbett - Vernon Morning Star



They really are starting to look like the Vernon Vipers.

With this week’s addition of 6-foot-3 forward Zach McPhee, the Snakes now boast six local players on their roster (Dave Robinson, Bryce Kakoske, Colton Sparrow, Max Mowat and Trevor Fitzgerald are the others).
McPhee, 17, was seeing limited playing time with the WHL Tri-City Americans, and rather than risk stagnating in major junior, he decided the B.C. Hockey League might be a better move for his development.
“I wasn’t playing too much down in the States so I sat down with the coaches and thought out a plan for what would be better for me to get some playing time,” said McPhee, who had one goal in eight game with Tri-City.
Having played his minor hockey in Vernon, McPhee grew up idolizing former Vipers like Dean Strong. His aunt billeted Armstrong’s Matt Waddell and Kelowna’s Kenny Magowan.
He said being from Vernon has helped him understand the culture and what being a Viper is all about.
“It’s definitely pressure, but it’s a pressure that I like. I’m just going to work as hard as I can to get playing time and help the team out,” said McPhee, second in scoring with the Major Midget Okanagan Rockets last season with 39 points in 36 games.
“I just have to take some extra time to go over the systems with the coaches and pay attention in practice and jump into it as quick as I can.”
In recent memory, the Viper squad with the next highest local content was the 2001-02 roster that featured four local boys – David Morelli and Chad Murray, both of Vernon, Waddell and Enderby’s Brad Farynuk.
Knowing owner Duncan Wray’s willingness to bankroll a competitive lineup, these moves are not about saving on billeting or scouting expenses. As head coach/GM Mark Ferner notes, it has more to do with the level of grassroots hockey in Vernon.
“It’s a credit to Vernon Minor Hockey. It’s not like we’ve gone out and scouted these players because they’re local kids. They’re good hockey players and they’re going to help us,” said Ferner.
“The one thing I know that they know is how passionate this town is about this hockey team and the way we want to be. That helps speed up the process, especially when they’re young.”
Helping McPhee’s transition to the Viper den will be former Rocket teammates Mowatt and Sparrow.
Said Sparrow: “The first year we played together we were probably six or seven years old, and pretty much all the way up. He’s been one of my best friends since I was little so, it’s good to have him here.”
Ferner doesn’t know much about McPhee, but likes what he’s read on the scouting report.
“Everything I’ve been told is he’s a big body, skilled guy. And looking at our group, we need a little bit more of that. He’s a centreman, but he can also play the wing.”
With just one week of practice, Ferner said it is too soon to determine where McPhee will fit in the lineup. He will have a better idea when the Vipers entertain the Trail Smoke Eaters Friday night at Wesbild Centre.
“This is more about chemistry than anything else, making sure we find the right combination,” he said.
The fourth-place Vipers (14-8-1-6) trail the Smokies (19-9-0-1), who are tied for first with the Penticton Vees (, by four points in the Interior.
“We just got off one of our longer road trips, and I thought it was successful. We didn’t get all the points that we wanted, but our team played pretty well,” said Ferner.
“We’re going to have to be close to our best against a good hockey team. They’re the highest scoring team in our division (3.80 goals for average)... so we’re going to work on some things this week and hopefully we’ll be ready.”
Meanwhile, the Penticton Vees earned a share of first place with a 4-2 win over the Merritt Centennials Wednesday night at South Okanagan Events Centre. Penticton is 19-8-0-1.
In the other BCHL Wednesday nighter, the Nanaimo Clippers stunned the Powell River Kings 6-3, handing the lead-leading Kings (20-5-3-2) their third home loss of the season.
In Tuesday night action, the host Westside Warriors used two goals apiece from Tyler Brickler and Kyle Singleton to bounce the Langley Chiefs 7-3. The Warriors are four points back of Vernon at 14-9-1-2.

SNAKE BITES: Ferner will likely rest injured forward Pat McGillis for another week, saying “We’ve got some healthy bodies here, so we’re not going to inject Patty back in the lineup until he’s 100 per cent.”... The Prince George Spruce Kings have fired long-time head coach Ed Dempsey, replacing him with former Williams Lake Timberwolves bench boss Dave Dupas. The Kings are last in the BCHL at 6-22-0-2.

MOvember Vote

Some of the Vipers have been taking part in Movember, mustache month, and it's time to take a vote on who has the best 'stash! The pictures below are of the top 8 mustaches and we will let you...the fan and avid blog reader, pick who you think should be named Best Movember Stash!

 Marcus Basara & Adam Thompson

Kyle Murphy & Bryce Kakoske

Trevor Fitzgerald & Dave Robinson

Blake Voth & Pat McGillis

Coming To A Vipers Game Pays Off -- Literally!

The Vernon Vipers will be kicking off a new campaign to help fill the seats at the Wesbild Centre but more importantly help build the new Tower of Care at the Vernon Jubilee Hospital. “Strength in Numbers” will start December 30, 2010 when the Vipers host the Salmon Arm Silverbacks. The goal is to raise $30,000 for the Vernon Jubilee Hospital Foundation and all fans have to do is come and cheer on the Vernon Vipers.


The Vipers will have “Two Levels Of Care” for donations; if 2500 or more fans come to each of their 15 home games, December 30-February 20, then the Vipers will donate $1000 per game to the foundation, if there are more than 3000 fans per game, though the same dates, then the Vipers will donate $2000 per game to the foundation.

“It’s a you support us, we will support you kind of promotion” says marketing manager Heidi Schrader. “The Vipers donate thousands of dollars worth of merchandise, tickets and money to most charities that ask around Vernon and its surrounding areas and we want to show the community that we do what we can to give back to the City of Vernon. With this promotion we could possibly give $30,000 to the Vernon Jubilee Hospital Foundations “Building a Tower of Care Campaign” “.

The new “Patient Care Tower” will house Emergency, Maternity, Pediatric, Surgery, ICU, Cardiac and Ambulatory Care Departments. An additional two floors will be built to accommodate future growth.

The Vernon Vipers have a great fan base right now and if each fan brought even one extra person to the game the Vipers would have well over 3000 fans a game and the hospital would have an extra $30,000 towards their fundraising efforts. “It’s a challenge to the people of Vernon as well,” Heidi says “we challenge them to come to the game and we would like nothing more than to write a check to the Vernon Jubilee Hospital Foundation. We only need 2500 fans to come out to have $1000 go to the hospital, but 500 fans aren’t much more to double the donation.”

The official kick off for the Vipers “Strength In Numbers” fundraiser will be December 30th against the Salmon Arm Silverbacks, “We picked the December 30th game for the official kick off as our attendance is usually higher over the holidays and against Salmon Arm” Heidi also added “It will also be Student Night on the 30th and all high school students get in for only $5.00 so it should be easy for the attendance to get to 2500 and hopefully 3000.”

Businesses wanting to get involved are welcome to contact Heidi at the Vipers Office. For more information or to purchase tickets please contact the Vipers Office at 250-542-6022.

Day 5 & 6

Hello Vipers Fans! We hope your all still with us on the final day of our trip. It’s now Sunday morning and we just got done with breakfast at the hotel. Yesterday was an identical day to Friday. We woke up and had breakfast at the hotel. This was followed by a nap or at least some rest for everyone. We had the same 2 o’clock pregame at East Side Mario’s. We then left for the rink around 4:45 as the arena was only a short drive away. As far as the game went, we obviously did not get the result we wanted. Yet, we put forth a good effort and probably deserved a better fate. After the game, we went back to East Side Mario’s for a quick meal and then headed to the hotel to get some shut eye. This morning was an 8:30 wake up for breakfast. Now, were just hanging out in the hotel and most likely going to take a nap before the game this afternoon. It’s our last game of the road trip and we’re really hoping to come away with a win. It’s been a long trip and were all looking forward to getting back to Vernon. We hope you have all enjoyed reading about our road trip and we hope we can come home with a win today! Farewell from the Baby Blue Line!

Day 4

Hey out there all you Vipers Fans! It’s the Baby Blue Line saying hi after a big win for our team. Today wasn’t as early of a wake up which was nice for everyone to get a little extra rest. After having breakfast at 9:30, the team went for a short walk which is typical for a gameday. It was actually snowing while we were on our walk which wasn’t what anyone was looking for but we fought through it. After the walk were pretty sure just about everyone went back to sleep for a while. We had a 2 o’clock pregame meal at West Side Mario’s. Then, we headed back to the hotel to hang out for a bit before we packed our bags and headed to the rink. We had to leave at 4:15 to head over to the rink because there was heavy traffic at that hour. As far as the game went, it was a good come from behind win for us. We didn’t get off to the start we wanted to but we regrouped after the first period and seemed to figure things out. The game eventually went to overtime where we saw Bryce Kakoske make a nice move and beat the goalie shortly into the fourth frame. It wasn’t our best effort but everyone was happy to come out with a win and put a hault to our three game skid. After the game we had some pizza on the bus and just headed right back to the hotel to get some sleep as we have another big game tomorrow night in Langley. That’s all we have for tonight but we’ll be checking back in tomorrow night with hopefully another good result to report.

Day 3

Bonjour Vipers Fans! It’s us again checking in on night 3 of our trip. Today was a day off for us and was devoted to traveling back into the Vancouver area. We left the hotel bright and early at 8 am this morning. After a short bus ride we got onto our first ferry. A handful of the players, Steven Weinstein for example, opted to stay on the bus and catch up on some sleep. On the other hand, Mike, John, Phil Patenaude, and Darren Nowick hopped off the bus to hit up the arcade. After Mike handed Darren and Phil a few beatings in Tekken Tag Tournament Fighting, the bus boarded the ferry. This was a quick and easy ride, but the drive between the two ferries proved to be a little too windy for some of the boys. We actually had to pull over so Max Mowat, Marcus Basara, and Aaron could grab some fresh air. After this, the rest of the trip went smoothly. We eventually got to our hotel in Langley around 2 o’clock. This gave us a chance to just hang out for a while before we headed to dinner around 6 o’clock. We had a nice meal at Montana’s followed by a team movie to cap off the night. Mike was lucky enough to room with the team captain David Robinson who would like to say hello to all the Vipers fans and also add, “this is a huge weekend for our team and we’re going to put our best effort forward and hopefully come out with three wins.” There you have it for tonight and we’ll be checking back in tomorrow night after the game. Farewell from the Baby Blue Line.

Online Chat Merrimack Sophomore Defenseman Kyle Bigos

Click Here To Read Online Chat With Kyle Bigos

Zurevinski Scores Twice and Jones Adds Insurance Goal

Written by: QuinnipiacBobcats.com

Release: 11/13/2010

HAMILTON, N.Y. - Senior captain Scott Zurevinski (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan) scored twice to lead the Quinnipiac men's ice hockey team to a 3-1 win against Colgate for its first ECAC Hockey victory of the season. The Bobcats improve to 1-2-1 in league action and 5-4-1 overall while Colgate drops to 2-5-1 overall and 0-3-1 in ECAC Hockey action.


Both teams played to a scoreless draw through the first period before Zurevinski scored twice in the second. His first goal tied the game at 1-1, while his second goal of the game gave the Bobcats a one-goal lead through the second period.

Quinnipiac ran its record when leading after two periods to an impressive 49-0-5 in its last 54 games in the situation. Connor Jones (Montrose, British Columbia) scored his second goal of the weekend and third of the year to give Quinnipiac a two-goal lead. Eric Hartzell (White Bear Lake, Minn.) improved to 2-0-0 on the year after stopping 30 of Colgates' 31 shots on goal.

Chris Wagner put the Raiders on the board with his second goal of the year. Colgate put a rush on Hartzell, putting several shots on the sophomore that landed in front of the Bobcats' goal. Wagner was able to pick up the puck in the crease and pop it over Hartzell to give the Raiders a 1-0 lead less than a minute into the second period.

Zurevinski tied the game at the 13:49 mark of the second period when Yuri Bouharevich (Montreal, Quebec) took control of the puck in the neutral zone, and took off down ice. The junior had company as he found himself on a three-on-one with Colgate goalie Eric Mihalik. Bouharevich skated inside the right face-off circle, faked a shot and then hit Zurevinski's stick in the slot. Zurevinski crashed the goal, dumping the puck past Mihalik to tie the game at 1-1. It was Zurevinski's second goal of the season while Bouharevich picked up his team-leading sixth assist.

Zurevinski scored again with just over a minute to play in the period. Colgate was about to be whistled for a penalty, so Quinnipiac, with control of the puck, pulled Hartzell and sent out the extra skater. Mike Glaicar (Kamloops, British Columbia) sent the puck across the ice, from one point to the other, to Zack Currie (Victoria, British Columbia). Currie sent a pass to Zurevinski below the face-off circle who one-timed a shot over the shoulder of Mihalik to give the Bobcats a one-goal lead, 2-1.

The Bobcats jumped out to a 3-1 lead when Connor Jones (Montrose, British Columbia) scored on the power play to start the third period. Zach Tolkinen (Lino Lakes, Minn.) passed the puck to Zach Davies (Smithers, British Columbia) at the point. Davies sent a shot through traffic that Jones tipped past Mihalik to give Quinnipiac a two-goal lead.

Day 2

Hey Vipers Fans, it’s Mike, John, and Aaron checking in on day two of our trip. Today started off with our team breakfast at the hotel at 9:30. After breakfast, we headed over to the rink for our pre-game skate. After a thirty minute skate we headed back to the hotel for some down time. Our line headed to the conference room to hit the books hard and stay on top of our work while away from the classroom. We had a 2 o’clock lunch at Kane’s restaurant. After a good pasta meal we headed back to the hotel where a bunch of us grabbed a nap and got ready for the game. The team headed over to the rink at 5 o’clock to prepare for the game. The game didn’t go as planned. After we got down two goals early, we worked our way back into the game and tied the game up in the third period. Unfortunately, shortly after we tied up we gave up two goals and that proved to be the too much of a gap for us to catch up. It was a tough loss for the team but we tried to learn from it and move on as we have three more big games this weekend. Tomorrow we’ll be traveling back into Vancouver where we’ll catch back up with you guys! For now, farewell from the Baby Blue Line.

Day 1 - Vipers Road Trip

Hey there Viper fans! It’s Aaron, John, and Mike checking in on our first night on the road. We just got to the hotel in Powell River after a long day of travel. The day started off with a 7 am departure from the Wesbild Centre. On our bus ride to Vancouver, we saw our first snow of the season up here. Once in Vancouver, we hopped on our first ferry from Horseshoe Bay Terminal to the Sunshine Coast. This ferry ride was very interesting for the rookies. The rookies were split into two teams (Americans vs Canadians) and we had to compete in a scavenger hunt that was put together by the veterans. Each team had to try and get all 10 items on the list. Some of these items were more embarrassing than others, such as a few pictures with random passengers on the ferry. Both teams ended up getting all ten items so it went to a joke off to see who won the competition. The Americans proved to be the funnier of the rookies as they won the joke off and the overall competition. After a short drive we boarded our next ferry. This ride was not as eventful but it provided some beautiful scenery. We landed ashore just outside of Powell River. We then had our final leg of the trip which was a short thirty minute bus ride to Powell River Towns Centre Hotel. Once we got here we grabbed some dinner and many of us headed over to Safeway to grab some candy and snacks for the week. We’d also like to note that Malcolm ‘Styles’ Lyles was in hibernation for all 11 hours of the trip. Were now just hanging out in the Hotel, getting some down time with the boys as we prepare for a big game tomorrow night against Powell River. Hope all you readers got some good insight on our first day and we’ll be checking back in tomorrow. Farewell from the Baby Blue line!

Vernon Viper Dylan Walchuk at WJAC

CAN West’s Player of the Game on why the team came up short, and playing for bronze.

Dylan Walchuk Interview

Next Game Friday November 26th

ail Well the Vipers are now hitting the road for 4 games in 5 days starting Wednesday in Powell River. It's there first of two big road trips, the second happening early December. As always you can listen to your Vipers on 107.5 Kiss FM but more importantly you can make sure you are here when they get back for their next home game on Friday November 26th when they host the very hot Trail Smoke Eaters. A lot can happen in any given night in the BCHL and cheering on the Vernon Vipers is a must in the great city of Vernon! Get your tickets today and be sure to get a friend or two to come as well! Be loud and proud and support the hockey that is right in your back yard!

Walchuk vs USA Saturday @ 6pm in Penticton

You On The Bus?

Get on the Fan Bus to Salmon Arm this Saturday! Tickets are only $20 which includes your ride and ticket to the game! Be loud and proud on the road and show the opponent who has the best fans in the league! Book today at the Vipers Office or on the phone with Visa or Master Card at 250-542-6022 be sure to help fill the bus and all fans will get a rally hat for the trip!

Vipers Alumni From Around The World Wide Web

Here is Mike Collins’ waived off goal as time expired in the second period, the green light lit up just milliseconds before Collins’ shot crossed the line.

Mike Collins Highlight Reel Goal from Warrior Rink Rat Blog.


Watch a video from Oilers On Demand of Conner and Kellen Jones at Oilers Camp in July.
Oilers TV - Connor & Kellen Jones

Hammond Makes October Headlines

Hammond Named Papa John's Athletes Of The Week

10/18/2010 12:58:33 PM

Each week, the Bowling Green State University Athletic Department names the Papa John's Athletes of the Week, as selected by the athletic communications department based on their athletic performances from the previous week. This week's winners are hockey player Andrew Hammond and women's cross country runner Abby Koch.

Male Athlete of the Week

Andrew Hammond, a sophomore goalkeeper from Surry, British Columbia, earned his first collegiate win Saturday against Clarkson. With Hammond's perfect 31-save performance against the Golden Knights, the Falcons earned their first win of the season after defeating Clarkson 3-0 at Cheel Arena (Potsdam, N.Y.). Hammond shut down the opposition to achieve his first career shutout. He made seven saves while the Falcons were on the penalty kill, keeping the Knights unsuccessful in four power play attempts during the game.



Falcons Earn First Win in Shutout At Clarkson


by Ryan Gasser, Athletic Communications Graduate Assistant

10/16/2010 9:56:30 PMPOTSDAM, N.Y. -- Backed by an aggressive offense and a defense that fought tough to the very end, Bowling Green Hockey earned its first win of the season, Saturday night. The Falcons posted a 3-0 shutout win over Clarkson University with the aid of 31 saves by sophomore Andrew Hammond.Andrew Hammond (Surrey, British Columbia) earned his first win as a Falcon. He saved 31-of-31 shots against, including a 14-save first period. The perfect night between the pipes also marked his first career shutout.

Hammond did his part in stopping the Clarkson power play cold. The Golden Knights went 0-for-4, including back-to-back CU power plays in the second period. Hammond stopped seven shots when the Knights were a man up. Marc Rodriguez put the Falcons on top with his first goal of the season on a break-away effort following a Clarkson turnover in the BG zone. On the all-sophomore goal, Jerry Freismuth (Grosse Point, Mich.) and Jordan Samuels-Thomas (South Windsor, Conn.) touched the puck up the ice to Rodriguez, the Aurora, Ill. native who fought through two Golden Knight defenders on a straight path to the net. On his approach, Rodriguez went stick-side on Clarkson goaltender Paul Karpowich and wristed home the game’s opening goal giving BGSU a 1-0 lead in the 15th minute. Bowling Green’s defense faced severe pressure all game from the Clarkson offense. The Knights had plenty of scoring opportunities and clear looks to the net, but sailed many of their open shots wide of the cage while being stoned by Hammond’s hot hand.
After a scoreless second period, the Falcons wasted no time in adding to their total when James McIntosh (Holland Landing, Ontatio) plugged his first goal of the season past Karpowich. After Bowling Green pressured the puck into the CU zone, the Knights retook possession but not for long. McIntosh entered a scrum in front of the crease and retook possession of the rock before turning a backhand shot into a goal just 22 seconds into the final period. Clarkson became more aggressive and chippy in the final five minutes of the contest by pressing into the BG defensive zone late. At 17:30 in the third period, Clarkson pulled Karpowich out of the net and created a 6-on-5 attack. Bowling Green could have had a third goal recorded earlier when Cameron Sinclair (Windsor, Ontario) took a turnover down the ice en route to an easy empty-net goal.
Sinclair was tripped up from behind while the puck sailed wide, causing a roar for a penalty shot or an automatically awarded goal. The referee’s whistle stayed quiet and the play was allowed without any damage done. Bowling Green captain David Solway (Green Bay, Wisc.) put the game away by taking a loose puck along the far end boards before sliding home BG’s third goal to definitively close the game for the Falcons.
Bowling Green (1-3-0, 0-2-0-0) ends the weekend with its first shutout since Feb. 21, 2009 when they beat Michigan State at the BGSU Ice Arena, 4-0. The last time Bowling Green shut out an opponent on the road was on Feb. 6, 2009 at Northern Michigan after a Falcon 3-0 win. BGSU will return to Bowling Green to begin preparing for a home series with Alabama-Huntsville beginning on Oct. 22 at the BGSU Ice Arena.

QBSN Athlete of the Week: Kellen Jones

(photo:WJAC 2009-Hockey Canada)

This week’s QBSN Athlete of the Week honors are awarded to Kellen Jones (Montrose, British Columbia) of Quinnipiac University’s men’s ice hockey team.


The freshman forward, and top recruit for the Bobcats this year, had a career day this past weekend, putting on a show for the 3,891 fans packed into the TD Bank Sports Center, a non-conference opponent attendance record. Jones netted two goals on the afternoon against Holy Cross; his first two goals of his collegiate career. The Bobcats wound up winning the game 3-1. The other goal came from junior forward Spencer Heichman (Yorba Linda, Calif.), his second of the season.

With his two goals, Jones jumps up to tie Heichman for the team lead in goals with two, and is now in sole possession of the team lead in points with five. Second on the team in points is Kellen’s twin brother, Connor Jones (Montrose, British Columbia), who has four points on the year.

In the offseason, Kellen Jones was drafted in the 7th round of the NHL Amateur Draft by the Edmonton Oilers. Jones passed on the opportunity to sign with the Oilers, and instead opted to come to Quinnipiac and play alongside his brother, whom he has played with his entire life.

The win over Holy Cross for the Bobcats improved their record to 3-1 on the year, as they now embark on a six game road trip. Next up for Quinnipiac is a two game set this Friday and Saturday night against No. 17 St. Cloud State in St. Cloud, Minn. The Huskies are 2-3-1 on the year, but remain the highest ranked opponent that the Bobcats have played so far this season. Quinnipiac’s next home game falls on Nov. 19th, when they play host to the Dartmouth College Big Green. That game will be broadcasted live here on the Quinnipiac Bobcats Sports Network.