I was at tonight's pre-season Vipers-Storm game as Grande Prairie defeated Vernon 3-2 in front of between 400-500 fans at Kal Tire Place. No official attendance was announced.
Starting Goaltenders:
Vernon: Ross Hawryluk
Grande Prairie: Kaeden Lane
1st Period: The Vipers got off to a quick start with early pressure off the opening puck drop. About a minute and a half in Jakob Jones couldn't beat Kaeden Lane on a wrap around while Brett Fudger couldn't connect on the loose puck in the blue paint on a quality chance early for the Vipers. Minutes later Cam MacDonald missed the net on a great look from the slot before Jo Jo Tanaka-Campbell had a chance in front couldn't find the back of the net before the visiting Grande Prairie Storm jumped on the games first power play just over four minutes in. The Storm worked the puck around, didn't need long before Ethan Strang's snap shot beat Ross Hawryluk low blocker side, giving Grande Prairie a 1-0 lead at 4:39 Jackson Savoie & Cade Mason collected the assists. Shortly after the goal returning forward Nicholas Cherkowski alone in the slot would be denied by Kaeden Lane, making a big stop from in close. Minutes later Curtis Hammond with a good look, couldn't bury his chance from the top of the crease. Vipers with several back to back opportunities. Vernon would get their first PP just before the midway mark. The Snakes had a few looks but couldn't capitalize with the man advantage. Minutes later Brycew Osepchuk and Jacob Dorohoy exchanged words before taking a few shots at each other as the two were both sent to the penalty box. Osepchuck was mouthing off towards Dorohoy the whole way to the sin bin. With about three minutes remaining Cade Mason's point shot would be redirected on it's way to the goal, couldn't beat Ross Hawryluk who made a difficult toe/pad save on a shot I don't think he saw. Inside the final minute Blake Bryce with a quick low shot forced Kaeden Lane to make a late save. In the dying seconds Grand Prairie would get a late PP to finish the opening frame. With just six seconds left on the clock, the Snakes killed off the remainder of the period. It was 1-0 Grande Prairie after 20 minutes of play. The Snakes got off to a quick start, had lots of pressure early and often, also had some good looks but couldn't capitalize on there chances. It seemed like the tides changed hands after the Storm's power play goal as Grande Prairie seemed to take over a bit of an edge in play, were by far the more physical of the two teams and had a lot of zone time. At one point Vernon couldn't clear the zone, had several chances but failed. I thought the Vipers created/generated more opportunities and had more pucks to the net but the Storm had more puck possession and zone time. The Storm were the better team. Vernon outshot Grande Prairie 10-6.
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2nd Period: The visiting Grande Prairie Storm started the middle frame on the man advantage that was carried over from the 1st period. The Storm only managed one shot and didn't really generate much as Vernon killed off the minor. Just as the penalty expired, the Snakes went back to the sin bin, send the Storm back to the power play. On the man advantage the Storm defender turned over the puck at the blueline, sending Viper recruit/committed forward Ryan Shostak in for the shorthanded breakaway, beat Storm starting goaltender Kaeden Lane five hole, tying the game 1-1 at 3:59 Shostak's goal was unassisted. The Vipers were able to hold off Grande Prairie's power play and kill off the remainder of the minor. Just before the midway mark Jakob Jones on an odd man rush couldn't hit the net before Brett Fudger redirected a pass in front high and over the net, on a missed opportunity. The Snakes with a few good looks/opportunities come close to taking the lead. The Storm switched netminders at the halfway mark. Lars Kaliel replaced starting goaltender Kaeden Lane who allowed one goal. Just past the halfway mark Jackson Wozniak's shot caught Vipers starting goaltender Ross Hawryluk high in the mask, as the puck went into the corner, Hawryluk lost sight of the puck before regaining his position. On the following play Cam MacDonald setup Ryan MacLean who's shot looked to be in slow motion, went up into the air before coming down into the back of the net, giving Vernon there first lead of the night, 2-1 at 14:32 MacLean's goal was unassisted. About a minute later the Snakes would get their first look with the man advantage. The Vipers managed three shots but couldn't capitalize. Exactly two minutes later (inside the final minute of play) Vernon would head back to the PP and create/generate some flurries in and around the Grande Prairie goal. Seyia Tanaka-Campbell beat Lars Kaliel but not the post, before Nick Kent come within inches of giving the Vipers a two goal lead, also rang his shot off the post. Two back to back shots off the post with about seventeen seconds remaining. The Vipers kept pressing and with a ton of pressure in and around the goal, the Storm defence held off a late Vernon attack as Grande Prairie escaped before the buzzer. It was 2-1 Vernon after 40 minutes of play. The Snakes started the middle frame, were forced to kill off back to back power plays, scoring shorthanded on the second one, really seemed to get a boost of confidence and build off those two large penalty kills. I thought the Vipers were the better of the two teams. Vernon carried a lot of the play, had several good looks, were getting pucks to the net and holding their own against a much more physical veteran Grande Prairie team. I thought the Snakes were much better in the 2nd period. The Storm couldn't capitalize with the man advantage, saw a lot of action in the neutral zone and their own end. Grande Prairie didn't generate/and or create much for chances, had troubles getting pucks to the net. Vernon outshot Grande Prairie 14-5.
3rd Period: The defending Interior Division Champion Vernon Vipers started the final frame on the PP that was carried over from the 2nd period. The Storm with a big kill, would kill off the minor. Tempers slowly heating up after a scrum formed inside the Grande Prairie zone as several players started pushing and shoving, before everyone joined in. Brycew Osepchuk on the bench was chirping the Viper bench for a good minute or so, as both teams were getting in one another's faces. No calls on the scrum as the game continued as the referee's were letting the boys play. About seven minutes in Isaac Suppin who was an "AP" (affiliated player) with the Vipers last season, lead the charge with an odd man rush. Suppin couldn't get the pass over, was forced to take and shoot would be denied. Back come the Storm on a quick transition, Grande Prairie moved the puck up ice in a hurry. Will Schimek jumped into the play forced Ross Hawryluk into making the biggest save of the game, robbing him with a huge toe/pad save before Lukas Jirousek's shot would be redirected off Ty Toews in front, tying the game 2-2 at 8:18 Toews was lying on the ice, somehow managed to get his stick on Jirousek's shot that somehow found the back of the net on a beautiful goal. The Vipers defence caught standing around, had poor coverage in front of Ross Hawryluk. Shortly after Jakob Jones on an odd man rush couldn't capitalize on his opportunity before the Storm come back the other way. Jackson Wozniak on an odd man rush, would be stopped in close before burying his own rebound on another poor defensive coverage by the Snakes, giving Grande Prairie a 3-2 lead at 11:53 Wozniak's goal was unassisted. Three minutes later Vernon would get the only PP of the 3rd period but unable to capitalize as the Storm kill off the penalty. The Snakes would call a late timeout with about 1:47 left and get Ross Hawryluk to the bench for the extra attacker. Grande Prairie shut down the Viper attack, keeping the Snakes to the outside and along the wall, killing valuable time off the clock. Vernon didn't even come close to getting anywhere near the net as time was winding down. The Storm with a long shot from just past centre missed the open cage. The Storm would ice the puck with 5.5 to go. The Snakes would fumble the puck before getting control fire one last desperate shot towards the goal didn't get near the goal before the final buzzer as the Grande Prairie Storm hold on for the 3-2 pre-season victory. The Storm didn't have a lot of puck possession for large amounts of time, did manage to get a few solid shifts in the offensive zone at times but again didn't generate/and or create a ton of offence. Grande Prairie managed to capitalize on their chances and take advantage of some poor defensive coverage on Vernon's side. The Vipers carried the play at times in spurts, had some good looks at times but not a lot of quality opportunities. I think the Snakes had at least two, maybe three odd man rushes in the final frame, couldn't bury there chances allowing the Storm to come right back the other way and score at the other end of the rink off the same rush. The Vipers struggled with the goaltender on the bench, were lucky to get maybe one shot on goal with the extra attacker, couldn't muster any kind of attack late. Vernon outshot Grande Prairie 11-6.
Top Player's: (Vernon)
Ryan MacLean (1 goal) Committed to the Vipers over the off season, I thought played very well on Vernon's blueline. A good skater, played well at both ends of the rink. A real keeper.
Griffin Barr Has some size, I thought played fairly well in training camp at times, looked pretty good in the loss this evening.
Jakob Jones Isn't the biggest kid but stood out at times for me tonight. I thought had several good looks in and around the net.
The line of Seyia Tanaka-Campbell, Jo Jo Tanaka-Campbell & Cam MacDonald Played very well in the Vipers first pre-season game of the year. I was impressed with Jo Jo Tanaka-Campbell in the Vipers annual Blue/White game on Wednesday night. I was very impressed with Seyia Tanaka-Campbell tonight. This young kid was all over the rink, had control of the puck often, was involved in the play, created/generated chances, had several good looks. Cam MacDonald has some decent size, had a few looks/opportunities tonight, also played very well.
Ryan Shostak (1 goal) Opened the scoring for the Snakes, on a 2nd period shorthanded breakaway. I really like the looks of this kid. I thought played very well at both ends of the rink. Can skate, move the puck, reads & sees the ice well, can pass and shoot the puck, caught my attention.
Nick Cherkowski I thought was one of if not Vernon's best player in the 1st period but didn't notice him on the ice once in the 2nd and 3rd periods. The Vernon product who looks to have grown over the off season, maybe even bulked up a bit, was all over the ice in the first twenty minutes. I didn't see him on one shift in the final two periods.
Game Thought's: (Vernon)
I thought the Vipers played fairly well for the teams first exhibition game of the season. The Snakes went with a very young/inexperienced lineup and held their own for most of the night. I really liked Vernon's start and the first four or five minutes, but after Grande Prairie opened the scoring on the power play, the Vipers weren't the same team and were outplayed the remainder of the period. I really liked the Snakes 2nd period, I would say their best of the game. I didn't think the Vipers played all that bad in the 3rd. Two poorly defensive zone blown coverages and the pucks in the back of your net both times. I didn't think the Vipers were very strong defensively in their own end, had trouble's clearing the zone and getting caught running around on the odd shift. Give this young group of mostly rookies full credit for battling hard & holding there own against a pretty physical veteran Grande Prairie team. The Snakes only dressing two players from last year's team (Nick Cherkowski & Max Palaga). The Vipers dressed six committed players. I thought Vernon had the better opportunities most of the night, were getting lots of rubber towards the net, carried the better of the play more often. For the first hockey game in late August and very little media coverage around town, I was actually pretty pleased with the attendance tonight. No official attendance was announced, but I would guess between 400 & 500 people were at tonight's game. The Storm is the first of two teams from the Alberta Junior Hockey League that will come to Vernon to face the Vipers in the pre-season. Next weekend the Snakes will host the defending National Jr A Champion Brooks Bandits. The Vipers will hit the road for their first and only road game of the pre-season, Wednesday in Salmon Arm. New head coach/gm Jason McKee was not behind the bench. Assistant coaches Larry Draper & Erik Morrissette were behind the bench.
Top Player's: (Grande Prairie)
Cade Mason I thought played very well on the Storm backend. Looked like a veteran d-man out there, kept things loose, was calm and played well at both ends of the rink.
Doug Scott Was in the face of many Vernon Vipers tonight. Scott was getting under the skin of several Vipers also had himself a pretty good game. No points but I thought was one of the more stand out forwards for the Storm. Not the biggest kid, but has some wheels and can create/generate offence. Shifty at times, was hard to contain at times.
Jackson Wozniak (1 goal) Was another forward who caught my attention. Works hard, skates hard, competes and doesn't quit skating. Goes to the net, strong on the forecheck and first man in along the wall.
Lars Kaliel & Kaeden Lane split duties between the pipes for the Grande Prairie Storm. Both netminders played well in the win. The two combined to make 33 saves in the victory.
Game Thought's: (Grande Prairie)
The Storm were outplayed and outshot within the first four-five minutes but managed to weather the Storm before opening the scoring on the man advantage. This goal seemed to change the mindset of both teams and change the momentum as Grande Prairie seemed to take over the period/game. The 2nd and 3rd periods were a little different. Playing with a veteran/bigger team the Storm were laying out some big checks through out the contest. The Storm played with a bit of an edge through out the game. A very lively bench with a lot of chatter coming from the Storm bench. Grande Prairie didnt have an overly big team but did have some size compared to the Snakes. The Storm didn't create/and or generate a whole lot of chances through out most of the game, capitalized on their opportunities. Grande Prairie didn't carry the play a lot or have a lot of zone time, managed to bury their chances on just one or two shots. I think Vernon was the better team overall as the Storm relied on strong goaltending and defence which bailed them out on a few occasions. Don't get me wrong, the Storm played well but for having a veteran/more physical lineup, they only beat a rookie Vipers team by one goal. Tonight is the first of three straight games in BC this weekend. Grande Prairie will travel to Trail to face the Smoke Eaters Saturday and Sunday before returning to Alberta. I was surprised at a good handful of at least ten or more Storm fans in attendance. Overall this was a very entertaining exhibition game and fans got there money's worth for $5.
Scratches:
Vernon:
No scratches were announced
Grande Prairie:
No scratches were announced
Energy Player of the Game:
No player was announced
Three Star's:
No stars were handed out after the game
Boxscore-Game Summary,
The BCHL doesn't post boxscore's-or game summary's for exhibition games
Here are both team's roster's/lineups:
Vernon:
Goaltenders:
Ross Hawryluk 01
Max Palaga 00 (Returning from last season)
Defence:
Graham Skinner 02
Ryan MacLean 01 (Recruited/Committed)
Blake Bryce 02
Keigo Hachisuka 01 (Recruited/Committed)
Nick Kent 01 (Acquired In a trade with the Buffalo Jr. Sabres)
Griffin Barr 02
Forwards:
Brett Fudger 01 (Recruited/Committed)
Jakob Jones 03
Jack Glen 01
Jacob Dorohoy 02
Isaac Suppin 02 (Was an affiliated player with the Vipers last season)
Seyia Tanaka-Campbell 03
Jo Jo Tanaka-Campbell 01 (Recruited/Committed)
Cam MacDonald 02 (Recruited/Committed)
Luke German 02
Ryan Shostak 01 (Recruited/Committed)
Curtis Hammond 01
Nick Cherkowski 00 (Returning from last season)
Grand Prairie:
Goaltenders:
Lars Kaliel 01
Kaeden Lane 01
Defence:
Will Schimek 01
Jarin Sutton 99
Connor Klassen 03
Cade Mason 01
Doug Scott 00
Ronan Joseph 03
Forwards:
Nathanial Bierd 01
Aidin Kennedy 01
Samuel Erkkila 01
Ty Toews 02
Brycew Osepchuk 00
Lukas Jirousek 00
Jackson Wozniak 00
Dayne Tews 03
Ethan Strang 01
Mason Svarich 03
Lukas Konashuk 01
Jackson Savoie 00
Please feel free to leave a suggestion and or comment below, in the comment box at the bottom of this post. I always enjoy and will post all comments. Thank you for your comments.
Here are some photo's I took during tonight's game,
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