Ben Low-On -
Feb 3, 2025 / 2:53 pm | Story: 531297
Photo: Vernon Vipers
The Vernon Vipers are fighting for every point as they try to sneak into a playoff position.
The Vipers went through a gauntlet this weekend. They travelled south to play the Trail Smoke Eaters at Cominco Arena and then turned around to play the Brooks Bandits at home.
“We were not able to get the points, but it was a character performance by our team,” said head coach Lukas Lomicky.
Weekend Summary:
The Viper's first game was against the No. 2 ranked Trail Smoke Eaters in front of a 1904-person crowd.
The Smoke Eaters scored four goals before the start of the third period and never looked back. Trail scored four more in the final period to send the Vipers packing by an 8-3 score.
Logan Cunningham and Jari Kykkanen stopped 39 shots while Forward Luc Bydal netted two of Vernon’s goals.
“We were down 2-1, and then we had a couple of individual mistakes that cost us the game,” said Lomicky.
After the rough loss, the Vipers came home to Kal Tire Place to take on the No. 3 ranked Brooks Bandits.
The Vipers came out swinging in the first period with Forward Koji Gibson netting the first goal of the game.
The bandits then took over in periods two and three, outscoring the Vipers 6-2. The Bandits would hold that lead and take the match 6-3.
Roster Updates:
With what has been a common theme for the Vipers, the team had more roster changes occur.
On Jan. 31, the Vipers announced the addition of goalie Logan Cunningham.
“I’m super excited to have the opportunity to battle alongside a great group of guys and join a historic franchise with a great fan base in an amazing city,” said Cunningham in a release for the team.
Cunningham saw the ice right from when he joined the team. He played the full game against Brooks, saving 27 shots.
“He just came here last week and I thought he did a pretty good job,” said Lomicky about the young goalie.
What's next:
The Vipers currently sit 19th in the BCHL standings with a 11-20-6 record. The team is six points behind a playoff spot.
The Vipers will face the Penticton Vees on Friday at the South Okanagan Events Centre. The puck drops at 7 p.m.
Photo: Contributed
Matheson Mason snapped a 3-3 with less than four minutes left in regulation time leading the Spruce Grove Saints to a 5-3 victory over the visiting West Kelowna Warriors Saturday night.
Mason iced it with an empty netter in the final few seconds.
The Saints never trailed in this one taking leads of 1-0, 2-1 and 3-2. In each instance, the Warriors came back to tie it but were never able to find a go ahead goal.
Tyler Grahme, Elias Callgren and Simon Wong with his first in the BC Hockey League scored for the Warriors.
Newly acquired Edouard Gauthier say his first action between the pipes for the Warriors, coming on in relief of Bor Glavic who was taken out after surrendering three goals on 17 shots.
The win moves the Saints into eighth in the Interior Conference, a point up on Okotoks and now just three in back of the Warriors.
The Warriors return home to host Salmon Arm Friday and Vernon Saturday.
Photo: Cherie Morgan/Cherie Morgan Photography
The Penticton Vees continue to preform on the ice, having extended their win streak to five games in a 6-1 triumph over the visiting Cowichan Valley Capitals, Friday at the South Okanagan Events Centre.
It was Indigenous Night at the SOEC in partnership with the Penticton Indian Band, which included the team wearing orange jerseys designed by a local artist, that were auctioned off for charity.
Cowichan Valley’s Jordan Bax led the way, getting the first goal in the starting period, which was soon followed by a goal from Max Heise as the two teams were tied 1-1 after 20 minutes.
In the second period, the Vees scored twice in 22 seconds to get ahead 3-1 before the five minute mark.
Eli McKamey scored from inside the Capitals’ crease, with Anselmo Rego scoring right after thanks to a great pass from Conyr Hellyer.
The Vees were close to scoring more, hitting three posts in the middle frame.
In the third period, the Vees scored three more times on 15 shots. Heise scored his second of the game just 36 seconds into the period that stretched the lead to 4-1.
Then Luke Posthumus put the Vees up 5-1, when he jabbed the puck over the goalie’s glove and in.
Heise finished off the Pentiton's scoring and earned his hat-trick goal with two and a half minutes remaining off a one-timer low on the stick side.
The Vees face off against the Brooks Bandits on Saturday, with puck drop at 6 p.m. PST.
Photo: Contributed
The West Kelowna Warriors returned the favour on the team that snapped their four-game winning streak.
The Warriors opened a two-game Alberta road trip, walking into Sherwood Park and upending the Crusaders 5-3 Friday night.
It was the Crusaders who just six days ago came into Royal LePage Placer and skated away with an identical 5-3 victory.
Ben Miller snapped a 3-3 tie with his first BC Hockey League goal with less than eight minutes left in regulation time with what stood up as the game winner.
Sam LeDrew capped off the victory with his team-leading 18th into an empty net in the dying seconds.
The Crusaders jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead getting goals from Kale Dach and Malachi McKinnon before the game was 11 minutes old, but the Warriors battled back with three straight to grab a 3-2 lead before the end of the second.
Ian Alonso got the Warriors on the board at 14:30 of the first banging home a rebound for his 6th of the season.
Kelsen Podworny tied it early in the second on a power play, capping a wild scramble in front of the Crusaders net. The Warriors got three whacks at the puck before Podworny buried his eighth of the season.
Kaden Kemkaren-Humble gave the Warriors their first lead of the night. He carried the puck down the left wing on a two-on-one and, using Jackson Kyrkostas as a decoy, buried the go-ahead goal.
The Crusaders tied it early in the third, setting the stage for Miller’s unassisted game winner.
Bor Glavic turned away 22 shots to improve his record to 6-1.
The Warriors wrap up their Alberta swing Saturday night in Spruce Grove.
Photo: Contributed
The Penticton Vees are encouraging the community to attend this Friday night's game in orange shirts, to honour Indigenous Night at the South Okanagan Events Centre.
The team is working in collaboration with the Penticton Indian Band to raise money for the Orange Shirt Society.
The Vees shared in a news release that they will be wearing specially-designed orange Indigenous jerseys for their game against the Cowichan Valley Capitals, which feature a Four Food Chiefs Vees logo designed by Syilx multi-disciplinary artist Wynona Paul.
The orange jerseys are sponsored by Greyback Construction.
The jerseys will later be auctioned off, with proceeds going towards the Orange Shirt Society.
“I chose the Four Food Chiefs for my concept as without the sacrifice of all our Four Food Chiefs, we as the people would not have survived without them,” said Paul.
“This oral history of the Syilx People of SnPink’tn (Penticton – The Always Place) continues to be passed down generations in our homes and our schools. Even in adversity and in the face of genocide, we are still here.”
Indigenous Night will feature a special pre-game ceremony and a ceremonial puck drop with Chief Greg Gabriel and Penticton Mayor Julius Bloomfield.
Chief Gabriel said to this day, the community continues to deal with the intergenerational impacts of residential schools.
“Each year on Sept. 30, we stand together to observe the National day for Truth and Reconciliation or Orange Shirt Day. Orange Shirt Day in particular is meant to honour and remember the many children who were taken from the families and parents and placed in the federally run Indian Residential Schools which operated between the years 1867 to 1996. Tragically, many, many of those children never returned to their families and never returned from those schools,” he said, in a press release.
“We are so blessed and honoured to have many of those brave warrior residential school survivors still among us today. As we continue our long path to Truth and Reconciliation, I would like to thank and recognize the Penticton Vees for their support and doing their part to help with our journey towards healing."
The chief went on to say that the Vees not only bring pride to the communities but are notable ambassadors as representatives for the City of Penticton.
Bloomfield said reconciliation takes many paths and events like the Penticton Vees' Indigenous Night is an important opportunity to extend support as a community.
"We recognize the pain and harm of the past, honour the strength and resilience of survivors and those still dealing with the trauma, and extend the hand of friendship to our neighbours. Hockey is part of our shared history, the arena where we gather together in common purpose, and I applaud the Vees for this step towards building a stronger relationship between us all,” he said.
Fans are encouraged to wear orange shirts for the game Friday.
The BC Hockey Hall of Fame 50/50 jackpot is starting at $5,445 on Friday, after a previous unclaimed winning ticket from Jan. 11.
Tickets are $18 for adults and free for local youth 18 and under as always. Special ticket pricing is available to anyone who shows their status card at the SOEC box office.
Tickets are available at the SOEC box office, or online at www.valleyfirsttix.com
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