The Vernon Home Building Centre Vipers struck Midget Tier 1 silver at the ninth annual Seafair Islanders International Ice Breaker Hockey Tournament Monday in Richmond.
It took a shootout to decide the action-packed final between the Vipers and Richmond, with the Blues scoring once to win the championship game 3-2.
Vernon came back from a 2-1 deficit in the third period as Game MVP Cody Hendrickson scored his second goal of the final, from Austin Krahn.
From then on, the Vipers took it to the Blues, registering 23 shots in the third period. The flurry continued into the 4-on-4 overtime, but the Vipers couldn’t put one past the acrobatic Richmond goaltender.
“I was proud of the guys for the way they came back and never gave up,” said Vernon head coach Jim Armstrong. “I think they may have surprised themselves with how well they played. It’s a great start to the year.”
Hendrickson roofed his first goal in the opening period, from Justin Mitchell and Krahn, to tie it 1-1. Max Brown was solid in net for the Vipers.
The Home Building crew qualified for the A final by winning their pool with a win and two ties. They stopped the Juan de Fuca Grizzlies 7-4 in the semifinal Sunday.
Mitchell (Game MVP) had a goal and two assists, as did Logan Geefs, against the Grizzlies, while Trevor Pickett scored twice.
Dennon Leibel and Richard Meaney also scored, while d-man Connor Payne got the other goal on a slapper from the point. Curtis Sexsmith contributed three assists.
In round-robin play Saturday, the Vipers beat North Shore Winter Club 1-0 and battled Anchorage to a scoreless draw.
Wyatt Bonneau supplied the lone goal against North Shore, with Mitchell and defenceman Kyle Clarke drawing assists. Game MVP Brown earned the shutout.
Evan Campagnolo registered Game MVP and the shutout against Anchorage.
Vernon hosts Penticton’s Okanagan Hockey Academy Friday, 8:15 p.m. at Civic Arena.
The Vernon Sun Valley Source for Sports Bantam Tier 1 Renegades also took second place in the Seafair tournament, losing 7-1 to the Islanders in Monday’s final.
Seafair held period leads of 1-0 and 2-0 before netting four goals in a seven-minute span in the third period. Jeff Bochon, from Braydon McCarthy, counted the Renegades’ goal. Louis Springer made 40 saves in the loss.
Vernon knocked off Juan de Fuca 5-1 in Sunday morning’s highly physical semifinal.
The teams were assessed 105 penalty minutes (63 to Juan de Fuca), with netminder Bryce Dyck enjoying a strong game for Vernon.
Daine Elphicke (from Jagger Williamson) opened scoring early in the first period, while Blaine Caton (from Bochon) made it 2-0 two minutes later.
Vernon scored three more in the second to take a 5-0 lead with Carson Richards, Noah Turanski and Bochon connecting. Caton had two helpers.
The Grizz ruined Dyck’s shutout bid late in the second.
Sun Valley opened by falling 6-0 to Kelowna’s Pursuit of Excellence with Nick Stanhope taking game MVP for Vernon.
Vernon rebounded with a 2-1 victory over North Vancouver.
It was 1-0 North Vancouver early in the second period. Vernon responded with two goals from Caton in the third, on feeds by Cole Woodliffe and Carson Richards. Dyck (MVP) was great in goal, especially during a North Vancouver powerplay early in the first period.
In Game 3, Bochon collected 3+1 as the Renegades stuffed North Delta 6-0.
Braydon McCarthy, Williamson and Turanski also scored, while Richards supplied three assists and Stanhope had a pair. Springer recorded the shutout to earn MVP.
The Midget Tier 2 Coca-Cola Vipers went 2-2 and finished strong in the Salmon Arm Midget Tier 2 Tournament, getting 3+1 from Tyson Clark in a 6-1 win over Quesnel.
Carson Tucker (3+2) led the Vipers in points and hits for the tournament and had some great help from linemates Jacob Dolinar (1+2) and Lee Springer (0+3), holding off Clark and Travis Churchill (1+3) for the most points.
The defence showed the offensive upside of the system with goals by Kenny Batke, Brandon Rysen, Conor Butte-Landsfried and Griffen Fried. Bruin Stair and Jayden Campbell were awesome in net.
The Vernon Machine Bantam Tier 3 Vipers competed hard but went 0-4 in the Seafair Tournament.
The Snakes lost 8-0 to North Shore Winter Club and 7-0 to Westside, teams which made the final.
Vernon bowed 4-2 to the Saanich Braves as Austin Dixon scored on a deflection from Jarett Campbell’s point shot and Bryton Stead clicked from Richard Thompson.
In the crossover game, the Vipers lost 6-2 to Victoria Racquet Club. Scoring for Vernon were Bryce Pyle, assisted by Austin Derkach and Brian Ferguson, and Derkach, assisted by Pyle and Colton Skead.
Pee Wee Tier 3 Jets go 2-2-1 in Westside
In Pee Wee Tier 3 play, the Vernon Nixon Wenger Jets went 2-2-1 at the Westside Warriors Tournament, ending with a thrilling 6-5 shootout loss to the Penticton Vees on Monday.
Dawson Boyce (2), Jaxson Cummings, Keaton McCune and Liam Hennig scored for the Jets, who failed on all three of their shootout attempts. Penticton scored once in the shootout.
In Sunday games, the Jets ambushed the North Delta Sun Demons 9-2 and bowed 5-1 to the Kelowna Rockets.
Kyle Sherwood pulled the hat trick against Delta, with Nick Cherkowski and Coleton Bilodeau each scoring twice and singles going to Finnian O’Keefe and Hennig. Boyce had Vernon’s goal versus Kelowna.
The Jets opened play Saturday by doubling Penticton 4-2 with Bilodeau (2), O’Keefe and Zach Agar handling the offence.
Vernon then tied up the Warriors 3-3 on goals from Cherkowski, Dawson Chase and McCune.
MVP awards went to Bilodeau, Sherwood, Cummings, O’Keefe and Jenna Fletcher, while defensive player of the game honours were eaned by Makenna Hoffman, goalie Jayden Jensen, Damian Coljee-Fehr, Niklas Luttmerding and Keeghan McRae.
“For the first tournament of the year, the team played well and showed lots of hard work and character in coming from behind in two games to win,” said Jets’ head coach Keith Chase. “We’re still working on the little things with the kids and it is all coming together nicely. Liam Henning and Kyle Sherwood had especially strong tournament showings.”
The Pee Wee Tier 3 Vernon Predators registered back-to-back wins in Okanagan Mainline League play versus South Okanagan, starting with a 8-3 matinee victory Saturday in Osoyoos.
Ethan Huizinga stopped 33 shots for the win, while Aidan Rysen opening the offence, followed by powerplay tallies from Mika Burns and Brayden Harshenin.
Solid defence from Noah Debalinhard and Juli Gilowski helped Richard’s unassisted winner in the third to open the floodgates.
Dex Elders clicked from Drayden Dougan and Burns, Stephane Richards scored from Harshenin, Dougan converted from Burns, and Harshenin scored with the assist going to Brayden Jones.
The Preds stopped South Okanagan 6-3 Sunday morning in Oliver with Jordan Campagnolo and Burns scoring first-period goals.
Netminder Braeden Barnard was busy in the final two periods and finished with 38 saves. Mason McLennan’s point shot, from Harshenin and Elders, and Burn’s wrister from Elders, gave the Preds a three-goal lead.
Richards, on a tap in, from Joe Eggert and Harshenin, and Rysen from Lucas Halvorson and Caden Bracken, completed the Preds’ offence.
Venom snag silver medal in Winfield
The host Winfield Bruins bounced the Vernon Valley Wood Venom 5-2 in Monday’s final of the Thanksgiving Atom Development Tournament.
Jacob Green and Landen Harison scored for the Venom, whose game MVP was gritty Lincoln Connor. Goaltending duties were split between Tyler Sedlacek and Dalton Stenberg, who were tough to beat all weekend.
Head coach Kevin Cherkowski was pleased with the team’s hard work throughout the tourney.
The Venom opened with a dominating 6-2 win over the Burnaby Eagles as Brayden Beacom scored a deuce and singles came from Harison, Green, Cory Lazar and Caden Danbrook. Gavin Fleck was tireless on defence and took game MVP.
Vernon then battled the Kelowna Raiders to a 7-7 tie in a game the Venom led 6-2 at the break.
Danbrook’s third goal of the game late in the third period was the equalizer. Other scorers were Fleck, Chase Batchelor and Harison. Evan Trottier added a couple of assists. Danbrook was MVP.
In Sunday action, Harison bagged a pair as the Venom clipped the Bruins 5-4. Cameron Moger, Anne Cherkowski (MVP) and Danbrook supplied singles.
In Thanksgiving Monday’s semifinal, the two Vernon teams collided with the Venom doubling up on the H&L Glass Wolfpack 4-2.
Ben Imrich opened up the Venom scoring, while Moger scored shorthanded, Danbrook connected on the powerplay and Beacom finished off the attack. Goalie Caden Colmorgen was named Wolfpack game MVP
The Wolfpack fell 7-5 to the North Okanagan Knights and smothered Westside 13-0 in their opening games.
Kord Haller and Nick Walker each scored twice for the Knights, who got singles from Mitchell Brown, Eli Dwyer and Michael Kormany.
Rowan Miller, Eric Noren, Tanner Wright, Braeden McAmmond and Lucas Zubrod replied for the Wolfpack.
Lochlan O’Keefe and Miller both recorded hat tricks against Westside, while Ben King earned 2+2. Tysen Fairweather and Noren each fired two goals and Lee Christensen one.
The H&L Glass boys toppled Aldergrove 7-1 in other prelinary action with Wright earning game MVP.
