The second leg of the march to the Fred Page Cup for the Vernon Vipers begins tomorrow night in Penticton.
The head to head series in the regular season saw the Vees win 6 of 7, with three of them coming at Kal Tire Place where the Vipers only lost 6 times in regulation.
1) - October 17 - Vipers 1 Vees 3 - KTP
2) - October 25 - Vipers 0 Vees 1 - SOEC
3) - November 14 - Vipers 2 Vees 4 - KTP
4) - December 5 - Vipers 3 Vees 4 - KTP
5) - January 2 - Vipers 0 Vees 3 - SOEC
6) - February 11 - Vipers 2 Vees 1 - SOEC
7) - February 27 - Vipers 2 Vees 3 - SOEC
No real surprise that they've all been generally close games. Not only have they been close, but they've been extremely entertaining affairs. The Vees won't be coming into the series expecting to dominate the win/loss column, but the record should give them some confidence. For the Vipers they have played their best hockey of the season in a 4 game sweep over the Merritt Centennials. The Vipers are 9-1 at home in 2015 and all three of their losses at home to Penticton were before the calendar changed.
Lets look at the head to head success:
Vernon - Thomas Aldworth 5 G 0 A - 5 Pts
- TJ Dumonceaux 1 G 3 A - 4 Pts
- Liam Finlay 0 G 4 A - 4 Pts
Penticton - Dante Fabbro 1 G 5 A - 6 Pts
- Demico Hannoun 4 G 1 A - 5 Pts
- Gabe Bast 1 G 4 A - 5 Pts
When talking goaltending it remained a question mark for the Vipers heading in. Danny Todosychuk started Game 1 in round 1, but sustained an injury and Jarrod Schamerhorn took over and played very well. Todosychuk holds the only win over Penticton and if healthy, Mark Ferner will have a heck of a dilemma. Both guys are capable of being starters. Do you start Danny who played very well in game 1, or do you go back with Schamerhorn who is credited with 4 straight wins. It will be very interesting to watch depending on the status of Todosychuk coming into the series.
On the other side, Hunter Miska is the bona fide number 1 guy. He led the league in the majority of the statistics and played every second against the Vipers this season. That is not expected to change. He is a difference maker for the Vees, who don't give up much offense against, but when they do, Miska has the ability to flip a switch and shut down the opposition. There is little doubt that Fred Harbinson will rely on him in the series.
Head to head goalie stats:
Vernon
Danny Todosychuk - 1-2-0-0, 2.00 GAA, .932 Sv%
Jarrod Schamerhorn - 0-4-0-0, 2.50 GAA, .932 Sv%
Penticton
Hunter Miska - 6-1-0-0, 1.42 GAA, .955 Sv%
Its interesting to note the special teams battle. It was a tail of two seasons. The Vipers PP was atrocious early on and went 0/8 in the first three games. They went 3 for 11 in the last 4 games. Its the complete opposite for the Vees. Their PP was 5/14 in the first three, then a stone cold 0 for 15 in the last 4 games.
Those numbers of course mean nothing in the second season, but the Vipers powerplay and penalty kill have vastly improved and that will be crucial for them in this seeries.
Here is the Series Schedule:
Saturday March 14 - 6pm - SOEC
Sunday March 15 - 6pm - SOEC
Tuesday March 17 - 7pm - KTP
Wednesday March 18 - 7pm - KTP
Friday March 20 - 7pm - SOEC (if necessary)
Saturday March 21 - 6pm - KTP (if necessary)
Sunday March 22 - 6pm - SOEC (if necessary)
This is a rematch of last years Interior Final which had the Vipers surprising the Vees in Game 7. The Vees will use that as motivation. For the Vipers they are up against the BCHL's best in the regular season and will use this as a measuring stick. They way they've played of late don't expect a lot of goals for or against. The rivalry will be renewed tomorrow!
Here are your listening/viewing options
Listen with myself and Don Klepp...http://1075kiss.com/
Listen with voice of the Vees, Fraser Rodgers...http://penticton.myezrock.com/
Watch on Fasthockey...http://www.fasthockey.com/
Thanks for checking out the blog! Feel free to follow me on Twitter...@GrahamT_Vipers for all you Viper news and information!
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