Game Preview: Season Opener: Vernon @ Salmon Arm:

Vernon (0-0-0-0) @ Salmon Arm (0-0-0-0) 7pm

Tonight is the regular season opener and the second of eight meetings between the Vernon Vipers & Salmon Arm Silverbacks. The Silverbacks won the only meeting in pre-season play. You can listen to all the play by play with Graham Turnbull starting with the pre-game show at 6:45pm on 107.5 Kiss FM

Last Game:

Friday, September 2nd Salmon Arm defeated Vernon 1-0

Next Game:

Saturday, September 10th  Salmon Arm @ Vernon

Since the 2002-03 regular season Vernon is 48-39-4-11 vs. Salmon Arm

Since the 2002-03 regular season Salmon Arm has outscored Vernon 341-329

Since the 2003-04 regular season Vernon is 21-17-1-6 at home vs. Salmon Arm

Since the 2003-04 regular season Vernon is 21-19-2-6 in Salmon Arm

Vernon is 3-6-1-0 in its last 10 regular season visits at the Shaw Centre

Vernon is 5-4-1-0 in its last 10 regular season home games vs Salmon Arm

Vernon is 3-7-0-0 in its last 10 regular season games vs. Salmon Arm

The Vipers last regular season win at home vs Salmon Arm was a 3-2 victory on Friday, January 29th 2016

The Silverbacks last regular season win at Kal Tire Place was a 5-2 victory on Wednesday, December 9th 2015

The Vipers last regular season win at the Shaw Centre was a 10-5 victory on Friday, January 15th 2016

The Silverbacks last regular season win at the Shaw Centre vs Vernon was a 6-1 win on Saturday, January 30th 2016

The Vipers went 2-5-0-0 vs Salmon Arm last season

Lets take a look at the Vernon Vipers:

The Vernon Vipers make their second of four visits to the Shaw Centre (Exhibition & Regular Season). The Vipers are coming off a 1-0 pre-season loss in Salmon Arm September 2nd open the 2016-17 regular season with a home & home series vs the Silverbacks. Since 2008 these two teams have either opened the regular season with a home and home series or opened the regular season in Chilliwack at the BCHL Showcase, before returning home to face the Silverbacks in a home and home series in seven of the past nine seasons. Vernon finished the pre-season with a 0-5 record were outscored 16-6 in the five exhibition games. These two teams were suppose to finish the pre-season with a game in Vernon September 3rd but the game was cancelled due to a flood at Kal Tire Place. The Vipers have eleven players returning from last year's team. Riley Brandt has been named captain. The Vipers lost two of the three games in Salmon Arm last year have just three wins at the Shaw Centre in their last ten visits.

Vernon Vipers Season Preview

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aaoAPOcPzc4

Odeen Tufto (25-40-65) lead the the team in goals last season with twenty five & in points with sixty five

Vernon Vipers 2015-16 regular season Stats:

Games Played: 58
Wins: 24
Losses: 31
Ties: 0
Overtime Losses: 3
Home Record: 13-14-0-2
Road Record: 11-16-0-2
Overtime Record: 4-4
Record vs Interior Division: 12-21-0-3
Record vs Island & Mainland Divisions: 12-9-0-1
When the Vipers score first: 10-7-0-2
When the opponents score first: 14-24-0-1
Leading after 1st Period: 11-4-0-2
Tied after 1st Period: 5-9-0-0
Trailing after 1st Period: 9-18-0-1
Leading after 2nd Period: 14-2-0-1
Tied after 2nd Period: 6-6-0-1
Trailing after 2nd Period: 4-23-0-0
Out shooting Opponents: 12-8-0-2
Out shot by Opponents: 11-23-0-1
One goal games: 7-7-0-3
Record in September: 3-3-0-1
Record in October: 6-6-0-0
Record in November: 4-6-0-1
Record in December: 3-5-0-1
Record in January: 5-4-0-0
Record in February: 3-7-0-0
Goals For: 179
Goals Against: 206
Place: 4th Place (Tied with Merritt)
Longest winning streak last year: Four games
Longest losing streak last year: Six games

Vernon Vipers Returning Players:

Brett Stapley (99)

Christian Cakebread (97)

Nicholas Rasovic (96)

Hunter Zandee (96)

Jagger Williamson (98)

Jimmy Lambert (97)

Steven Jandric (97)

Callum Volpe (98)

Darren Rizzolo (98)

Riley Brandt (96)
Mitchell Oliver (97)

Vernon Vipers Departing & traded players from last years team:

Charley Michalowski (96)

Odeen Tufto (97)
Colton McCarthy (96)
Liam Finlay (97)
Joe Sacco (96)
Ben Butcher (95)
Brendan Barry (97)
Latrell Charleson (95)
Bo Pellah (95)
Mac Ferner (95)
Andrew Shortridge (95)

Vernon’s Home record vs Salmon Arm last season:

1-3-0-0

Vernon’s Road record vs Salmon Arm last season:

1-3-0-0

Vernon’s scoring leaders vs Salmon Arm last season:

Odeen Tufto (6-3-9)
Ben Butcher (2-4-6)
Liam Finlay (1-4-5)
Bo Pellah (0-5-5)

Colton McCarthy (2-3-5)
Jimmy Lambert (2-2-4)
Darren Rizzolo (1-3-4)
Callum Volpe (1-2-3)
Jagger Williamson (2-1-3)
Riley Brandt (1-2-3)
Latrell Charleson (0-3-3)
Mitchell Oliver (1-2-3)
Christian Cakebread (1-1-2)
Charley Michalowski (1-0-1)
Steven Jandric (0-1-1)
Brett Stapley (0-1-1)
Joe Sacco (1-0-1)

Andrew Shortridge (1-4 Record)

Brendan Barry (1-1 Record)

-Vernon has the leagues 5th best powerplay last season

-The Vipers had the leagues 13th best penalty kill last season

Lets take a look at the Salmon Arm Silverbacks:

The Salmon Arm Silverbacks are coming off a 1-0 victory over the visiting Vernon Vipers last Friday. Tonight will be the first of seven regular season meetings with the Vipers. The Silverbacks finished the pre-season with a record of 1-2-1-0 Salmon Arm has won seven of their last ten games over Vernon will host the Vipers three times this season. The Backs won five of the seven meetings vs the Vipers last season have eight players returning from lasy year's team. Mitch Skapski will wear the "C" for the Silverbacks this season. 

Salmon Arm Silverbacks Season Preview

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hPXlvMBsn4

Ross Heidt (33-20-53) lead the Silverbacks lead in goals last season with thirty three, while Taro Hirose (15-56-71) lead the team in points last year with seventy one.

Troy Mick played with the Vernon Lakers and was an Assistant Coach-Head Coach & GM with the Vernon Vipers before joining the Salmon Arm Silverbacks.

Salmon Arm Silverbacks 2015-16 regular season Stats:

Games Played: 58

Wins: 29

Losses: 20

Ties: 4

Overtime Losses: 5

Home Record: 15-7-3-4

Road Record: 14-13-1-1

Goals For: 227

Goals Against: 184

Place: 3rd Place

Salmon Arm Silverbacks Returning Players:

Mitch Skapski (96)
Carson Bolduc (96)
Jared Turcotte (97)

Ryley Booth (96)
Josh Blanchard (96)
Elijiah Barriga (96)
Marcus Mitchell (98)
Cameron Trott (97)

Salmon Arm Silverbacks  Departing & traded players from last years team:

Nick Hutchison (95)

Chase Zieky (96)

Cameron Coutre (98)

Joshua Laframboise (96)

Taro Hirose (96)

Colton Thibault (95)

Ross Heidt (96)

Phil Middleton (95)

Kodi Schwarz (95)

Damian Chrcek (96)

Ayrton Nikkel (95)

Sam De Melo (98)

Angus Redmond (95)

Brandon Kegler (97)

Salmon Arm's Home record vs. Vernon last season:

2-1-0-0

Salmon Arm's Road record vs. Vernon last season:

3-1-0-0

Salmon Arm's scoring leaders vs. Vernon last season:

Chase Zieky (6-4-10)

Ross Heidt (8-2-10)

Taro Hirose (1-8-9)

Josh Laframboise (1-7-8)
Jared Turcotte (1-7-8)

Elijiah Barriga (3-4-7)

Carson Bolduc (2-4-6)

Kodi Scharz (1-5-6)

Colton Thibault (1-4-5)

Josh Blanchard (2-3-5)

Nick Hutchison (3-1-4)

Cameron Trott (0-4-4)

Phil Mildeton (0-3-3)

Marcus Mitchell (1-1-2)

Damian Chreck (1-1-2)
Josh Latta (2-0-2)

Brett Stewart (0-1-1)

Ryley Booth (0-1-1)

Angus Redmond (4-2 Record)

Brandon Kegler (1-0 Record)

-Salmon Arm had the leagues 4th best powerplay last season

-The Silverbacks had the league's 9th best penalty kill last season

Here's a look at both teams rosters:

Vernon Vipers:

http://bchl.ca/roster?team=21

Salmon Arm Silverbacks:

http://bchl.ca/roster?team=20