By Dhiren Mahiban /
Regardless of the outcome the 2009 Royal Bank Cup was going to go into the record books, and with the 2-0 win over the Humboldt Broncos the Vernon Vipers secured their place in history with a record fifth national title last weekend at the Royal Bank Cup.
Vernon Vipers centre Braden Pimm scored the eventual game winner on the power play when he found the loose puck in a scrum and got it past Mathieu LaRochelle near the mid-way mark of the second period.
The Vipers took a 2-0 lead six minutes into the third period, on the powerplay, when tournament MVP Kyle Bigos skated in off the half-boards and deposited the puck five-hole on LaRochelle.
“It’s unbelievable, you can’t describe it in words,” said Vipers head coach and GM, Mark Ferner.
“All the hard work that these kids put in to get to this point, and unfortunately there has to be a loser, but I think we’re a very deserving team.”
The game saw three 20-year-olds have their careers ended early when they were handed checking from behind game misconducts. Vernon’s Ryan Santana and Chris Crowell along with Matthew Kirzinger all saw their careers end on a sour note.
“It hasn’t really hit yet,” said Bigos, who is eligible for this June’s NHL draft. “It just feels so good just to know you went all the way to the end and beat everybody – there’s no one else to beat left. It’s just a great feeling.”
Vernon cruised through the round robin going a perfect 4-0 and earned their spot in the finals by handling the Kingston Voyageurs 6-3.
Meanwhile, Humboldt – the defending champions – needed overtime to defeat the host Victoria Grizzlies 3-2 in overtime to punch their ticket in the finals.
The Summerside Western Capitals finished the tournament 1-3, and in the fifth seed, as a result, their time in Victoria ended early.
Vernon’s Bigos also took home the tournament’s top defenceman while the top forward award went to Vipers forward Connor Jones and the most sportsmanlike player award went to Santana
Victoria Grizzlies goaltender Anthony Grieco prevented the Vipers from cleaning up at the awards banquet by being named the tournament’s top goalie.
The Vernon franchise has now won national titles in 1990, 1991, 1996 and 1999.
Dauphin, Manitoba will play host to the 2010 Royal Bank Cup. |