Press Coverage
Legal Vipers vs Hinton Heat
Another Come from Behind Victory for the Vipers
It was face-off time again in the Legal Arena last night with the Hinton Heat taking on the Legal Vipers on Legal ice. Both teams were in dire need of a victory hoping to add another 2 points to their standings in the NCHL. The Vipers, still in the running for a first place finish, came to the ice with fire in their eyes however, it was the Hinton heat that turned up the 'heat' in the opening frame and scored three unanswered goals within the first 10minutes of play. Greg Armstrong opened up the score followed by one more from Greame Kreiner and another by Rick Coss. At this point, the stage was set for yet another Viper comeback but the question remained: 'Could the Vipers overcome a three goal deficit and do it again'?
It is true that the flame in the Vipers' eyes, had lost some of its intensity following the three relatively fast Heat goals but it was far from being extinguished. At the 07:29 minute mark of the second, Simon Nugent completed a nice passing play from Doug Barich and Chris Page and fired one in the net. The marker proved to be the beginning of a new game for the Vipers. At the 13:15 of the same period, Kyle Townsend accepted a precise pass from Kevin Borduzak and made no mistake. The score was now 3 to 2 as the period ended but the Vipers, it seemed, were heading for yet another comeback.
The final frame started with the same type of vigorous hockey we had witnessed in the previous two frames with both teams focusing on scoring the next and most crucial goal. It came at the 14:09, to the extreme joy of the local crowd and the Vipers. This time André Dechamplain, assisted by Mat Kuzio and Chris Page, was the hero as he scored to tie the game at three. From then on, the Vipers never looked back. The Chris Page, André Dechamplain and Doug Barich line took matters in hand and tallied three more goals before the end of the period. The final score was Legal Vipers 6, and the Hinton Heat 3.
On a final note, this game saw Shawn Legault's first start behind the bench with his father Roger. Both were delighted with the results and could not conceal their exuberant joy. While we wish Shawn the best as assistant coach with the Vipers it is with regret that we acknowledge the departure of Raymond Dechamplain. Raymond played an important role in the formation of the Vipers and was highly respected by his players. His calm approach to the game always had a beneficial effect on the players especially when tension was high and emotions were at a peak. Ray is leaving for Mexico on holidays in the near future and his players and co-coach will miss him significantly on the bench. We wish you the best Ray. Enjoy your holidays with your dear wife Yvonne.
Written by R. Tremblay
The Vipers lose one at home
The Legal Arena was the place to be last night, if you were looking for an exciting and highly entertaining hockey game. The Lamont Bruins came riding into town with one intention in mind and that was to hold on to their first place standing in the league's northern division of the NCHL. The Vipers on the other hand, hot of late, knew that a victory would see the Bruins turn over first place to them. The stage was set and the people responded. The game was in played in front of a near capacity crowd.
As expected the Bruins started with fury, scoring the opening goal with less than three minutes played in the game. They held on to this lead until the last minute of play when they doubled their score with another marker in the last minute of the opening period. The score after one was two nothing for the Bruins.
Legal came back in the second period with more vigour but were held in check by the Bruin's goalie who played a very strong game for Lamont. Legal came close on several occasions but were unable to get one over the goal line until the 09:42 mark of the second frame. The goal was the first of two from Paul de Champlain who played one of his strongest games since coming back from his injury at the beginning of the season. The action, for the next 6 minutes or so, saw both teams going back and forth, nearly scoring on several occasions but with neither team able to hit the mark until the 02:39 of the 2nd when Lamont lit the light with a goal from Brac Sledz. The Legal team showed a lot of character at this point and rather than folding over and head for the dressing room with a two point deficit, they fought back to score one of their own with the clock showing a time of 00:01. This goal was Paul's second of the evening with an assist going to Chris Page.
The third period gave us more, exciting, fast, relentless hockey from end to end to the delight of the crowd. The final tally was in favour of the Bruins who ended the Vipers string of victories and gave themselves a three-point lead in the standing in front of the Legal Vipers. The Vipers' next home game is on Friday Jan. 18th at 08:00 p.m. Make a note of it.
Written by R. Tremblay
Vipers Win Two on the Road
The Legal Vipers were a happy bunch after pulling two victories out of the bag over the weekend. They defeated the Hinton Heat and the Jasper Wolves in their respective arenas in two exciting road games. The two victories were well deserved and the Vipers were delighted with the four points earned in the standings. The 4 points actually places them on top of the pack in the NCHL Northern Division standings, at least for the time being. Lamont presently sits in second place, but you can bet the race will be a tight one as Legal will play against Lamont on Saturday the 12th of January at 8:30. You don't want to miss that one!!
The action started on Friday, January 5th when the Legal Vipers, accompanied by a large contingent of enthusiastic fans, took to the ice against the Hinton Heats for what proved to be a thriller. The Heat opened the scoring in the first period and held on to this lead till the end of the period. The first frame proved difficult for Legal who kept experiencing serious difficulty containing the Heat attack. On the other hand, the Heat relentlessly kept coming back looking for more. Chris Gauthier, in net for Legal, pulled every trick that he knew to keep the door shut and prevent them from accumulating points on the board. After one period, the Vipers still very much in the game, were trailing by one point only.
In the second period, the Vipers seemed to come to life. Early in the period Chris Page accepted a nice pass from Kevin Borduzak and instantly the game was tied. At this point, the tempo of the game was intense, both teams wanting to get the next goal. The Vipers went on to score two more goals ( Chris Page, from André de Champlain & Doug Barich; Chris Page, from André de Champlain) before the Heat got a second one. Legal was now in the lead by a score of three to two after two. In the third period, Legal added two more goals; André Letourneau, unassisted and Chris Page, assisted by Paul de Champlain. Thus finished the scoring story and Legal won its first game on the road trip.
Immediately after the Heat game, the team travelled to Jasper for the night. A good rest was in order after a job well done. On Sunday, the Vipers were up and ready to face the Jasper Wolves, a team they feared to be even stronger than the Heat. It didn't take much time for the Wolves to confirm this fear. Early in the period, they opened the score and kept coming strong, looking for more. Kyle Laturnus, in net for Legal, managed to hold on to the fort for a while, making very important key saves which allowed the Vipers to first even the score with a goal from André de Champlain and then take the lead with one from Chris Page. Doug Barich assisted on both goals. With 3 minutes and 11 seconds left in the period, it appeared like the Vipers were heading to the dressing room with the one goal lead. Then, the sky caved in and the rain started to pour. The Wolves bared their teeth and started to howl and within three minutes scored three unanswered goals. After two periods the score was now Legal 2 Jasper 4.
For the second period, the Vipers returned to the ice a different team. One doesn't know for sure what the coaches did or said but after 11 seconds of play in the period the Vipers scored. And they kept coming, and kept scoring, to eventually outscore the Wolves by a margin of 5 against 1 in the last two periods. Chapeau to the Vipers! They showed a lot of character in this game. Being in a critical position they rallied behind their coaches and fans and got the job done. By the way, the Vipers were very pleased to see so many (noisy) fans for the road trip. It was an inspiration for them and no way, were they going to let them down. The next Viper home game is Saturday the 12th at 8:30p.m. Please note the date and come to support your Vipers!!!
Written by R.T
Vipers vs Slave Lake
The Vipers pulled through with another 2 points in what turned out to be a real thrilling hockey game last night in Slave Lake. After a fast start with four unanswered goals in the first period the Viper, thanks to a natural hat-trick by Chris Page and a goal by Brett Topola, headed for the dressing room after one period, pleased with their performance but fully aware and conscious of the potential power of the Hawks. Caution was of essence!
Hindered by a rash of penalties, and an opposing team that had no desire to roll over and play dead, the Vipers experienced some difficulties in the second period and ended up being outscored three to one in that frame. Chris Gauthier again played a strong game in net and kept the damage to a minimum facing a barrage of shots and allowing only three goals. Legal was now leading by a score of five to three after two periods.
The third period was most interesting with the two teams playing for their lives. The spectators were served with a most exciting period of hockey with both teams scoring in succession. Legal maintained the lead right up to the near end of the game when the Winterhawks, with a man advantage pulled out their goaltender and scored with less than 30 seconds left in the game. We were now heading for overtime, as such was the case the last time these two teams played each other. At that time, the Hawks stole the game from Legal scoring at the fourth minute mark of the O.T. period forcing Legal to settle with only one point in the standings. But such was not the case this time. After a couple minutes of overtime and a few close opportunities, Brett Topola was the hero of the game scoring a well deserved goal on the Hawks goalie and giving Legal the hard fought 2 points in the standings.
The Vipers next game is tonight in Legal. The opposition is the Jasper team. We hope to see you there!
Written by R.T
Legal Vipers vs. Jasper Wolves
No. There is no truth to the rumour that the Edmonton Oilers are scouting the Vipers in search of talented players. However the way the Oilers are playing these days and the way the Vipers are playing, the Oilers could most likely benefit from the services of some of the Vipers talent on ice.
Last night the Vipers continued in their winning ways defeating the Jasper Wolves by a score of 11 to 1. This leaves the Vipers undefeated, in regulation time, for their last 6 starts and earned them 11 points out of a possible 12 points in the standing. Again, a strong team effort was the key for the victory. The game sheet attests to this, showing a large variety of names on the point summary. The Vipers got goals from; Kyle Townsend (3), Chris Page (3), Paul de Champlain (2) François Poulin (1), André de Champlain (1) and Matt Kuzio (1). Doug Barich & André de Champlain lead the assist parade with four (4) each, François Poulin (3), Marcus Borduzak(2), Paul de Champlain, Kevin Hammond, Simon Nugent, Matt Kuzio and Lindsey Mohr with one (1) each.
Kyle Laturnus played well in net, providing the big saves when called upon. Go! Vipers! Go!
The next home game for the Vipers is on Saturday December 15th at 8:00 p.m. Edson will be visiting the Vipers this time. Come along and bring a few friends with you.
The vipers are also playing Friday night in Fox Creek against the Bandits. The Vipers' bus should be available for that trip. If you wish to ride along with the Vipers call George Prefontaine at 961-3660.
Written by R.T.
Legal vs. Fox Creek Dec. 14th
The Legal Vipers doubled the score on the Fox Creek Bandits last night to earn themselves another two points in the North Central Hockey League. The Bandits played hard and managed to keep the scoring close for a couple of periods but were overpowered and outscored in the third period by the Vipers, the final score being 12 to 6 in favour of the Vipers. Both teams were short a number of players and both coaches had to make major changes in their game plans, at the last minute, trying to get the best out of the players on the bench.
The Vipers took an early lead of three to nothing in he first 10 minutes of the opening frame only to see this lead crumble before the end of the period, the Bandits making a game of it. The second period was also close with the Vipers maintaining the lead over the Bandits but leaving the outcome of the game unpredictable after two periods. In the third period the Vipers hit hard and outscored the Bandit 6 to 2.
Again the Vipers put in a valiant effort last night and strong team work prevailed. The Vipers are now in 2nd position in the North Division standing and slowly closing the gap between them and the first place Lamont team. Every future game is of utmost importance for the Vipers and the fans can expect exciting hockey from now on. The next home game for the Vipers is tonight against Edson. Make sure you don't miss any of the action.
Game Summary:
| Name | Goals | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| Doug Barich | 4 | 3 |
| Chris Page | 3 | 5 |
| André de Champlain | 1 | 2 |
| Paul De Champlain | 0 | 2 |
| Kevin Hammond | 1 | 0 |
| Kevin Borduzak | 2 | 2 |
| Kyle Townsend | 1 | 1 |
More on Vipers in Section "About the Team"
Written by R.T.
Vipers Vs. Edson
If you are a Viper fan, you had to enjoy last night's game to the fullest. As it turned out throughout the game, the fan got a little bit of everything. From beautiful scoring plays to spectacular checks to intense fights. You asked for it you got!
Primarily, the game was a clean but hard fought affair. Both teams needed the 2 points and both teams came well prepared and ready for action. The coaches in both camps obviously had good game plans and from the start to the end, the game proved to be a delight for the fans.
The scoring in the first period was relatively low, the Vipers initiated the scoring and took a three to nothing lead in the first period. The ice had a number of scoring chances but Chris Gauthier and later on Kyle Laturnus kept them off the score sheet. They eventually got their lone goal in the first 30 seconds of the third period but from then on Kyle kept the door shut. The final score was 8 to 1 in favour of the Vipers.
This was the Vipers last game of the first half of the season. Their next game is after the Christmas break. Looking back at the first half, the Vipers have to be happy to be where they are. They now occupy second place in the Northern Division and have the two scoring leaders on their team. The Viper team is a team with chemistry with all of its lines contributing. The team consists of a bunch of hard working individuals, committed to the game and their fans. As a fan, I can't be more satisfied and I know I'm not the only one. In conclusion, Merry Christmas to all and happy new year.
Game Summary:
| Name | Goals | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| Chris Page | 3 | 2 |
| Barrett Dupuis | 1 | |
| Lindsay Mohr | 1 | |
| Doug Barich | 1 | 1 |
| André Letourneau | 1 | |
| Kevin Borduzak | 1 | |
| Kevin Hammond | 1 | 1 |
| Simon Nugent | 2 | |
| Paul de Champlain | 1 | |
| André de Champlain | 1 | |
| Marcus Borduzak | 1 | |
| Al Mclaren | 1 |
Written by R.T.
Don't forget to look in the Player Profiles section for more info!
Schedules:
Schedule Tryouts Ice Times Arena MapsMeet the Team
Coach Profiles Player Profiles StatisticsIn Action:
Snap Shots Media CoverageThe League:
NCHL Drayton Valley Wildcats Onoway Ice Dogs Fox Creek Bandits