Calgary, AB: It’s officially must-win territory for the Vernon Vipers as they head into a tough environment in Blackfalds to take on one of the BCHL’s top teams, the Bulldogs.
Last Game – Vernon
After opening their home-and-home set with a strong win over Salmon Arm on Friday, the Vipers were unable to carry that momentum into Saturday, falling 3-1 to the Silverbacks.
Shawn Leary scored the lone goal for Vernon, while Christian Maro and Garin Ludwig chipped in with assists. Lane Maarhuis turned aside 32 of 35 shots in a solid effort between the pipes.
Special teams told much of the story. The Vipers went 0-for-4 on the powerplay, including a five-minute major opportunity, while the penalty kill was perfect—shutting down all five Salmon Arm chances.
Last Game – Blackfalds
The Bulldogs come into tonight’s matchup on a high note after a 3-1 win over the Trail Smoke Eaters on Friday.
Thomas Neu, Nikita Ivashchenko, and Noah Mertz provided the offense, while Oliver Kiraly was sharp in goal, making 20 saves on 21 shots.
Blackfalds went 0-for-4 on the powerplay but were strong defensively, killing off three of four Trail opportunities.
By the Numbers
Vernon Vipers
Record: 14-28-7-0
Away: 8-14-2-0
Streak: L1
Last 10: 4-6-0-0
Powerplay: 18.1% (18th)
Penalty Kill: 77.4% (10th)
Goals For: 154
Goals Against: 198
Goal Differential: -44
Blackfalds Bulldogs
Record: 35-14-1-0
Home: 17-7-0-0
Streak: W1
Last 10: 9-1-0-0
Powerplay: 23.6% (10th)
Penalty Kill: 82.9% (2nd)
Goals For: 201
Goals Against: 124
Goal Differential: +77
Scoring Leaders
Vernon
Dmitrii Kubantsev — 14G, 34A, 48 Pts
Deagan McMillan — 20G, 18A, 38 Pts
Christian Maro — 17G, 20A, 37 Pts
Blackfalds
Nikita Ivashchenko — 30G, 37A, 67 Pts
Thomas Neu — 23G, 34A, 57 Pts
Goaltending Matchup
Vernon
Oliver Kanat — 24 GP | 3.57 GAA | .889 SV%
Lane Maarhuis — 9 GP | 3.49 GAA | .902 SV%
Jesse Sanche — 5 GP | 4.46 GAA | .852 SV%
Blackfalds
Carson Mertz — 29 GP | 21-7-0-0 | 2.34 GAA | .910 SV% | 1 SHO
Oliver Kiraly — 19 GP | 12-5-1-0 | 2.20 GAA | .912 SV% | 4 SHO
Head-to-Head
Tonight marks the fourth and final meeting of the season between the Vipers and Bulldogs.
Vernon holds the edge in the season series at 2-1-0-0, with each game tightly contested:
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December 20 — Vernon 5, Blackfalds 4 (OT)
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February 7 — Vernon 3, Blackfalds 2
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February 20 — Blackfalds 4, Vernon 1
What’s at Stake
Vernon
Simply put—this is a must-win game.
With the Cranbrook Bucks idle tonight, the Vipers have a chance to gain ground, but they remain eight points back and must finish ahead of Cranbrook due to tiebreaker scenarios. With limited games remaining, the margin for error is gone.
Blackfalds
There’s plenty on the line for the Bulldogs as well.
Blackfalds is locked in a battle for top spot in the Interior East Division with the Brooks Bandits. While the Bandits have a game in hand, the Bulldogs currently hold the tiebreaker—making every point down the stretch crucial.
Broadcast Information
🕖 Puck Drop: 7:00 PM MT (6:00 PM PT)
🕡 Pregame: 6:45 PM MT (5:45 PM PT)
📻 107.5 Beach Radio
🎧 Vernon Matters (audio stream)
📺 FloHockey
