Vernon Vipers (15-30-6) at Sherwood Park Crusaders (31-19-1)
Silent Ice Center – Puck Drop: 7:00 PM
The Vernon Vipers will look to wrap up their road weekend on a high note tonight as they face off against the Sherwood Park Crusaders at the Silent Ice Center. This marks the Vipers’ final road game of the season, and they’ll be eager to head home with two points in hand.
LAST TIME OUT
The Vipers are coming off a hard-fought 3-2 loss to the Spruce Grove Saints last night. Tyson Zimmer and Luc Bydal provided the offense for Vernon, but the real story was goaltender Logan Cunningham, who stood tall with 49 saves on 52 shots — an impressive performance that earned him third-star honors despite the loss.
Sherwood Park is also looking to bounce back after a tough 5-3 defeat against the Brooks Bandits. The Crusaders held a 3-1 lead heading into the third period, but Brooks stormed back with four unanswered goals to steal the win in regulation. Poul Andersen, Connor Gengle, and Bode Sampair found the back of the net for the Cru, while James Venne made 31 saves on 35 shots in the loss.
RECENT FORM
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Vernon: 3-7-0 in their last 10 games
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Sherwood Park: 6-3-1 in their last 10 games
HEAD-TO-HEAD
This is the fourth and final meeting between these two teams this season. The Crusaders have had the upper hand, winning all three previous matchups (3-0), while Vernon has managed just one point with an 0-2-1 record.
WHAT TO WATCH
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Hot Hands: Tyson Zimmer and Luc Bydal will need to keep finding the net if the Vipers want to crack Sherwood Park’s defense.
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Goaltending Battle: Logan Cunningham’s confidence should be sky-high after his standout performance last night — Jari Kykkanen has been sharp of late too and will look to build on his strong play.
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Crusader Comeback: Despite their recent loss, Sherwood Park has shown they can score in bunches. Vernon will need to tighten up defensively, especially in the third period.
FINAL THOUGHTS
With the season winding down, the Vipers have one last chance to earn a road win and build momentum heading into their final stretch at home. Puck drop is set for 7:00 PM MT
