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May 10, 2009
NR.077
VICTORIA, B.C. – The Drive for Five is complete – the Vernon Vipers are Canada’s first five-time national
Junior A champions after a 2-0 win over the Humboldt Broncos in Sunday’s championship game at Bear Mountain
Arena.
Braden Pimm and Kyle Bigos scored the goals for the Vipers, who ran undefeated through this year’s
National Junior A Championship, going 6-0 while outscoring the opposition 32-15. Andrew Hammond posted his
first shutout of the tournament, turning aside all 27 shots he faced.
Vernon’s win moves them past the Prince Albert Raiders as the winningest Junior A team in Canadian
history, with five national championship. The 2009 championship joins 1990, 1991, 1996 and 1999 titles for
the B.C. team. The Raiders were national champions in 1977, 1979, 1981 and 1982.
After a convincing semifinal win over the Kingston Voyageurs on Friday the Vipers found themselves in a
fight on Sunday, scoreless with the Broncos through 20 minutes. Despite losing captain Steve Crowell and
top-six forward Ryan Santana – both to checking-from-behind penalties – Vernon took the lead when Pimm
crashed the net and popped the puck over Humboldt netminder Mathieu LaRochelle.
Bigos made it 2-0 late in the third, dancing around three Broncos before sliding the puck past LaRochelle
for the insurance marker. Bigos was the big winner at Saturday night’s awards banquet, taking home Top
Defenceman and Most Valuable Player honours.
Hammond was at his best in the second period, turning aside 13 Humboldt shots as the Broncos swarmed the
net for much of the period, looking for the all-important first goal. He became the second goaltender in as
many years to post a shutout in the championship game – Humboldt’s Taylor Nelson blanked Camrose 1-0 at the
2008 RBC Cup in Cornwall, Ont.
Humboldt failed in its bid to become the first team since the Vernon Lakers in 1990 and 1991 to win
back-to-back National Junior A Championships. Despite the loss, the Broncos have appeared in the national
championship game in three of the last seven tournaments, winning national titles in 2003 and 2008.
The 2010 RBC Cup will be held in May 2010 in Dauphin, Man., with the Dauphin Kings serving as the host
team.
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