The 2010 Fred Page Cup Finals has come down to Game 7 and only 60 minutes separate the Vernon Vipers from a second straight British Columbia Hockey League title when they face off against the Powell River Kings on Monday night for a ticket to the Doyle Cup.
A year ago, the Vipers were crowned league champions after a six-game series win, but in 2010 they will need an extra game to finish the job after a 5-2 loss in Powell River on Saturday night.
Despite the Game 6 defeat, Vernon remains the slight favourite as the defending champs and returns to the Wesbild Centre with the coveted home-ice advantage in the big game, although anything can happen in a one-game showdown. Besides, the momentum of the series has changed sides seemingly every shift in the Fred Page Cup Finals. When it’s looked like one team has taken control of the series, the other pushes back with a rock-solid performance to regain their form, so there is no telling which team will finish on top and win the BCHL crown.
After the Vipers won the Fred Page Cup opener 2-1 at home, the Kings earned a road split and returned home to shut out Vernon in convincing fashion in Game 3. But Interior’s best team responded with two wins in a row, including a Game 4 victory at Hap Parker Arena to even the series and regain home ice. The Vipers and Kings then traded home wins to set up what should be a great display of hockey between two evenly-matched teams.
It’s the first time since 2001 that the championship series has been pushed to the brink. Nine years ago, the Victoria Salsa beat the Merritt Centennials in Game 7 to win the Fred Page Cup in one of the classic seven-game series in league history.
Powell River is seeking the franchise’s first-ever BCHL championship, while the Vipers are looking for their 10th overall. The winner of Monday night’s affair will await the champion of the Alberta Junior Hockey League before the Doyle Cup begins this Saturday. The BCHL's opponent will either be the Fort McMurray Oil Barons or Spruce Grove Saints, who host another Game 7 on Tuesday evening to determine the AJHL representative.
Fans can tune in to the much-anticipated Game 7 on BCHL WebTV as Vipers’ play-by-play broadcaster Todd Miller has the call from the Wesbild Centre.
