The BCHL recently released the schedule for the 2021-22 season for the Vernon Vipers. This season is special for many reasons with the possibility of fans returning to see their team play, but also the Vernon Vipers franchise and the BCHL turn 60 years old.
In this article, I take a look at some of the key games to circle on the calendar throughout the season.
The BCHL has released the 2021-22 regular season schedule. Here are some of the important dates you will want to circle on your calendar!https://t.co/FpFEKvP764
— VernonVipers (@VernonVipers) June 7, 2021
October
October 8 – The season for the Vipers begins on the road. Not only is it the first game of the season, but it’s also the first time since Nov. 20, 2020 that Vernon plays the Penticton Vees.
The two teams last played in the Okanagan Cup championship game where the Vees won 3-2 in overtime. Look it to be a highly emotional game as these two teams begin a new chapter in their rivalry.
October 16 – The Vipers play their first game at home against the Salmon Arm Silverbacks. The two teams played a lot against each other in recent months, as the clubs were both in the Vernon pod which the Vipers won.
It will also be an intense game as the teams play each other the night before in Salmon Arm.
October 28-31 – The Vipers head on an Island road swing where they visit Victoria, Alberni Valley, and Cowichan Valley.
This road trip is significant as it is the first time the Vipers face teams from outside their division since Feb. 7, 2020, when Vernon played the Nanaimo Clippers.
November
November 5 – For the first time since the 2020 playoffs, the Vipers play the Wenatchee Wild.
The last time the two teams met, the Snakes knocked the Wild out of the playoffs before COVID-19 shut the rest of the season down.
November 10 and 12 – With no BCHL champion crowned in the playoffs in either 2020 and 2021, the Prince George Spruce Kings are still the reigning champions.
The Spruce Kings swept the Vipers in the BCHL finals in 2019 on their way to an appearance in the national junior A championship game.
November 26 – December 4 – The Vipers longest homestand of the season is a five-game affair at Kal Tire Place.
The homestand holds some significant games as it is the first time teams from the Lower Mainland visit Vernon when the Langley Rivermen and Coquitlam Express come to town.
January
There aren’t too many key games in the first month of 2022, except for a New Year’s Day game against Salmon Arm.
February
February 4-5 and 11-12 – These four games in February are special for the Snakes.
It’s the first time they get to play the newest team in the BCHL, the Cranbrook Bucks. The Vipers play the first two games in Vernon and then the next two in Cranbrook.
The Bucks got their first taste of BCHL hockey in the Pentiction pod during the condensed pod season.
February 18-19 – Vernon’s only trip to the Town Toyota Center in Wenatchee to play the Wild.
March
March 19 – Vernon’s last home game of the season versus the Merritt Centennials.
March 20 – The Vipers last game of the season, on the road, against the West Kelowna Warriors.
