Vernon Vipers The Vernon Vipers are a Tier II Junior " A " ice hockey team from Vernon , British Columbia , Canada . They are a part of the British Columbia Hockey League and play in the Interior Conference . History . The Vernon Jr . Canadians , Penticton Jr . Vees , Kelowna Buckaroos and Kamloops Jr . Rockets , four junior " B " teams , formed the Okanagan - Mainline Junior Hockey League in 1961 on the advise and determination of Canadians owner Bill Brown . After their inaugural season the Canadians changed their name to " Vernon Blades " and kept that name till the start of the 1967 - 68 season . In the playoffs of 1970 the " Vernon Essos " , as they were called , captured the league championship and Mowat Cup ( BC ) . They also automatically advanced to the Abbott Cup ( Western Canada ) because the AJHL champions did not want to contest for the BC / Alta Championship ( now called the Doyle Cup ) . In the Abbott Cup of 1970 , the Weyburn Red Wings of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League defeated Vernon 4 games to none . The Essos repeated as league champions and Mowat Cup winners in 1972 , only to lose to the Red Deer Rustlers for the BC / Alta Championship , 4 games to 2 . For the start of the 1973 - 74 season the " Vernon Essos " became the " Vernon Vikings " . The name remained until the end of the 1979 playoffs , which saw the team take a leave - of - absence for the 1979 - 80 season . The 1980 - 81 season is one , the new , " Vernon Lakers " would like to forget , as they only won 8 games , playing 56 . They didn ' t fair much better the next season which saw them win only 10 of 47 . It wasn ' t until the 1982 - 83 season that Vernon began its slow and meticulous climb to the top of the Junior " A " Hockey World . Even a name change , for one season in 1983 - 84 , " Vernon Rockets " , did not deter the team from their ultimate goal . Each season that went by , brought with it , an improvement . When in the playoffs of 1988 saw them go all the way to the Doyle Cup , it was the beginning of things to come for the Lakers . In 1989 the Lakers started the first of 4 consecutive trips to the National Championships . A string which saw the them accumulate 2 Centennial Cups ( 1990 & 1991 ) , 3 Abbott Cup s , 3 Doyle Cup s , 4 Mowat Cup s , 4 League Championships , and 5 Conference Championships . In the 1990 Centennial Cup final Vernon ( as Host ) faced the heavily favored New Westminster Royals , whom had previously defeated Vernon in the league finals . It would be the first televised Centennial Cup Final and some say the best game ever , period . The game saw New Westminster take the lead into the 3rd period , 5 - 3 . Cam Sylven would tie the game for the Lakers , 5 - 5 , in the third period to force overtime . He scored once again in OT , on a breakaway , for the 6 - 5 win and the first of two Centennial Cups for the Lakers . The Lakers repeated as Centennial Cup winners in 1991 defeating the Sudbury Cubs of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League , 8 - 4 . They showed up , to contest for the National Finals , again in 1992 but fell short in the semis to the Winkler Flyers of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League , 5 - 2 . The Vernon franchise would not return to the National Final Tournament for another 4 years . That year was 1996 , the team was the " Vernon Vipers " and the trophy was the inaugural Royal Bank Cup . It was one of Vernons best seasons as they finished the regular portion winning 43 games , losing 13 and tying 4 . The Vipers defeated the Langley Thunder for the League title , 4 games to 1 . Went on to defeat Prince George Spruce Kings ( Rocky Mountain JHL ) for the Mowat Cup , 3 games to 0 . Then faced a tough Saint Albert Saints ( Alberta Junior Hockey League ) team but came out ahead winning 4 games to 3 , to claim the Doyle Cup . The Abbott Cup , which was now awarded during the Royal Bank Cup round - robin play , was given to Melfort Mustangs ( Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League ) as they defeated Vipers , 5 - 1 . The Vipers had an even round - robin , winning 2 games and losing 2 . The Newmarket 87 ' s of the Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League were the Vipers next opponent , in the semi - finals , which they won , 7 - 4 . Onto the final it was , meeting the host Melfort Mustangs , avenging their lose in the semis , winning by a score of 2 - 0 . Three short years after winning the inaugural Royal Bank Cup did Vernon once again claim a National Title in 1999 . The Vipers did this by capping an amazing season of 52 wins and 6 loses 2 Ties , breaking just about every record in League history , with a win over the Chilliwack Chiefs for the League title , Fred Page Cup . The Mowat Cup was a mixed blessing as Vernon won but , not without controversy . The Kimberley Dynamiters ( Rocky Mountain JHL ) won 1 game of the 4 played . It was the first time a team from the Rocky Mountain Junior Hockey League defeated a team from the BCHL . It should be noted however , that Vernon played with a Junior " B " backup goaltender in the loss , ( 7 - 6 ) due to injury of their regular goaltenders . Kimberley was only able to muster 13 shots in that game . The Doyle Cup was easily won by Vernon , 4 games to 1 , over the Calgary Canucks ( AJHL ) . The Vipers did it all the hard - way in the Royal Bank Cup Tournament winning only once during round - robin play . That one win was enough though , to claim the Abbott Cup by defeating the Estevan Bruins ( SJHL ) , 3 - 2 . After that dismal showing in the round - robin Vernon still managed to advance to the semi - finals . In that semi , the Bramalea Blues ( OPJHL ) went down to defeat by a score of , 3 - 2 . The Royal Bank Cup was an absolute blow - out as the Vipers hammered the Charlottetown Abbies ( Maritime Junior A Hockey League ) , 9 - 3 , claiming the franchises 4th National Championship in 10 years . The 1999 Viper team is considered by many the greatest team in BCHL history . In conclusion , 2 Royal Bank Cup s , 2 Centennial Cups , 4 Abbott Cup s , 5 Doyle Cup s , 8 Mowat Cup s and 9 League Titles proves that the Vernon Vipers continue to be among the best - of - the - best in junior " A " hockey , and remain a proud and competitive franchise . External links . < br >