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Western Mass Vipers

The Vipers were founded in 2013 to provide our kids the opportunity to play highly competitive hockey across MA, CT, and NY with the objective of preparing them for their HS seasons and beyond. We are a player and family-focused not-for-profit organization committed to competitive hockey, strong professional coaching, the development of each player and transparency to our members.  Our teams are run as financial collaboratives and we divide expenses equally among all players.  The Vipers are proud members of the Premier Hockey League of New England (PHLNE).   We complement our PHLNE league games with affiliate games with the Eastern Junior Elite Prospects League and a strong independent schedule. 

All Vipers Tryouts Are Now Postponed

All Vipers tryouts are now postponed.  Please check back for updates regularly.  

2020 Vipers Try-Out Registration

Please Note Time Changes in Red Below.

To register please click on the link below. You will need your player's 2020 USA Hockey number to complete the registration. To look-up the number, please visit https://membership.usahockey.com/duplicate-confirmation

Online registration (preferred): $60
Onsite registration (available): $80

Highlights of the Vipers program include:

  • Teams at the 14U, 15U, 16U, Midget Minor (15/16) and 18U levels
  • Split-Season Fall Teams Aug.-Nov., 24-26 games
  • All teams will play in the Premier Hockey League of New England (PHLNE)
  • 2 Single-Team Full-Ice Practices per Week (Sept. – Nov. at Lossone Arena)
  • Experienced Professional Coaching
  • Viper Teams are highly competitive. 4/5 teams made the PHLNE playoffs last year. 1 team missed by 1 point.
  • Goalies will receive regular training in the fall from Stop It Goaltending included with their ice fees.
  • Spring Program includes the Vipers Cup: April-June (15U-18U) player favorite, highly competitive, spring hockey
  • Vipers are not-for-profit – low costs, all ice fees are invested in our players

The try-out schedule is:

14U (2006)
Sunday,   March 8,     5:00 PM, Fitzpatrick Rink
Tuesday,  March 10,   8:00 PM, Fitzpatrick Rink
Sunday,   March 15,    4:30 PM, Fitzpatrick Rink

15U (2005)
Sunday,  March 8,      6:10 PM, Fitzpatrick Rink
Monday, March 9,      8:00 PM, Fitzpatrick Rink
Sunday,  March 15,    8:00 PM, Fitzpatrick Rink

16U (2004)
Sunday,   March 8,     7:20 PM, Fitzpatrick Rink
Saturday, March 14,   1:30 PM, Smead Arena
Sunday,   March 15,   6:50 PM, Fitzpatrick Rink

18U (2002 and 2003)
Saturday, March 14,   2:40 PM,   Smead Arena
Sunday,   March 15,    5:40 PM,   Fitzpatrick Rink
Monday,   March 16,   8:00 PM,   Fitzpatrick Rink

Vipers Goalies to Train with Stop It Goaltending in 2020

We are pleased to announce that the Western Mass Vipers will partner with Stop It Goaltending to provide regular training for our goalies throughout the Fall 2020 season.  The training will be provided at no additional cost to our goalies. 


Vipers 16U are PHLNE Premier American Regular Season and Tourney Champions! Congrats Boys!

Playoff Time

By Jim Watkins 11/12/2019, 11:15am EST

Vipers Teams in the PHLNE Playoffs

After a successful first year in the PHLNE the Vipers teams are in the league playoffs.  The 16U team won the regular season and tournament championships in the Premier American Division.  The 18U team took the  Central Mass Outlaws, the eventual Premier American Division Champs, to overtime in the semi-finals before losing an exciting game 3-2.  The 15U team enters the PHLNE Premier Playoffs Saturday Nov 16 as the third seed and the Vipers Midget Minor Team looks to lock down the Regular Season Select Division Championship as they head to the playoffs Nov 23.  14U is knocking on the playoff door as we enter the last week of the regular season.

NEPHL Zero Tolerance Form requirement

By Ryan Scott 09/05/2019, 8:30am EDT

All players must complete the NEPHL's Zero Tolerance Form by September 15th.  To complete the Zero Tolerance Form, please click on the following link: NEPHL Zero Tolerance Form.
You will be required to login in order to complete the form. The login credentials are the same as the ones you use for the Vipers website. 

2019-2020 USA Hockey Numbers and roster information needed

By Ryan Scott 09/04/2019, 1:45pm EDT

In order to facilitate the collection of the 2019-2020 USA Hockey numbers and other required roster information, we have created a registration page.   Please complete this registration as soon as possible as we need to submit the rosters within the next week.  

Click here to submit your 2019-2020 USA Hockey Number.
 

 

August Preseason Skates at Mullins led by Matt Bourdeaux

By Jim Watkins 07/30/2019, 4:30pm EDT

It's time to get your legs back under you!  The Vipers will be holding a series of pre-season skates at Mullins to prepare for the upcoming season.  All Viper players not excused due to vacation or another commitment are expected to attend.  Session 1 each night will be for our 14U, 15U and 2004 birth year Midget Minor Players and Session 2 each night will be for our 16U, 18U and 2003 Midget Minor Players.  While we prefer players to skate with their group, attendance at the other session is ok if it avoids a conflict. The first three nights, the sessions will be led by Matt Bourdeaux, who as many of you know conducts independent high-level training for local players.  Expect the pre-season skates to be be intense, so get going on your aerobic preparation for the season.  The schedule is as follows:

Thursday  Aug.  8    Session 1@6:30,      Session 2@7:30
Sunday      Aug. 11   Session 1@6:30,      Session 2@7:30
Thursday  Aug. 15  Session 1@6:30,      Session 2@7:30
Sunday      Aug. 18   Session 1@6:30,      Session 2@7:30

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This season USA hockey is requiring all volunteers to obtain a USA Hockey number. All coaches, team managers, and board members must submit their USA hockey number via the registration link below.  

Playoff Time

By Jim Watkins 11/12/2019, 11:15am EST

Vipers Teams in the PHLNE Playoffs

After a successful first year in the PHLNE the Vipers teams are in the league playoffs.  The 16U team won the regular season and tournament championships in the Premier American Division.  The 18U team took the  Central Mass Outlaws, the eventual Premier American Division Champs, to overtime in the semi-finals before losing an exciting game 3-2.  The 15U team enters the PHLNE Premier Playoffs Saturday Nov 16 as the third seed and the Vipers Midget Minor Team looks to lock down the Regular Season Select Division Championship as they head to the playoffs Nov 23.  14U is knocking on the playoff door as we enter the last week of the regular season.

NEPHL Zero Tolerance Form requirement

By Ryan Scott 09/05/2019, 8:30am EDT

All players must complete the NEPHL's Zero Tolerance Form by September 15th.  To complete the Zero Tolerance Form, please click on the following link: NEPHL Zero Tolerance Form.
You will be required to login in order to complete the form. The login credentials are the same as the ones you use for the Vipers website. 

2019-2020 USA Hockey Numbers and roster information needed

By Ryan Scott 09/04/2019, 1:45pm EDT

In order to facilitate the collection of the 2019-2020 USA Hockey numbers and other required roster information, we have created a registration page.   Please complete this registration as soon as possible as we need to submit the rosters within the next week.  

Click here to submit your 2019-2020 USA Hockey Number.
 

 

August Preseason Skates at Mullins led by Matt Bourdeaux

By Jim Watkins 07/30/2019, 4:30pm EDT

It's time to get your legs back under you!  The Vipers will be holding a series of pre-season skates at Mullins to prepare for the upcoming season.  All Viper players not excused due to vacation or another commitment are expected to attend.  Session 1 each night will be for our 14U, 15U and 2004 birth year Midget Minor Players and Session 2 each night will be for our 16U, 18U and 2003 Midget Minor Players.  While we prefer players to skate with their group, attendance at the other session is ok if it avoids a conflict. The first three nights, the sessions will be led by Matt Bourdeaux, who as many of you know conducts independent high-level training for local players.  Expect the pre-season skates to be be intense, so get going on your aerobic preparation for the season.  The schedule is as follows:

Thursday  Aug.  8    Session 1@6:30,      Session 2@7:30
Sunday      Aug. 11   Session 1@6:30,      Session 2@7:30
Thursday  Aug. 15  Session 1@6:30,      Session 2@7:30
Sunday      Aug. 18   Session 1@6:30,      Session 2@7:30

Vipers Join the Premier Hockey League of New England (PHLNE)

By Jim Watkins 07/06/2019, 2:00pm EDT

The Vipers are pleased to announce that all of our teams will join the Premier Hockey League of New England (PHLNE) for the 2019 season.   The Premier League is one of the most competitive leagues in New England.  The leagues website can be found at:  https://www.thenephl.com   Our 15U, 16U and 18U teams will skate in the Premier Division, our 14U team will skate at the Elite level and our combined 15/16 Midget Minor team will skate at the Select level for this season.  We look forward to an exciting year. 

Vipers Cup

By Jim Watkins 04/14/2019, 10:00pm EDT

Black Wins the Spring Cup 4-3 in Sudden Death OT

Black came back from an 0-3 deficit to win the Vipers Cup 4-3 over Red twelve minutes into sudden death overtime.  Congratulations to both teams on a well-played and exciting game.  Thanks to all of our players, families and coaches who made the Spring Cup a success.  Have a great summer and we'll see everyone in August.

The Vipers Spring Cup schedule is below,  Games start Saturday 4/20.  (The games are on Sundays except for Saturday 4/20 due to Easter on 4/21 and Saturday 5/11 due to Mother's Day on 5/12.  All games at Smead except for  the games on 5/11, which are at Mullins.  

Vipers Cup Playoff Seedings (see schedule below):
1. Black   3-2-1*
2. Red      3-2-1*
3. White 3-3-0
4. Gold    1-3-2
*tie break - head-to-head goal differential

Schedule:

Sat 4/20  9:00 AM Gold 2  Black 2 10:15 AM Red 4   White 2 Smead Saturday Games
Sun 4/28  11:00 AM Black 5  White 3 12:15 PM Gold 2  Red 3 Smead    
Sun 5/5  6:00 PM Gold 2  White 5 7:15 PM Black 4  Red 8 Smead    
Sat 5/11  6:00 PM Gold 5  Black 3 7:15 PM Red 4  White 8 MULLINS Saturday Games
Sun 5/19  11:00 AM Black 5  White 4 12:15 PM Gold 3  Red 3 Smead    
Sun 5/26  11:00 AM Black 6. Red 0   12:15 PM Gold 3  White 6 Smead    
Sun 6/2  11:00 AM Black 5  Gold 2   12:15 PM Red 3 White 2 Smead Playoffs - Semi Finals  
Sun 6/9  1:00 PM Black 4  Red 3 OT         Smead Finals  



Rosters:

Black Gold Red White
Barnes Ayers Barker Buffone
Baumann, B. Beckwith Batchelder Buteau
Baumann, K. Bridges Blackburn Byrne
Brunelle Clark Cortis Cloutier
Duquette Corbin Delisle DeMaio
Galpin Darling Gay Fijal
Kotfila Fugiel Ishida Foster, C.
Mazza Harvey Jubb Foster, N.
Meon Hosmer Laramee Hanscomb
Ortyl Manning Nowill Higgins
O'Sullivan Pacheco Pete Kennedy
Rajpold Palumba Taupier Lambert
Roache Pattison Tenczar McLaughlin
Sullivan Scott Tsilibocos Nigro
Watkins Slovin Tucker Paul
  Taggard Volo Samson
  Terzi    

15/16 Midget Minor Try-Outs

By Ryan Scott 04/02/2019, 11:00pm EDT

Vipers Announce an Additional 15U/16U Midget Minor Team – Evaluation Skate Sunday, April 7

Due to the very strong turnout for our 15U and 16U teams, the Vipers will field an additional Midget Minor Team for 2019.  The team will be coached by CJ Stagnaro.  There will be an additional evaluation skate this Sunday, April 7 at 9:30 am at Smead.  If your player previously registered for our 15U or 16U tryout, you do not need to register again.  If your player has not previously registered and would like to be considered for the team, please register by going to the  Midget Minor Tryouts  tab above ($20).

2019 Try-Outs Start March 17- Register at the Try-Outs Tab Above

By Jim Watkins 03/03/2019, 9:30pm EST

Registration for try-outs for 2019 Viper teams and the try-out schedule is now available by clicking on the try-outs tab.  

Online registration (preferred): $60
Onsite registration (available): $80

Highlights of the Vipers program include:

  • Teams at the 14U, 15U, 16U and 18U levels
  • Split-Season Fall Teams Aug.-Nov., 25-30 games
  • 2 Single-Team Full-Ice Practices per Week (Sept. – Nov. at Lossone Arena)
  • Experienced Professional Coaching
  • Spring Program includes the Vipers Cup: April-June (15U-18U) player favorite, highly competitive, spring hockey
  • Vipers are not-for-profit – low costs, all ice fees are invested in our players
  • Combined Record of our 3 Midget Teams in ‘18 was 66-21-3
  • 18 Vipers are Captains or Alternate Captains of their ‘18-19 HS Teams
  • 17 Vipers were First Team All-Western Mass Selections for ‘17-18 HS Season (43% of all D3 and D3A Selections)
     

2019 Coaches
18U: Mike Rousseau and Lou Vezina
16U: Dave Foster
15U: Rob Pattison (see bio below)
14U: Kevin Stefanik and Evan Sullivan

The try-out schedule is:

14U (2005)
Tuesday,    March 19,    8:00 PM, Fitzpatrick Arena
Saturday,   March 23,   3:45 PM, Fitzpatrick Arena
Sunday,      March 24,    2:20 PM, Fitzpatrick Arena

15U (2004)
Monday,    March 18,    8:00 PM, Fitzpatrick Arena
Saturday,   March 23,    2:30 PM, Fitzpatrick Arena
Sunday,       March 24,    1:00 PM, Fitzpatrick Arena

16U (2003)
Sunday,      March 17,    9:00 AM,     Smead Arena
Sunday,      March 24,    10:20 AM,   Smead Arena
Monday,     March 25,    8:00 PM,     Fitzpatrick Arena

18U (2001 and 2002)
Sunday,            March 17,    10:20 AM,    Smead Arena
Wednesday,  March 20,     7:30 PM,      Smead Arena
Sunday,             March 24,    9:00 AM,      Smead Arena

Vipers Welcome Rob Pattison to Coach the 2019 15U (2004) Team

By Jim Watkins 03/03/2019, 8:45pm EST

The Vipers welcome Rob Pattison, who will join our organization and coach the 2019 15U (2004) team. Rob graduated from the University of Vermont where he played four years of D1 hockey.  Following UVM, Rob played 4 years of pro hockey in the ECHL, AHL and IHL with 3 of those years coming in the NJ Devils system. Rob has coached for ten years in Brattleboro as well as serving as a coach for the VT Development Camp.  Rob also coached the Deerfield Academy preseason team in 2017-2018.  We are excited to welcome Rob to the Vipers!

Congratulations to Garren Fugiel, Ben Watkins, Bryan Baumann and CJ Tenczar on 100 Career HS Points

By Jim Watkins 01/24/2019, 9:00am EST

The Vipers congratulate Garren Fugiel (Easthampton High), Ben Watkins (South Hadley High), Bryan Baumann (Greenfield High) and CJ Tenczar (Easthampton) on reaching 100 career high school points.  Well done boys!  

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