Oilers complete season with 1-2 record at national tourney

by Bruce Tippets
BTippets@cherryroad.com 

Vernal feels right at home in the United States Premier Hockey League. 

The Oilers completed the season by winning back-to-back Northwest Division titles and returned to the USPHL national tournament in Utica, New York. 

Vernal posted a 1-2 record in the competition that featured the elite teams the United States had to offer in the junior amateur division. 

“I think the season went great,” Vernal general manager David Imonti said. “It was a little bit different this year just because of the construction at Western Park. I think we really gained some momentum within the community towards the end. It was huge we were able to repeat as division champs at home. We are very proud of that.”

In the national tournament opener, the Oilers lost to the Fort Wayne Spaceman 7-2. 

Vernal bounced back to edge the Ontario Jr. Reign 5-4 in overtime. 

Presley Toth had the game-winner in the extra period. 

“The first game wasn’t our best game,” Imonti said. “Beating Ontario who was ranked ahead of us in overtime was a big win for us.”

Vernal was eliminated from the tournament after dropping a heartbreaking 6-4 decision to the Potomac Patriots in the quarterfinal round. 

“We had the lead in our third game, which nobody expected,” said Imonti. “Potomac was a favorite to win the tournament. If we didn’t get into penalty trouble I think we would have won. If we would have won that game then we would have had a good chance to make it to the championship.” 

The Oilers gained a lot of respect from the other teams in the 16-team tournament. 

“The other teams were super impressed with us,” Imonti said. “We were the youngest team there. We held our own against some of the best teams in the country. We will be a year older next year. With some of these guys we are hoping it will be the third trip to nationals should we perform as we expected. If we can make it there again I think we can do some damage.”

Ryan Howse was named the head coach early on in the season. When Howse took over, he made sure the Oilers were focused on the task at hand. 

“Ryan was great,” said Imonti. “The kids were so lucky to have him. Ryan loves Vernal and the boys love him. He did a fantastic job with everything at nationals. He was able to develop a game plan against some of the best teams in the country on paper and they probably a little more skilled than we were.”

This is the second year the Oilers have played in the USPHL. 

Imonti doesn’t plan on changing leagues anytime soon. 

“We are very happy with the league,” said Imonti. “We like it because it’s a variety of competition. The league is getting better every year. I like the international factor as well. I think we had people on our roster from 10 different countries. That is pretty unique in a small town. It’s a great experience for these boys to play with somebody from Russia, Norway and Italy.”

Imonti is confident the Oilers will be back next year and even better. 

“It looks like we will return a good portion of this year’s squad,” said Imonti. “We only have three or four age outs. The rest of the guys are eligible to return.”