Tonight's game was a war of attrition that the Vipers were able to come out on the right side of. At times it felt as if both teams were just playing chip and chase hockey. A few breaks and a powerplay goal allowed Vernon to win 2-1.
It was a free flowing first period with not many stoppages. Partially because there were no chances and very few shots. The Powell River Kings play a very disciplined style of defensive hockey. Clogging up the neutral zone and trying to coax the Vipers into mistakes. The first period would end with no score and only 12 total shots.
The second period was more of the same with the addition of some offense. The Vipers didn't have many shots on goal, but the rare chance they had was a shot from Michael McNicholas right at the feet of Jonah Imoo, he couldn't control the rebound and Dexter Dancs deposited the puck in the net to give the Vipers a 1-0 lead. Shortly after that Josh Betinol was hammered into the boards. It was called boarding and Dexter Dancs came to the aid of his teammate by dropping the gloves with Kurt Keats which was a spirited scrap. After 40 minutes the score was 1-0 Vernon.
For the most part the Vipers were able to limit the Kings opportunities, but they couldn't control a crazy bounce off the corner boards that ricocheted into the high slot where Ryan Scarfo was able to put it past Todosychuk and get the game tied up. It took 8 minutes for the Vipers to get a shot on goal in the period, but they started to get their legs late and it was that philosophy that drew a penalty in the final 5 minutes. The Viper powerplay which looked out of sorts on the first two chances started moving the puck with efficiency and Mason Blacklock was able to slip a shot past Imoo to give the Vipers a lead. The Kings put a lot of pressure on the Vipers in the final few moments of the game and thanks to a few key blocks and a few saves the Vipers hung on for the victory.
My 3 Key Thoughts
1) Powerplay - More often than not this season we've talked about how the powerplay missed on opportunities, tonight however, was a different story as the powerplay was the difference. The first two chances weren't good, but the third was very impressive and successful. An effective powerplay is key to a successful team and tonight it was the difference the Vipers needed.
2) High or Low Scoring - Lately it doesn't seem to matter whether the Vipers are in a high scoring game or a low scoring game. The team looked comfortable in this tight checking game and even though they only had 17 shots, they didn't panic with all the pressure.
3) Streak continues - I asked Dave Robinson in the pre game show if it was a good thing that the team hits the road for this trip on a 4 game win streak. Now that its at 5 the team really seems to be coming together and doing what it takes to win games and now are within striking distance of top spot in the Interior Division.
It was a gritty, chippy and greasy effort for the Snakes in a place that is not easy to play in. They limited mistakes and did the intangibles to win games even though those things can't be seen on the boxscore. The Vipers will look to keep the streak going in Nanaimo Saturday Night.
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