Two of the top teams in the Interior Division went head to head at Kal Tire Place and to no one's surprise it was an entertaining affair. The game had some real edge to it as both teams know there could be a possible playoff matchup at some point. These two teams stack up well against each other with the smaller, quicker forwards of the Vees going up against the big physical Viper defense. It was a well played game that was tight the entire 60 minutes.
I thought the Vipers got out to a good start in the opening 10 minutes getting some chances and it appeared they had a "shoot from everywhere" mentality. They had some chances and forced Hunter Miska to be sharp. Contrary to that the Vees had some push back in the next 5 minutes or so as it was Danny Todosychuk's turn to make a handful of saves. It was the Vipers striking first as a scramble in the Vees goal found the stick of Mason Blacklock and he made no mistake with his 18th of the season to make it 1-0 late in the period.
The Vees did a nice job regrouping in the intermission and really pushed the pace on the Vipers. It seemed as though the Vipers got away from the physical game that allowed them success in the opening period. The speed of the Vees finally seemed to catch up with the Vipers who got caught running around and Penticton would make them pay with a little luck. A crazy flurry of activity in front of the Viper goal would bounce off Nic Pierog to get the game tied up and just 63 seconds later a wrap around from Erik Benoit would give the Vees the 2-1 lead after 2 periods.
I called it gut check time in the intermission for the Vipers to see how they would respond against a team that is comfortable and confident when leading after 2 periods. I thought the response was perfect as they pushed the pace, got the physicality back in their game and outshot the Vees. The hockey gods however, were not on the Vipers side tonight as Hunter Miska was very solid and a few bounces that just didn't go the Snakes way and they would fall 2-1.
My 3 Key Thoughts
1) Nice Rivalry - It is sincerely a treat to call a game between two offensively and defensively gifted teams like these two. There is clearly a dislike and a rivalry between these teams and it showed at all times. It may have been low scoring, but I thought this game was played well by both sides and the next three head to head matchups should be equally as entertaining.
2) Newest Vipers - We didn't hear or see much from Brett Mulcahy and Dylan Chanter during the game and I don't think thats necessarily a bad thing. Both guys are trying to sync up with the rest of the guys and the systems the coaching staff have implemented. Mulcahy was good in the face off circle and defensively responsible and Chanter and Renz seemed to have nice chemistry.
3) Out of Second - For the first time in a while, the Vernon Vipers aren't in second place in the Interior Division. I don't believe that this is going to weigh on the minds of the players or coaching staff. The truth is, they played well enough to win, but couldn't find the right bounce. This game could've gone either way and it just didn't go in the Vipers favour. The West Kelowna Warriors are playing outstanding hockey, but there are still 16 games left with most games within the Interior Division. Ground can be gained and lost in just a weeks time and with 9 weeks left, I anticipate a race to the finish line.
Next up for Vernon is a home matchup against the Coquitlam Express. You can hear the game on 107.5 KissFM starting at 6:45!
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