Vipers Trail Series 1-0 After 5-1 Loss.

For the Vernon Vipers, following game 1 of the Interior Division Semi-Final all that can be done is press delete.  It wasn't the effort the team was looking for and really the only way to go is up.  

The first period started out as a chess match as both teams felt each other out and tried to get the ever valuable momentum.  It swung in the Warriors favour following a boarding penalty and just moments later Carl Hesler would bank it a shot from beside the net to make it 1-0 West K.  Credit West K for keeping the foot on the gas as they put pucks from everywhere to the net.  Austin Smith was busy in the Viper crease and made 16 of 17 saves in the frame.

The second period was more of an even affair as the Vipers and Warriors traded chances and the ice opened up a bit.  It had some nice flow and a lot of physicality and grit.  Once again however, the Vipers would get into penalty trouble late in the period and Adam Plant would increase the lead to two.  Moments later a slashing penalty in the offensive zone would lead to another powerplay goal as Seb Lloyd finished off a beautiful passing play making it 3-0 after 2.

The trend was starting to show, the Warrior powerplay was fantastic and the Viper penalty kill was struggling.  But despite being down by 3, the Vipers came out with a nice start as TJ Dumonceaux banged home a rebound to cut the deficit to 3-1, but as was the case all night penalty trouble would be the Vipers undoing as Adam Plant would score his second goal of the night followed minutes later by another tally from Seb Lloyd also on the man advantage.  That would seal the game with a 5-1 final and a 1-0 series lead for West Kelowna.

My 3 Key Thoughts

1) - One Team Came To Play - I don't want it to seem like I'm calling out the Vipers, but anyone who listened or watched the game saw one team come to play and the other seem lost at times.  The Warriors seemed to have a game plan from the beginning and executed it very well.  The Vipers seemed disjointed and uncomfortable and the top players couldn't get much in the way of sustained pressure.

2) - Warrior Powerplay Clutch - Officially the West Kelowna powerplay was 5 for 6, but it really should've been 5 for 5 on the night.  When a team takes penalties you always hope to be able to make them pay for the lack of discipline and the Warrirors did exactly that.  Smart passes, getting pucks to the net from all angles and winning key faceoffs directly effected the man advantage.  The Vipers will have to either stay out of the box more in game 2 or make some major adjustments to a PK that ended the season 9th overall.

3) - Tomorrow's Another Day - Thank goodness for quick turnarounds.  The Vipers will get a chance at redemption less than 24 hours after the loss.  They'll watch film and make adjustments, but the key thing the Vipers will have to do is stay mentally focused.  When they all seem to be focused on the task, this team is nearly unbeatable, but when they stray from their game they get burned.  The playoffs can be a grind and one loss doesn't mean the end of the world, but after game 1, the Vipers are needing a much better effort.

All the action of game 2 starts at 6:45 with the pregame show and 7 oclock puck drop on 107.5 KissFM.