Game 25 - Vipers 5 Cents 3

The Vipers had a big challenge facing them on Wednesday night in the form of the Merritt Centennials as the Snakes looked to build off a very important 3-2 overtime win on Saturday in Wenatchee.  The Vipers and the Cents had an up and down game where there were lead changes, great goaltending, timely powerplay goals and a physical edge from both sides.  In the end, the Vipers got a great save and a powerplay goal to pace them to a 5-3 win, thanks to an empty netter from Liam Finlay.  For the Vipers they've put a tidy 2 game win streak together over two very tough teams who play very different styles as they continue on a tough 3 game week.

Just as it was a week ago, the two teams took a little while to set the pace.  It was a fairly docile period without too much hitting, not much risk taking and really a timid first 20 minutes.  The Vipers had a chance on an early powerplay to set the pace, but the Cents really slowed up the Viper breakout and didn't let them get set up on the man advantage.  The Vipers had opportunity just past the midway mark of the period, but again couldn't capitalize, despite having more offensive zone time for the first minute.  The second minute wasn't very good as the Cents would try get a break going the other way forcing Liam Finlay to take a penalty forcing 60 seconds of 4 on 4.  The Cents tried to get something going on an abbreviated powerplay, but couldn't score.  It wasn't until the final 2 minutes where Ryan Coghlan cleared the puck off the wall and sent Colin Grannary in on a 2 on 1, Grannary would look off Shortridge and place it high glove to give the visitors a 1-0 lead after 1 period.

The Vipers at times this season have struggled in the middle period, but tonight was a different story as they came out flying right off the drop of the puck.  It started with a thunderous body check from Riley Brandt and the Vipers would keep the puck in the offensive zone and Griffin James found himself open in the corner, walked to the front of the net and on the backhand elevated a puck straight up under the bar for his second goal of the season.  The Vipers were able to keep the momentum on their side thanks to 3 straight powerplays as Gould, Forbes and Coghlan would all be assessed minor penalties.  To the Cents credit, their PK was very solid killing off all 3, including a PK where the Vipers controlled the puck for the full 2 minutes in the Centennial zone.  Despite all the pressure, the Vipers and Cents were deadlocked at 1 after 40 minutes.

The 3rd period was a bit of a wild one with a ton of scoring as both teams pushed for the 2 points.  The Cents would take the lead early in the period off an end wall scrum and a centering pass from Regush right onto the tape of a wide open Zach Zorn who ripped it over the glove of Shortridge to make it 2-1.  The Vipers were able to tie it up less than 2 minutes later as Jagger Williamson would find Liam Finlay open with a cross ice pass, a one timer later and it was 2-2.  The Vipers then used an offensive zone faceoff to their advantage as Williamson again would feather a puck in front, a waist high pass, that was knocked out of mid air by Christian Cakebread to give the Snakes a 3-2 lead.  The Cents hadn't been given many powerplays throughout the night, but they did capitalize on one in the third as a net front scramble had a loose puck go right to Gavin Gould and he would bury it into the empty cage to tie the game up at 3.  With Zach Zorn in the penalty box for goaltender interference, the Vipers would try take the lead with a powerplay, but it was the Cents with the first chance as Gavin Gould would have an unimpeded breakaway from center, but was robbed by Andrew Shortridge to keep the game tied.  Gould and Pellah would be penalized for a skirmish at the end of that play and the Vipers would stay on the powerplay.  That save proved crucial as Latrell Charleson would rip home his 3rd goal of the season to give the home side a 4-3 lead with just under 4 minutes to play.  The Cents were forced to pull Kehler and Liam Finlay would seal the game into an empty net to make the final score 5-3.

Here is the official box score:

SCORING SUMMARY

PERIOD 1

1-0 Merritt Centennials at 18:50 - Colin Grannary from Ryan Coghlan

PERIOD 2

1-1 Vernon Vipers at 0:56 - Griffin James from Colton McCarthy

PERIOD 3

2-1 Merritt Centennials at 3:29 - Zachary Zorn from Michael Regush

2-2 Vernon Vipers at 5:09 - Liam Finlay from Jagger Williamson and Christian Cakebread

3-2 Vernon Vipers at 8:47 - Christian Cakebread from Jagger Williamson and Liam Finlay

3-3 Merritt Centennials at 11:33 (PP) - Gavin Gould from Brett Jewell and Colin Grannary

4-3 Vernon Vipers at 15:36 (PP) - Latrell Charleson from Riley Brandt and Jagger Williamson

5-3 Vernon Vipers at 19:03 (EN)- Liam Finlay from Christian Cakebread and Ben Butcher

STARS OF THE GAME
1st STAR	2nd STAR	3rd STAR
Vernon Vipers Jagger Williamson	Vernon Vipers Liam Finlay	Vernon Vipers Christian Cakebread

SCORING	1	2	3	TOTAL
Merritt Centennials	1	0	2	3
Vernon Vipers	0	1	4	5

SHOTS	1	2	3	TOTAL
Merritt Centennials	13	11	11	35
Vernon Vipers	15	17	13	45

POWER PLAYS
Merritt Centennials	1 for 4 (25.0%)
Vernon Vipers	1 for 6 (16.7%)

For the Vipers this was a big win after falling behind early in the third period, despite having a phenomenal second that only saw them score once.  Cole Kehler was outstanding for Merritt all night and stymied the Viper offense frequently.  The big difference in this one was a save by Andrew Shortridge and a powerplay goal.

I have two players who stood out for either side, one is Colin Grannary.  He is a big bodied 18 year old that oozes talent and skill.  His goal in the first period was a thing of beauty and everytime he touches the puck it could be a scoring chance.  For the Vipers it was Jagger Williamson.  He had a 3 point night, all assists including one on the game winning powerplay goal.  What the Viper coaching staff really like about Williamson is his defensive abilities, but there is no question the 17 year old Lumby product possesses the offensive prowess as well.

The Vipers have a big challenge ahead of them on Friday night as they head to Royal LePage Place for a date with the West Kelowna Warriors.  The Warriors defeated the Vipers 3-2 at KTP earlier on and the Vipers will be looking for redemption.  You can catch all the action on 107.5 KissFM starting at 6:45 or watch live on FastHockey.

Game 24 - Vipers 3 Wild 2 - OT

This may have been the most complete performance in a long time for the Vernon Vipers.  Last time I can recall them playing with this type on intensity on the road was back in September when they battle the Penticton Vees hard in a 3-2 loss.  This time, the Vipers were able to tie the game up in the final minute and win in late in the first overtime by the score of 3-2.

It was good road period for the Vipers as they were skating hard and were forced to because thats the name of the game for the Wenatchee Wild.  They didn't give up a lot of chances, but didn't get many of their own.  That was important because the Wild are so good at home you can't give the 3000 fans a reason to cheer.  The shots on goal may have been deceiving as I don't believe it was as lopsided as the box score would indicate.  The game was scoreless after 1 period.

The second period had a little bit more in terms of offense as the Vipers would start on the powerplay, but couldn't get anything past Chase Perry.  The Wild would open the score as a ricochet off a goal post went right to Mike Coyne who slapped it past Shortridge to make it 1-0 just 2 minutes into the period.  The Wild had another opportunity thanks to a powerplay, but the PK buckled down and killed it off.  The Vipers would counter attack and it was Griffin James powering his way behind the goal and feeding a pass in front for Jagger Williamson who made no mistake to tie the game up at 1.  The Wild would retake the lead thanks to a powerplay goal from Kyle Stephan as his shot would hit Shortridge in the blocker but skipped just across the line.  No more scoring after that, but the period would end with the home team leading by a score of 2-1.

Just like they have done, the third period narrative remains the same.  The Vipers were the better team, as they put as much pressure on the Wild as they could considering the Wild don't give the puck up very much.  The turning point appeared to be a fight between Brandt and Milliken, a spirited tilt between both guys.  Andrew Shortridge made some big saves in the period to keep the Vipers down by just a goal.  That proved important as Odeen Tufto would jam home a rebound with Shortridge on the bench for the extra attacker to tie the game up at 2 in the final minute.

In overtime, it was a pretty back and forth affair and late in the first overtime, Matt Burchill would mishandle a puck at the Viper blueline allowing Tufto to skate in on a 2 on 1 with Jimmy Lambert.  The puck would roll on Tufto a bit, proving to be a benefit as the defense overslid the puck and Tufto would find Lambert open backdoor to end the game and give the Vipers a 3-2 win in overtime.

Here is the official box score:

SCORING SUMMARY

PERIOD 1

No Scoring

PERIOD 2

1-0 Wenatchee Wild at 2:00 - Mike Coyne from Dakota Raabe and Kyle Stephan

1-1 Vernon Vipers at 6:00 - Jagger Williamson from Griffin James and Liam Finlay

2-1 Wenatchee Wild at 9:55 (PP) - Kyle Stephan from Dakota Raabe and Mike Coyne

PERIOD 3

2-2 Vernon Vipers at 19:23 - Odeen Tufto from Latrell Charleson and Jagger Williamson

OVERTIME PERIOD 1

3-2 Vernon Vipers at 4:10 - Jimmy Lambert from Odeen Tufto

STARS OF THE GAME
1st STAR	2nd STAR	3rd STAR
Vernon Vipers Jimmy Lambert	Wenatchee Wild Kyle Stephan	Wenatchee Wild Mike Coyne

SCORING	1	2	3	OT1	TOTAL
Vernon Vipers	0	1	1	1	3
Wenatchee Wild	0	2	0	0	2

SHOTS	1	2	3	OTT	TOTAL
Vernon Vipers	4	7	7	3	21
Wenatchee Wild	13	10	9	3	35

POWER PLAYS
Vernon Vipers	0 for 6 (00.0%)
Wenatchee Wild	1 for 5 (20.0%)

The Vipers continue to trail while heading into the third period, which isn't a stat that usually leads to success and at times that has been true.  The main positive to take away is that the third period remains the Vipers best period.  In Surrey they came back with 3 unanswered while trailing by 2.  Against Merritt, they came close to tying the game up and again tonight down by a goal, they pushed the pace.  This time with the goalie pulled they put the puck at the net and were able to have it go in.

Could this be the turning point for the Vipers as they approach the midway mark of the season.  They've been very inconsistent and have had some tough losses where maybe they deserved a better fate.  This time they did play a good game and were rewarded.  Is this the confidence builder the team has so sorely needed against a very good Wenatchee team.

The Vipers will have a chance to get on a roll with 3 games coming up next week and 2 of them at home.  First up will be the Merritt Centennials for the second time in 8 days at Kal Tire Place.  Its an internet only game so you can catch it on MixLR and FastHockey starting at 6:45.

Game 23 - Cents 4 Vipers 1

The Vipers were finishing 4 games in 5 nights in 4 different cities and it looked like all the hockey was starting to catch up with them.  The complete level seemed to be there, but the quality scoring chances weren't there and neither was the finish as the Centennials won the specials teams battle and eventually the game by a 4-1 score.  Don't let the score fool you, this was a 2-1 game late with 2 empty net goals, but the lack of goals even strength was a bit concerning despite putting up 30 shots on goal.

The first period was pretty even with each team skating well and getting some shots at the opposition  goaltender.  Only one penalty to speak of and the Vipers couldn't manufacture much on their only powerplay and the frame would end scoreless.

The game was essentially won in the second period for Merritt who took it to the Vipers outshooting them a wide margin, but also taking advantage on special teams as just a handful of seconds into their first powerplay of the game Nick Jermain would walk out of the right circle and wire one off the post and in to make it 1-0.  The Vipers would get a powerplay of their own a few minutes later, but some sloppy defensive zone coverage allowed Gavin Gould to win a puck battle and feed the blueline where a point shot and a rebound resulted in Ryan Forbes getting the shorthanded tally and the Cents lead was up to 2-0.  The Cents really had the momentum in the second period and didn't let up.  The shots would finish 15-7 Cents after 2 periods and they held a 2-1 lead.

The Cents had gone through some struggles recently and for the Vipers third periods had been their forte.  The question was going to be which would show through.  In all honesty it was both.  The Centennials went into a defensive shell and the Vipers turned on the pressure and thanks to an early goal, planted the seed of doubt as Odeen Tufto score a beautifully executed man advantage just 44 seconds into the third.  The Vipers continued to up the pressure, but the Cents to their credit really slowed them down in the neutral zone and limited the quality scoring chances.  The Vipers would pull the goalie around the 90 second remaining mark, but Zak Bowles would score an empty netter to make it 3-1.  Nick Jermain would add another empty netter to make the final score 4-1.

Here is the official box score:

SCORING SUMMARY

PERIOD 1

No Scoring

PERIOD 2

1-0 Merritt Centennials at 2:52 (PP) - Nick Jermain from Gavin Gould and Michael Faulkner

2-0 Merritt Centennials at 9:37 (SH) - Ryan Forbes from Ryan Coghlan and Gavin Gould

PERIOD 3

2-1 Vernon Vipers at 0:44 (PP) - Odeen Tufto from Christian Cakebread and Liam Finlay

3-1 Merritt Centennials at 18:39 (EN)- Zak Bowles from Gavin Gould and Malik Kaila

4-1 Merritt Centennials at 19:33 (EN)- Nick Jermain from Colin Grannary and Brett Jewell

STARS OF THE GAME
1st STAR	2nd STAR	3rd STAR
Merritt Centennials Gavin Gould	Merritt Centennials Nick Jermain	Merritt Centennials Cole Kehler

SCORING	1	2	3	TOTAL
Merritt Centennials	0	2	2	4
Vernon Vipers	0	0	1	1

SHOTS	1	2	3	TOTAL
Merritt Centennials	9	15	4	28
Vernon Vipers	8	7	15	30

POWER PLAYS
Merritt Centennials	1 for 1 (100.0%)
Vernon Vipers	1 for 5 (20.0%)

The Vipers did well to remain disciplined only taking one minor penalty that resulted in a powerplay.  The problem was the Cents scored.  It was a good set up by the Cents, but it hurts the numbers to be scored on the only PK chance.  The other backbreaker was the eventual game winner shorthanded by Ryan Forbes.

For Andrew Shortridge, I thought this was a solid return to the lineup.  He hadn't played in 11 days and did well to battle any rust and competed very hard.  He continues to give his team a chance to win and this team knows he'll make the saves he needs to make.

I thought the Viper powerplay has started to come around of late.  They have powerplay goals in their last 3 games and seem like they're on the brink of breaking out in a big way.

The Vipers only have one more game this week and its in Wenatchee on Saturday.  You can hear all the action on 107.5 KissFM starting at 6:50 from the Town Toyota Center.

Game 22 - Vipers 4 Eagles 3

The Vipers had a lot to prove coming into the final game of a 3 game in 3 night road trip in Surrey.  They had fallen on consecutive nights by a 6-3 margin and confidence looked pretty low in terms of end results.  The Vipers could hang their hats on a very solid third period a night before in Cowichan and the question was whether the Vipers could carry it forward into the Eagles nest.  For the third straight game the Vipers found themselves behind and were forced to battle back, but unlike a night before the Vipers leaned on a good third period and were able to come all the way back from a 3-1 deficit to win 4-3 and salvage a victory on a tough road trip.

Just like the night before, the Vipers had a good start outshooting the Eagles 5-0 at one point.  That was propelled thanks to consecutive powerplays, but the Vipers couldn't take advantage of those chances as the game went back to 5 on 5.  The Eagles would open the scoring as the Vipers failed to get the puck passed the redline only to have Donovan Ott to put home a rebound on a rush the other way to give the home side a 1-0 lead.  The Eagles would increase their lead late in period as newly acquired Brett Stewart would fire a point shot through a maze of bodies. The score after 1 period was 2-0 Surrey.

The Vipers powerplay would help them out again early in the second period, on a 5 on 3, as Latrell Charleson would score from the identical spot he did a night ago with a well place wrist shot with bodies in front to make it 2-1 Surrey.  The Eagles would get a powerplay of their own a few minutes later and a nice cross ice pass from the right point would find Tyler Andrews near circle for the one timer to make it 3-1 Eagles after 2 periods.

Could the Vipers continue their on ice dominance and maybe get some goals passed an impressive Forbes Ploszaj?  The forecheck was relentless early and Cakebread would steal the puck and feed Finlay in front of the net and it was 3-2.  The Eagles got themselves in penalty trouble in the final period and the Vipers would make them pay as Riley Brandt would rifle home a shot from the left circle to tie the game.  Another powerplay would have Mitchell Oliver give his team the lead off a wrist shot with a large crowd in front of the goaltender and the Viper comeback was complete at 4-3.  The Vipers were able to limit the Eagles to just 6 shots in the period and were able to hold on for the win, ending the road trip on a high note.

Here is the official box score:

SCORING SUMMARY

PERIOD 1

1-0 Surrey Eagles at 11:48 - Donovan Ott from Logan Webber

2-0 Surrey Eagles at 18:07 - Brett Stewart from Gunnar Wegleitner and Nick Azar

PERIOD 2

2-1 Vernon Vipers at 4:55 (PP) - Latrell Charleson from Liam Finlay and Odeen Tufto

3-1 Surrey Eagles at 8:18 (PP) - Tyler Andrews from Matthew Hermary and Ryan Jones

PERIOD 3

3-2 Vernon Vipers at 3:16 - Liam Finlay from Christian Cakebread

3-3 Vernon Vipers at 7:41 (PP) - Riley Brandt from Latrell Charleson and Bo Pellah

4-3 Vernon Vipers at 11:23 (PP) - Mitchell Oliver from Jagger Williamson and Riley Brandt

STARS OF THE GAME
1st STAR	2nd STAR	3rd STAR
Vernon Vipers Liam Finlay	Vernon Vipers Riley Brandt	Surrey Eagles Forbes Ploszaj

SCORING	1	2	3	TOTAL
Vernon Vipers	1	0	3	4
Surrey Eagles	3	0	0	3

SHOTS	1	2	3	TOTAL
Vernon Vipers	14	16	22	52
Surrey Eagles	18	6	6	30

POWER PLAYS
Vernon Vipers	3 for 10 (30.0%)
Surrey Eagles	1 for 5 (20.0%)

Could this be the gutcheck win the Vipers needed after losing 4 of their last 5 and finding themselves 2 games behind .500?  It was a nice comeback, but there is still a lot of work for this team to do.  They were much better for longer tonight than they were at any point on this trip.

Good teams make teams pay for a lack of discipline and the Vipers were able to that tonight going 3 for 10 with the man advantage and 2 of those PPG's coming in the third period when down.

They'll look to keep the positives going as they host Merritt on Tuesday night at KTP.  Its an internet only broadcast on MixLR and Fasthockey.  Puck drop 7 pm

Game 21 - Capitals 6 Vipers 3

Coming in to Saturdays game, there were a few things the Vipers wanted to iron out following a loss the night before in Alberni.  Unfortunately, it was much of the same as the Capitals weathered an early storm that the Vipers pushed on the Caps, but the Caps would then score 5 of the next 6 goals in the game and despite a late push from the Vipers would hold on for a 6-3 victory.

The Vipers came out firing with the first four shots of the game directed at the Capitals goal, however the Caps would strike first on their first shot of the game as Ryan Hogg knocked a puck out of midair off a rebound for his first BCHL goal. The Caps would increase their lead 90 seconds later as Kade Kehoe would convert on a rebound after a great save from Brendan Barry and it was quickly 2-0 Cowichan.  The Caps would make it 3-0 before the end of the period as Jared Domin slid a puck home on a net front scramble.

The Vipers took advantage of an early powerplay as Latrell Charleson would sscore his first goal in his second game on a hard wrist shot from the left circle.  Cowichan got their three goal lead restored from Luke Santerno on a rebound and it was 4-1.  Adam Osczevski scored on a powerplay walking out of the right circle to make it 5-1 a few minutes after the Santerno goal and the Vipers found themselves in a big hole.  Things got a little chippy as Daniel Wanner and Michael Roberts would drop the gloves following a Wanner boarding penalty.  That dust up followed a game ejection to Bo Pellah and a 10 minute misconduct to Mac Ferner.  The Vipers couldn't get anything going on the powerplay and found themselves behind by 4 after 2 periods.

The Viper team that came out in the third period was not the team we saw in the first two periods.  This team was hungry and motivated, but also played with a sense of relaxtion.  Down by 4 goals, they simplified their game and it worked in spades.  Early in the frame Brett Stapley would tap in his second goal of the season to make it 5-2.  The Vipers powerplay would work the puck around well and Christian Cakebread would make a nice spin move at the side of the net and lift it over the glove of Storm Phaneuf to make it 5-3.  The Vipers continued the pressure, but against the flow of momentum the Caps would seal it on a 2 on 1 with Rhett Willcox finishing the play to end the game 6-3.

Here is the official boxscore:

SCORING SUMMARY

PERIOD 1

1-0 Cowichan Valley Capitals at 3:19 - Ryan Hogg from Kyle Topping

2-0 Cowichan Valley Capitals at 4:48 - Kade Kehoe from Adam Osczevski and Ryan Burton

3-0 Cowichan Valley Capitals at 15:31 (PP) - Jared Domin from Patrick Geary and Matthew Hudie

PERIOD 2

3-1 Vernon Vipers at 0:55 (PP) - Latrell Charleson from Liam Finlay and Bo Pellah

4-1 Cowichan Valley Capitals at 1:47 - Luke Santerno (unassisted)

5-1 Cowichan Valley Capitals at 7:15 (PP) - Adam Osczevski from Ryan Burton and Kade Kehoe

PERIOD 3

5-2 Vernon Vipers at 2:43 - Brett Stapley from Darren Rizzolo

5-3 Vernon Vipers at 7:48 (PP) - Christian Cakebread from Jagger Williamson and Darren Rizzolo

6-3 Cowichan Valley Capitals at 15:57 - Rhett Willcox from Ayden MacDonald

STARS OF THE GAME
1st STAR	2nd STAR	3rd STAR
Cowichan Valley Capitals Ryan Hogg	Cowichan Valley Capitals Kade Kehoe	Vernon Vipers Mitchell Oliver

SCORING	1	2	3	TOTAL
Vernon Vipers	0	1	2	3
Cowichan Valley Capitals	3	2	1	6

SHOTS	1	2	3	TOTAL
Vernon Vipers	8	14	19	41
Cowichan Valley Capitals	16	15	7	38

POWER PLAYS
Vernon Vipers	2 for 8 (25.0%)
Cowichan Valley Capitals	2 for 7 (28.6%)

After a forgettable first 40 minutes, the Vernon Vipers set in place building blocks for tomorrow night in Surrey.  They outshot the Caps 19-7 in the period and really took the play to the home team.  An argument could be made that the Caps took their foot off the gas with them leading 5-1, but I don't believe thats the philosophy of Bob Beatty.  The Vipers won the period and instilled just a little bit of fear into the Capitals, but their lead was just a bit too large for the Vipers to overcome.

Latrell Charleson and Christian Cakebread both scored their first goals of the season and will be heavily leaned upon through the dog days of November and December.

The Vipers will head to South Surrey to face the Eagles and you can catch all the action on 107.5 KissFM.