There was a lot of pace and action in the first period. Both teams came out skating and throwing their weight around. Intially it appeared some of the Vipers had trouble adjusting to the smaller ice surface and were hesitant with the puck. A few defensive zone turnovers later and the Vipers started to move the puck a lot faster and with more effectiveness against the Merritt forecheck. The Vipers had to kill off 3 minor penalties in the frame, but it was a late powerplay for Merritt that saw Nick Jermain pot home a rebound to make it 1-0 for the home team after 1 period.
The Vipers would use a powerplay of their own to tie the game up early in the second period as just after a Nick Fiorentino penalty expired, Bo Pellah would rifle home a shot from the slot. Two minutes later a nifty steal from Jagger Williamson had him snap a wrist shot through Cole Kehler to make it 2-1 Vipers. The momentum was in the Vipers favour now and they extended their lead with a PP goal from Mitchell Oliver who used a seeing eye wrister from the center point to elude the goaltender and make it 3-1. The Cents then had 5 consecutive powerplays to end the period and after a few unsuccessful attempts, Michael Faulkner would jam home his first BCHL goal to make it 3-2 after 2 periods.
The Cents came out firing in the third period and again it was their powerplay that would aid them in getting the game tied as Nick Fiorentino's point shot got through a maze of bodies, including Andrew Shortridge, to make it 3-3. The Vipers didn't have very many PP's in comparison to the opposition, but they made theirs count as Liam Finlay would score the eventual game winner on a rebound with his team up a man late in the third period. The decks were stacked against the Vipers again as they would be shorthanded 6 on 3 in the final minute, but were able to block a shot and as Colton McCarthy came out of the box was able to seal the game into an empty net to give the Vipers a 5-3 win.
Here is the official scoring summary:
| SCORING SUMMARY |
| PERIOD 1 |
| 1-0 Merritt Centennials at 18:25 (PP) - Nick Jermain from Michael Regush and Mitch Lipon |
| PERIOD 2 |
| 1-1 Vernon Vipers at 3:28 - Bo Pellah from Jimmy Lambert and Odeen Tufto |
| 2-1 Vernon Vipers at 5:43 - Jagger Williamson (unassisted) |
| 3-1 Vernon Vipers at 11:20 (PP) - Mitchell Oliver (unassisted) |
| 3-2 Merritt Centennials at 18:02 (PP) - Michael Faulkner from Brett Jewell and Michael Regush |
| PERIOD 3 |
| 3-3 Merritt Centennials at 5:51 (PP) - Nick Fiorentino from Michael Faulkner and Michael Regush |
| 4-3 Vernon Vipers at 15:30 (PP) - Liam Finlay from Odeen Tufto |
| 5-3 Vernon Vipers at 19:52 (SH) (EN)- Colton McCarthy (unassisted) |
| STARS OF THE GAME | ||
 1st STAR | 2nd STAR | 3rd STAR |
| Vernon Vipers Joe Sacco | Vernon Vipers Andrew Shortridge | Merritt Centennials Nick Jermain |
| SHOTS | 1 | 2 | 3 | TOTAL |
| Vernon Vipers | 13 | 15 | 9 | 37 |
| Merritt Centennials | 13 | 12 | 13 | 38 |
| POWER PLAYS | |
| Vernon Vipers | 2 for 4 (50.0%) |
| Merritt Centennials | 3 for 9 (33.3%) |
This game really was a battle all night long, but also a well played road game by the Vipers. In a place that is tough to play in if not properly prepared, the Vipers made the necessary adjustments to avoid issues. The games momentum was really slowed by penalties, but the Viper PK deserves a lot of credit for kills at key times.
Again Andrew Shortridge was very good turning aside 35 of 38 for his 7th win of the season. The Viper PP was extremely impressive, narrowly missing going 3 for 4 on the night. It was nice to see a couple of Vipers get their first goals of the season in Jagger Williamson and Mitchell Oliver.
This team has won 5 of 6 and appears to be catching fire at a good time with 4 more games this month, all at Kal Tire Place, a place they play very good hockey.
The Vipers will now wait until Friday night for the first of 7 matchups against the West Kelowna Warriors at Kal Tire Place. You can hear game on 107.5 KissFM or watch on FastHockey starting at 6:45.
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