Vernon Bannister Honda Vipers finished sixth at their eight-team Snake Pit Hockey Classic Midget Tier 2 tournament.
The Vipers went 1-3, opening with a 4-0 win over the Prince George Kings with Jordan Foster collecting the shutout.
Lochlan O’Keefe snapped a scoreless tie with 4:58 left in the second period, the first of three goals in the final five minutes of the frame for the home team.
O’Keefe and Maisun Ang-Hamilton set up Jacob Wettlaufer 52 seconds later, and Maddex Minard, from Bryce Lauer, made it 3-0 Vernon 65 seconds after that.
Minard and Reilly Teager assisted on Mason Buzzell’s goal at 13:16 of the third to round out the scoring.
Vernon’s next game was a 5-2 setback to the Coquitlam Chiefs with Wettlaufer and Ang-Hamilton scoring for the Vipers in support of Teja Sheldrake.
The Vipers completed the preliminary round with a 2-0 loss to the Trail Smoke Eaters. Vernon met Kamloops for fifth place with the Blazers scoring a 5-2 win. Ryan Vandesande and O’Keefe scored for Vernon.
The Williams Lake Timberwolves beat Trail 5-2 in the gold-medal match.
BANTAM TIER 3
Vernon Geotech Drilling Vipers suffered two losses on home ice.
Against Kelowna on Saturday, the game was 1-0 for the Kelowna Rockets for two periods of play until Logan Killingbeck, assisted by Rielly Beer, tied it up in the last two minutes of play. Kelowna, though, managed to get in two more goals in the last minute of play to take the game 3-1.
The Vipers fell 6-4 to the West Kelowna Warriors Sunday. Connor Cecchini and Gunnar Nyberg each scored twice for Vernon, while assists were recorded by Garrin Best, Trey Schober, Jonathan Finlayson, Jayden Atwood and affiliated player Scott Hoffman.
PEEWEE TIER 2
Call it sweet revenge for the Vernon Watkin Motors Mustangs.
The Mustangs avenged an earlier 14-1 loss to Penticton this season by doubling the Vees 12-6 in the Peach City Sunday.
Vernon erased a 5-4 deficit entering the third period by scoring eight times in the final 20 minutes.
Charlie Swartz led the offence with three goals, Morgan Hackman and Aidan Wattie had two each. Hudson Kibblewhite had a goal and three assists, Holly Magnus chipped in 1+2 and single goals went to Maguire Nicholson, Lily Roberts and Dominic Meyer. Goalie Bryce Cormier even got into the offence, adding an assist.
PEEWEE TIER 3
Vernon Collard Financial Vipers, with extra sponsorship from Imagine Pools and Waterscapes, Rellish Transport and The Tile Guy, gave their coaches an early Christmas gift Sunday.
The Vipers travelled to Sicamous and edged the Salmon Arm Silvertips 7-6 in their final game before the Christmas break.
Down 3-0 after the first period, the Snakes scored six unanswered goals, then watched the Silvertips rally with three in the third to tie the game. Mark Johnson scored the game-winner for Vernon with 26 seconds left in regulation. Sam Levesque led the Vipers in scoring with 3+1. Kohen Pounder, Lyndon Carleton and Logan Andrew added singles. Dylan Salling chipped in an assist.
The day before in Revelstoke, the Vipers suffered a 10-5 loss in a penalty-filled affair. Vernon was whistled for 13 infraction – with Revy scoring five powerplay goals – while the Grizzlies took 11.
Tage Nanji opened the scoring for the Vipers, who proceeded to get two goals from Carleton and Salling. Cole Gartner had two helpers, with Levesque, Johnson and Maddy Fick with singles.
At the break, Collard Financial currently sits in third in the Tier 3 loop with only two points separating first from third.
ATOM C DEVELOPMENT
Summerland Jets scored two unanswered third-period goals to defeat Vernon Valley Wood Remanufacturing Junior Vipers 4-2 Sunday at the Priest Valley Arena.
The goals came in the final 2:41.
Jace Nemirsky, from Shanahan Gare and Tylen Lewis, and Cohen Hogberg, on a set-up from Ryan Frick and Hudson Podollan, scored for Vernon.
ATOM A (Tier 1) DEVELOPMENT
Vernon H&L Glass Junior Vipers fell 7-5 to the West Kelowna Warriors in league action Saturday at Kal Tire Place.
Ollie Reid scored three goals and an assist to pace the Junior Snakes, Jack Saxton added 1+1 and Harry Watson rounded out the scoring.
Noah Frick and Axel Houle added assists.