Morning Star Staff
The Vernon Home Building Center Vipers blitzed the Bow Valley Flames of Calgary 13-1 in their Friday night home Midget Tier 2 hockey tournament opener at Civic Arena.
Eric Noren opened the scoring at 17:08 of the first period after Connor Johnston created havoc at Bow Valley’s blueline, creating a turnover that sent Noren in alone for the short-side snipe.
Shortly after, d-man Tyson Sampert stopped a 3-on-1 break to turn the tide firmly in Vernon’s favour at the 9:48 mark with a weak wrister from the point finding its way through traffic.
That seemed to open the floodgates as Vernon scored again 48 seconds later on a seeing-eye wrist shot from the point by Harvey Pawsey, Vernon’s eventual MVP.
Dex Elders then went top shelf glove side with a snapper off a sweet cross-ice pass from captain Dylan Sedlacek at 4:33, followed by a 5-0 tally from Damian Coljee-Fehr as he tipped in Lee Christiensen’s point feed.
Goalie Tyler Sedlacek kept the Bow Valley squad off the board turning away an early second-period chance in tight and the Home Building crew ramped up the offence as Kyle Sherwood tapped in a nice feed from Noren at 17:22.
Elders and Johnston put on a 4 -on-4 passing clinic in the offensive zone scoring at the 10-minute mark as Johnston fed a brilliant behind the net pass to Elders who buried it to make it 7-0.
Johnston then converted shorthanded to make it 8-0 just under two minutes later. Noren then went top cheddar at 4:25 and Sherwood made it 10-0 Vipers after two.
Johnston got his hat-trick snipe with a low stick-side corner shot that he ripped between the Bow Valley d-man’s legs 20 seconds into the third.
Joe Eggert connected at 16:39 with assists from Damian Coljee-Fehr and Mika Burns, in his first game back from injury. Stephane Richard capped Vernon’s landslide scoring his second of the game with 6:11 left to play, assists going to Elders and Caden Bracken.
Bow Valley broke the shutout with just over two minutes left as Vernon got a bit sloppy in their own zone.
The final goes today at 3:15 p.m. at Civic Arena.
"The guys came out flying and didn't let up," said Vernon head coach Jared Barendregt."We took advantage of our opportunities and played a full 60."