Vernon’s Sun Valley Source For Sports Vipers fell 5-1 to the Calgary Royals in the consolation A Division final of the Kamloops International Bantam Ice Hockey Tournament (KIBIHT).
Vernon placed fourth out of 30 teams in the highly competitive tournament.
There were 14 teams, including Vernon, in the Tier 1 Randy Lindros Division, while 16 teams competed in the Tier 2 Founders Division.
The Royals scored four unanswered goals in the third period. Game MVP Cam Moger scored Vernon’s only goal while Kobe Grant took the loss in net.
The Vipers fell 3-2 in the semifinals to the eventual tournament champions (and hosts) Kamloops Blazers.
MVP Cayden Hamming had his best game of the year between the pipes.
Vernon opened the scoring in the second period when Steel Quiring snapped a beauty bar-down from the slot. The lead held into the third period before the host Blazers scored three straight.
Zack Funk pulled Vernon to within a goal with a late powerplay marker.
The Vipers closed out the preliminary round at 3-0 with a 6-2 win over White Rock’s Semiahmoo Ravens.
MVP Mason Robinson led the way with two goals, while Colby Feist, Braeden McAmmond, Trevor Kennedy and KT Walters scored singles.
Moger had three helpers and Connor Elliott had a pair to back the stellar goaltending from Grant.
The Vipers shocked the second-ranked Alaska Oilers 3-2 in the playoff quarterfinals, winning in an exciting shootout.
Grant played an amazing game in goal and kept the Oilers off the scoresheet until the third period.
Quiring banged home a rebound from a shot from game MVP Feist to tie the game 1-1.
Trailing by a goal, Feist took the puck at centre, drove around an Oilers defenceman and deked the goalie to tie the game.
After overtime solved nothing, Feist, Funk and Quiring scored in the shootout while Grant stopped two of three Alaska shooters.
Logan Stankoven scored in double overtime to give Kamloops a 6-5 win over the Sherwood Park Flyers of Alberta in the championship game.
The Blazers survived a five-minute Sherwood Park powerplay following a checking from behind major penalty early in the second overtime period.
Kelowna-based Pursuit of Excellence Varsity won the Tier 2 Division – the Vipers won the division in 2016 – with a 5-1 win over the Alaska Grizzlies in the division final.