Vernon Rep teams are both in medal contention at provincial hockey championships.
The Vernon Home Building Centre Vipers tied the Williams Lake Timberwolves 3-3 Tuesday morning at the Wilson Centre Arena in Port Coquitlam.
The Vipers are 2-1-1 in the B.C. Midget Tier 2 Hockey Championships. They take on the Peninsula Eagles of Sidney Wednesday morning and battle the host Port Coquitlam Pirates Wednesday night.
Ty Sedlacek was marvellous in net Tuesday for Vernon.
Stephane Richard jammed home a feed from Eric Noren for Vernon’s first snipe in the opening 20, while Joe Eggert made it 2-0 by burying his own rebound midway through the second period after Mika Burns nicely controlled the puck along the sidewall.
Williams Lake countered on a 2-on-1 before Vernon responded on a 5-on-3 man advantage with d-man Dylan Sedlacek stepping around a defender and going high blocker side. Grady Caton drew the assist.
The T-Wolves converted early in the third on a powerplay with a forward diving into Ty Sedaleck untouched, freeing himself for a pass from behind the net and a goal. Williams Lake levelled the score on a rebound after Vernon couldn’t move the puck.
The Vipers, coached by Jared Barendregt, grounded the previously undefeated Port Moody Panthers 5-2 Monday night in a penalty-infested tilt.
Eggert, Damian Coljee-Fehr, Dex Elders, Kyle Sherwood and Richard handled the Vernon offence in front of Ty Sedlacek, who made an easy save on a penalty shot early in the third. Elders walked out of the penalty box and clicked on a breakaway to make it 4-2 Vernon.
The Home Hardware boys shut down the Castlegar Rebels 7-0 in Monday morning and opened the playdowns with a 6-3 loss to the Vancouver Spirit Sunday morning.
Eggert and Richard each rang up deuces as Vernon crushed Castlegar, singles going to defenceman Lucas Wood, Connor Johnston and Gavin Fleck.
Eggert supplied the winner midway through the first period on a powerplay, assists going to Reed Cashato and Caton.
Eric Noren made it 2-0 with a wrister, top shelf, assist going to d-man Dylan Sedlacek.
Richard put Vernon in front 3-0 nine minutes later. Johnston and Noren drew helpers. Wood upped the lead on a high wrister with two seconds to play in the middle stanza.
Johnston, Fleck, on a tap-in after Richard batted the puck out of mid-air and banked it off the net, and Richard, on a slapper from the left wall, glove-side, converted in the final 20.
Ty Sedlacek recorded the shutout as Vernon outshot Castlegar 36-16.
Vancouver used a lethal powerplay and a few lucky breaks to spoil Vernon’s opener.
Cameron J Luk gave the Spirit the lead after one period with Eggert levelling the score at 2:28 of the second, assisted by Coljee-Fehr. Eggert drove the net and buried a shot while being hauled down.
Vancouver then went up 3-1 on snipes by Luk and Nicholas Methorst. Sherwood struck the crossbar on a sweet backhander just before Vancouver netted their fourth goal, by Methorst.
Eggert connected with 80 seconds left in the period on a wraparound off the rush. Elders pulled Vernon within one on a scramble, Vernon’s 13th shot of the period.
Dante Stagnjitta completed the Spirit offence with Vancouver on a two-man advantage.
Kevin Pun made it 5-3 Vancouver on a powerplay after the puck bounced off a linesman, creating a breakaway.
The Sun Valley Source For Sports Vipers went to 2-1 by bottling up the Burnaby Bulldogs 7-5 Tuesday morning in the Bantam Tier 1 playdowns at Memorial Arena in Kamloops.
Colby Feist pocketed 2+2 for the Vipers, while Steel Quiring and Zackary Funk each recorded 2+1 and Jacob Boden bagged a single. Vernon took four minor penalties and Burnaby three.
Vernon bounced the Prince George Cougars 6-2 Monday morning after losing 4-1 to Burnaby Winter Club Bruins Sunday
Vernon fell behind versus Prince George when Fischer O’Brien banked a shot off a skate behind goalie Kobe Grant.
Feist tied it before Chris Reinhardt put Vernon ahead on a feed from Jacob Jones and Porter Trevelyan. The Cougars’ Jake Nohr sniped one against the flow of play but KT Walters gave the Vipers the lead for good with a shot from the point.