Despite a dramatic comeback victory over the Spruce Grove Saints, the Vernon Vipers will not be in the 2024-25 BCHL playoffs.
Vernon (15-29-6-0) was eliminated from playoff contention on Saturday, as they lost big to the Penticton Vees, 7-1.
The Vipers are 10 points back of the eighth-place Okotoks Oilers, who hold the final playoff spot in the Interior Conference, with only four games left to play.
The last time Vernon missed the post-season was 2012-13, when they went 21-25-1-8.
The following season, 2013-14, the year Vernon hosted the Royal Bank Cup National Junior A Championship tournament, the Vipers fell 4-0 in the Fred Page Cup championship series to the Coquitlam Express.
Despite opening the scoring with Kyren Gronick's 11th of the year, it was all Penticton after that.
Leading the way for the Vees was Ryden Evers, who scored once and assisted three times.
Simon Meier (two assists), Ben Merrill (two goals), Conyr Hellyer (one goal, one assist), and Caton Ryan (one goal, one assist) all had multi-point nights for the 38-7-5 Vees, who are tops in the BCHL with 81 points.
Vernon rebounded the next day, up against the Saints from Alberta.
Spruce Grove scored twice in the opening frame, from Matheson Mason and James Richards on the power play.
Vipers Talan Blanck sliced the visiting Saints lead in half, with his 11th of the year midway through the second.
Down 2-1 into the third, Spruce Grove's Alexy Lachaine added to their lead with his seventh of the year halfway through the third.
With less than four minutes to play, a Stephen Kirkpatrick slashing penalty put the Vipers on the man advantage.
Gronick would promptly score his 12th of the season to bring the Vipers within one. Then, with seven seconds to go, Ryan Watt would rattle in his 11th goal of the year to take the game to overtime.
In the extra frame, Koji Gibson's goal would send the Kal Tire Place fans home happy, with the 4-3 victory.
The Saints (17-27-6 ) fired 45 shots on net, and the tandem of Jari Kykkanen (29 saves) and Logan Cunningham (13 saves) helped the Vipers (15-29-6) to the victory.
Vernon will battle the Saints again, this time in Spruce Grove, on Friday, March 21, and could foil the Saints' slim playoff hopes.
Spruce Grove is ninth in the Interior Conference, five points behind Okotoks and seven points in arrears of the seventh-place West Kelowna Warriors. Each team has four games remaining.mb
