The Vernon Vipers are climbing the standings thanks to a pair of weekday wins in front of NHL scouts and NCAA coaches at the BC Hockey League Showcase in Chilliwack.
On Wednesday, Oct. 19, the Vipers faced off against the Alberni Valley Bulldogs, winning by a score of 5-3.
After a neutral zone turnover, Vipers winger Lee Parks set up Isaac Tremblay for his second goal of the season just over four minutes into the game. Later in the period, Chase Klassen scored an unassisted shorthanded goal for the Bulldogs to even the score at 1-1.
Less than two minutes later, Parks restored his team’s lead with a goal assisted by Matthew Sutter and Tremblay.
In the second, the Vipers powerplay got rolling, moving the puck around quickly until Reagan Milburn sniped his third goal of the season to make it 3-1, chasing the Bulldog’s starting goaltender Callum Tung, who let in three goals on five Vipers shots.
The Bulldogs regained some momentum after the Vipers took three straight penalties, but it was the Vipers who would score next as Anthony Cliche made a beautiful pass to Parks who deflected home his second goal of the night to make it 4-1.
Just 22 seconds later, Cam VanSickle scored his third goal of the season to make it 4-2.
The Bulldogs made things interesting early in the third as Nicholas Beneteau danced through the defence and scored to make it 4-3. Not long after, the Vipers again capitalized on the powerplay as Luke Pakulak walked out from below the goal line and slid the puck between the legs of the goaltender to make it 5-3. That would prove to be the final score.
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Coming off the win, the Vipers looked to go 2-0 in the BCHL Showcase with an early 10 a.m. game against the Langley Rivermen on Thursday, and they were able to do so with a 3-2 final score for the Snakes.
The win didn’t come easy. The Rivermen scored both of their goals in the first period, off the sticks of Vitaly Levyy and Hayden Gelbard, and held the Vipers scoreless after the second period.
In the third, the Vipers mounted a thrilling comeback. A strong forecheck led to a goal by Luke Lavery, the game’s first star, who cut the deficit in half with his second goal of the season. Three minutes later, Hank Cleaves jumped on a loose puck in the slot to make it 2-2.
The Vipers took their first lead of the game at the 11:50 mark of the third after a strong entry into the offensive zone led to a cross ice pass from Tremblay to rookie Ethan Merner who went post and in for his second of the season.
The Vipers’s clamped down defensively late in the game, allowing just four shots in the third period en route to a 3-2 come-from-behind victory.
The Vipers improved to a 5-4-0-1-0 record and sit sixth in the BCHL Interior division.
The Snakes will return home to Kal Tire Place to take on the Prince George Spruce Kings at 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 22.
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