Vipers Advance To RBC Cup Final:

Vipers Advance to RBC Cup Final

by Contributed - May 8, 2009

On Friday afternoon, Vernon native Bryce Kakoske’s four points led the Vernon Vipers to a comfortable 6-3 victory over the Kingston Voyageurs and a berth in Sunday’s championship final. Kakoske’s power play goal opened the scoring just 1:50 into the first period. After Sahir Gill had trapped a clearing attempt along the right wall, Kellen Jones fired a low shot to the left of Shawn Sirman’s net and Kakoske came in off the left point to fire the long rebound past Sirman. The goal was a prime example of Kakoske’s puck sense, one reason why the forward has been installed on the first unit power play. Not long after the goal had been announced on the PA system, the Vipers struck again. Cam Brodie ripped a waist-high point that deflected slightly upward and just under the cross bar. Chris Crowell and Mike Collins drew assists on the play. Collins then scored a power play of his own at 8:34, on one of his patented high wrist shots. He took a pass from Kyle Bigos (who had been fed a cross-ice pass by Kakoske) and moved to the right boards. Cut off, he reversed and circled and shot from just above the right face off circle. Sirman, screened on the play, didn’t move as the puck whistled in. The Voyageurs took four penalties in the period, including a checking from behind call on Mitch Latchford, who was tossed from the game. This lack of discipline was exactly what Coach Evan Robinson had told his players to avoid because the Vipers had scored four times on the power play on Thursday. As in the first period, when Vernon out shot Kingston 17 to 5, the Vipers dominated the second frame, allowing just two shots on goal while firing nine on Sirman. From their six quality scoring chances, they pushed two goals past the future Maine Black Bear. Both came late in the period. Cory Kane called for the puck at centre and received a pin point pass from Kakoske before roaring down the right side and cutting hard to the net. A consultation among the three on-ice officials confirmed that the puck had entered the net just before the net was dislodged by Kane and a Vee defenceman. The goal came just as an Adam McAllister penalty expired at 16:59. At 19:10, Cam Brodie fired in his second point shot of the game while the Vipers enjoyed a man advantage. His low one-timer whistled in past Sirman, who was screened by Chris Crowell and two defenders. Down 5-0, Kingston followed Assistant Coach Peter Goulet’s admonition to “finish the game with class.” The message apparently got through because the Voyageurs played better in the third period and they broke the goose egg at 1:17, following lax Viper defending. Mike Farrell notched his fifth of the tournament on a 2 on 1 after a Viper defenceman failed to clear at the Viper blue line. However, the Vipers scored at 4:53 of the third period and perhaps began to think about Sunday’s final. Once again, Bryce Kakoske was in the right place at the right time, as he popped in a rebound from 3 feet to the left of Sirman. Again, the Voyageurs responded to relaxed Viper defending, as they recorded two power play goals. The first came when Ben Power converted a rebound off a Scott Harrington point shot at 7:34. Harrington got another assist on Jeff Blackburn’s power play goal at 10:43. A 16-year old protégé of Bobby Orr, Harrington received his team’s Player of the Game award for his strong play. After the Blackburn goal, the Vipers went into lock down, allowing few scoring chances in the remainder of the period. When the final whistle blew, the Vipers breathed a sigh of relief as they realized that they were indeed going to play in the national championship game. The only blemish on their performance was that Andrew Hammond lost his chance for a shutout when he was hung out to dry in the third period. The Vipers, who have now won 10 straight post-season games, will face the winner of the evening semi-final game between the Humboldt Broncos and the host Victoria Grizzlies.