Vipers Continue To Roll:

Vipers Continue to Roll

by Don Klepp - May 6, 2009

With two third period goals and an overtime winner, the Vernon Vipers overcame a four goal second-period barrage by the host Victoria Grizzlies and stayed undefeated at the RBC Cup. Cole Ikkala’s goal at 9:17 of the first overtime period gave the Vipers a 5-4 win and guaranteed a place in Friday’s semi-final games. The Grizzlies threatened early in the overtime period, but Andrew Hammond made fine saves on Evan Pighin and Myles MacRae to keep his team in the game. The teams traded chances before the line of Ryan Santana, Rob Short, and Ikkala went to work with determined pressure down low. Leading to the winning goal, Santana dug the puck out of a scrum on the back boards and fed Short in front. Short’s shot rebounded off Anthony Grieco to Cole Ikkala, who fired into a maze of players. Picking up his own rebound, Ikkala moved to his left to get away from the pile of bodies in front and fired a high shot past Grieco. His goal capped a gutsy comeback by the Vipers, who trailed 4-2 going into the third period. They were dominated in the second period as the Grizzlies’ speed dazzled the Vipers and helped create four goals. The first, by Cody Bremner, which tied the game at 1-1, was set up by Evan Pighin, who muscled a Viper defender off the puck and fed it in front. Then, after Bryce Kakoske restored the Viper lead at 6:52, the Grizzlies responded with three goals in a whirlwind three minutes. Brian Nugent’s power play goal tied the game at 11:38 Nugent was set up by Jeff Forsythe and Derek Lee. Then, Sam Higgins fired a point shot that deflected off a Viper defender at 13:22. Justin Courtnall, a warrior all night long for Victoria assisted along with feisty Dustin Mowrey. And at 14:21 Jonathon Milhouse completed the onslaught with a goal off the rush. Fellow speedster Derek Lee and Captain Brian Nugent set up Milhouse, whose speed and shiftiness challenged the Viper blueliners in this game. In the second period, the Grizz out shot the Snakes, 15 to 8 and had twice as many scoring chances as the BCHL champions. Playing their third game in as many nights, the Vipers were a step slower than their host through much of the second period, but they returned with renewed vigour in the third. Captain Chris Crowell led the resurgence with a couple of big hits on his first shift. Surprisingly, both teams laid on the body in the third period, with the Vipers edging the Grizzlies in hits, 12 to 10. The Grizzlies’ natural instinct for offensive hockey proved their undoing as the Vipers scored on a counter attack at 6:05. Connor Jones and Sahir Gill created a neutral zone turnover that ended up on Kellen Jones’s stick. Kellen burst into the Victoria zone, and cut to the net. Grieco could get only a piece of Kellen’s backhand and the puck flipped across the goal line. The tying goal came late in regulation. Nifty work by Cody Ikkala on the blue line and Chris Crowell along the right boards freed the puck for Mike Collins, whose low hard wrist shot beat Grieco stick side at 18:12. The goal produced the second point of the game for each of Collins and Crowell. (Crowell had scored a power play marker off a rebounded Collins shot at 16:57 of the first period.) After the game, Christine Ikkala relaxed with her sons Cody and Cole at the Bear Mountain Westin where the four visiting teams are staying this week. Beaming with pride, she said “this tournament is definitely worth the full day of flying from Philadelphia. And to have one son set up the tying goal and the other score the winner, that’s just the icing on the cake!” Coach Mark Ferner instructed each Viper to find his own way to recharge the batteries on Wednesday’s off day. Some players will be tourists, others will visit with their parents, and others will rest as much as possible prior to their final round robin game against the Kingston Voyageurs at 2 pm, Thursday. Meanwhile, the Grizzlies will prepare for a battle with the winless Summerside Western Capitals at 7 pm Wednesday. A Summerside win would give the Eastern representatives a chance at a Friday playoff game.