Short Is Overtime Hero For Vipers:

Short is overtime hero for vipers

by Don Klepp Added 2009-10-10

Rob Short’s return from injury paid off for the Vipers as his goal at 2.30 in the first overtime led to a 2-1 win in Penticton. Short had not played since the first game of the season on September 10. He skated on a line with centre Dylan Walchuk and winger Cole Ikkala, which was arguably the best line for either team in a smoothly played, tightly contested affair. Leading to the winning goal, Dylan Walchuk won a battle at the Penticton blue line and fed Short who came in from the line. As Short deked a defenceman and prepared to shoot, Walchuk went hard to the net, drawing the other defenceman with him. Short’s hard wrist shot appeared to glace in off Walchuk, but after the game he confirmed that the shot caromed off the defenceman. The game was a scorekeeper’s dream with just the three goals and six penalties called by referee Matt Thurston. Both teams worked very hard on defence, and were careful to get caught in a minimum of odd-man situations. The strategy made sense, especially because the first two goals resulted from 2 on 1 rushes. After a scoreless first period, Mike Collins staked the Vipers to a 1-0 lead at 13.25 of the second period. Jonathon Milhouses’s headmanned pass sent Braden Pimm and Collins into the offensive zone at speed. A soft, precise Pimm backhand feed allowed Collins to one-time the puck over Sean Bonar’s shoulder. As the game progressed, Vernon’s five-man defence kept the Vees at bay until well into the third period. A soft Viper pass at centre was picked off by Joey Holka, who went into the Viper zone with Alex Szczechura against a single Viper defender. The two Vees crashed the crease and Szczechura slipped the puck under Graeme Gordon, who was bundled over on the play. So, with 4.49 remaining in the third, Graeme Gordon lost a shutout and set the stage for overtime. Penticton opened overtime with two defencemen and two forwards, while Mark Ferner sent out the Jones twins and Cory Kane together with D-man Dan Nycholat. Coach Ferner stuck with this strategy and it paid off as it had in the Vipers’ 4-3 OT win in Salmon Arm on September 11. It’s easy to see why these two teams are ranked first and second in Canadian Jr. A hockey; each squad oozed class in this game, with smooth breakouts, slick passing, high-speed plays, and clean hits. Clearly, the Vipers and Vees are evenly matched and quite willing to word hard. In the final analysis, the Vipers won the statistical battle as well as the game. They had 27 shots to Penticton’s 24; they out-chanced the Vees 14 to 8; the out hit their South Okanagan neighbours 22 to 12. Still, the Vees had ample opportunities to win this game in front of 2102 fans. When the likes of Denver Manderson and Ryan Viselli were able to get a good chance, Graeme Gordon was there to shut the door. His positional play, quick feet, and rebound control earned him a second star in this game. Unaccountably, Penticton’s Jake Johnson, a Minnesotan who has just joined the Vees, was named first star, and Penticton’s Alex Szczechura got the third star nod. Several Vees and Vipers played more prominent roles in this game.