Vipers Burn Smoke Eaters Again:

Vipers burn Smoke Eaters again

by Don Klepp Nov 15, 2009

For the second straight night on Parents’ Weekend, the Vipers overcame the visiting Trail Smoke Eaters, this time by a 7-1 score.

In front of his parents and brother who had come from Philadelphia for the weekend, Cole Ikkala once again opened the scoring in a first period dominated by the Vipers. He tipped in a Dan Nycholat point shot at 4:54, 13 seconds after Darnell Dyck had drawn a high sticking penalty.

Ikkala’s 8th of the season was followed by goals contributed by Connor Jones and Bryce Kakoske. As is usual with the Jones line, all three line mates were in on Connor’s goal. Kellen made a precise pass to Cory Kane, whose big shot was stopped but not controlled by Kiefer Smiley, and Connor pounced on the rebound.

Braden Pimm and Mike Collins drew assists on Kakoske’s goal, which was a laser from the high slot. Darrin Robak, playing in place of the suspended Kevin Kraus, started the play with a good pinch at the Trail blue line. (For the second straight night, Kakoske replaced Jonathan Milhouse on the Pimm line. Milhouse was absent for family reasons.)

Connor Jones scored a pair of highlight-reel goals in the second period to earn his second hat trick of the season. Both were high speed plays in which he cut hard to the net and over matched the goalie. After the first of the two, at 4:52, Garrett Beckwith came in to replace Smiley in the Trail goal. The two goals gave Connor the team goal scoring lead at 16, after Mike Collins had popped in his fifteenth of the season earlier in the period.

The Collins goal came with a manpower advantage, at 1:54. With family members from Boston in the stands, Collins one-timed a perfect Braden Pimm pass over Smiley’s right shoulder. Dan Nycholat, who has been lethal on the Viper power play recently, earned his second assist of the night.

Just like the previous night, the Smoke Eaters continued to work hard, and they created several scoring chances in the second half of the period. Blake Voth had to be very sharp to keep Trail off the score sheet. He made excellent saves on Paul Mailey, Travis St, Denis, and Sam Mellor to preserve his shut out going into the third.

However, Mailey ruined Voth’s bid for a third shut out in six starts when Mailey banged in a loose puck at 4:34, after both Viper defencemen had gone behind the net to check Scott Jacklin. Still, Voth consolidated his position as the BCHL goalie with the best goals against average (1.33) and the best save percentage (94.29).

The other big play in the final period was a short handed goal by Cory Kane, who was set up by Connor Jones. It was Kane’s third short handed marker of the season. Also, it brought the Viper team total to 11, which cancels out the 11 power play goals the team has allowed in 25 games.

With the win, the Vipers moved seven points ahead of the Penticton Vees, who were defeated by the Westside Warriors for the second time in two nights.