Milhouse Leads Vipers Past Clippers:

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Milhouse leads Vipers past Clippers

by Don Klepp

Dec 20, 2009

For the seventh time this season, a Vernon Viper player has scored a hat trick to lead his team to victory. On Saturday, Jonathan Milhouse’s highlight reel goals paced a 5-3 decision over the visiting Nanaimo Clippers.

Milhouse scored once in each period as his line participated in all five Viper goals. The scoring started early, with a Cory Kane goal 1:43 into the game. A pass from Adam Thompson was slightly behind Connor Jones, who pulled the puck through his legs to his forehand and then neatly through Kiefer McNaughton’s legs before feeding Cory Kane in front.

Luc-Olivier Blain tied the score at 7:33 on a Nanaimo power play. The 'Killer B' line of Blain, Teal Burns, and Cody Bremner was good all night. On a line rush, quick passes by Burns and Bremner gave Blain an opening to whip a low shot past Graeme Gordon.

Connor Jones made another fine play to set up Milhouse at 10:52. From behind the Clipper net, Jones spotted Milhouse, whose backhand slipped between Loic Boivin’s pads.

Cody Bremner scored early and late for Nanaimo in the second. At 3:28 he deflected a Teal Burns shot past Gordon after Burns had picked off a Viper clearing attempt. However, Jones and Milhouse once again went to work. Jones outraced a defender to a puck that Cory Kane had dislodged and backhanded a pass that Milhouse swept in on his backhand.

Adam Thompson gave the Vipers a two-goal cushion at 18:01. A Brayden Jaw penalty led to a faceoff in the Clipper zone. After a Jones faceoff win and some good work by Cory Kane, Steve Weinstein found Thompson over at the left faceoff circle and Thompson’s wrister beat Boivin cleanlface offface offface offy.

With five seconds remaining in the period, a casual Viper clearing pass was blocked by Victor Newell. The puck bounced to Cody Bremner whose long range wrist shot beat Gordon with less than a second left in the period.

In the second intermission, coach Mark Ferner firmly reminded his charges that the Christmas break had not yet started, and the Vipers responded with a better defensive effort in the third period. They held the Clippers to six shots and two scoring chances, while generating five scoring chances of their own.

The only goal of the final frame came when Jonathan Milhouse picked defenceman Nick Bell’s pocket and went in to stick handle the puck past Boivin.

Game Notes:

•Milhouse has scored six goals in his past three games.

•The other Vipers to register hat tricks this year have been Cory Kane, Connor Jones (twice), Mike Collins, Dylan Walchuk, and Curtis Gedig.

•Nanaimo lost all four games on its Interior Division five-day trip, and has lost all eight games played in December, four in overtime.

•The Vipers remain four points ahead of Penticton in the race for top spot in the BCHL, with a game in hand. Vernon returns to action December 29 in Trail and December 31 in Salmon Arm.