Vipers Beat Trail In Overtime:

Vipers beat Trail in overtime

by Don Klepp

Dec 6, 2009

On a fine individual effort a few minutes into the first overtime period in Trail Saturday night, Conor Jones got the goal that gave the Vipers a well-earned 3-2 victory.

This game was a test of Viper character. They had lost two in a row and were without Kellen Jones, whose jaw was broken by a shot in Friday's loss to Penticton. And for the third game in a row, they faced a red-hot goaltender.

Without Kellen in the lineup, Coach Ferner was forced to juggle his lines. He sent Connor Jones out with Cory Kane and Jonathan Milhouse, and Bryce Kakoske replaced Milhouse on the Pimm line. The Walchuk/Short/Ikkala line remained intact for most of the night, although Walchuk and Connor switched centering roles briefly in the third. Meanwhile, Darrin Robak joined Sawyer Mick and Pat McGillis on a feisty line.

Smelling blood in the water, the Smoke Eaters came out hard in the first period, and they played with tenacity for the entire game. That hard work paid off with a Scott Jacklin goal late in the opening frame.

Kevin Kraus tied the score at 1:11 of the second and Bryce Kakoske put the Vipers ahead late in the period. However, Trail scored just 20 seconds later, so the teams were tied 2-2 going into the third period. Garrett Beckwith was stalwart in the Trail net, saving 21 of 23 Viper shots in the third period.

Despite good scoring chances by both teams in the third, no pucks got past Beckwith or Vernon's Blake Voth, so the teams went to four on four hockey in the first overtime.

As he had all game long, Beckwith put on quite a show in the extra session. The Vipers had all the scoring chances, but Beckwith was unflappable. His best stop was an all-world save on a streaking Jonathan Milhouse, who was set up perfectly by Steve Weinstein.

As the drama mounted, Connor Jones took matters into his hands. In this game, he was a terror on the fore check. Leading up to the winning goal, he gobbled up a loose puck in the Trail zone and faked going behind the net. Beckwith started to go with the fake and Connor tucked the biscuit in the short side.

The Vipers out shot Trail 42-25, with most of that margin coming in the second period and in the overtime. Still, Trail was in this game from the outset, unlike their previous three losses to Vernon.

With the win, the Vipers increased their first place lead over Penticton to five points as the Vees were bombed in Salmon Arm, by a score of 6-1.

The Vipers' next game is Tuesday, when they host Merritt at the Wesbild Centre.

Game Notes:

•Rookie goaltender Blake Voth remains undefeated in eight appearances for the Vipers. His 1.49 goals against average and 93.68 save percentage leads the BCHL.

•Bryce Kakoske looked right at home playing with Pimm and Collins as the 19-year old Vernon product led the Vipers with a goal and an assist.

•Curtis Tonello, who came from Alberni Valley in exchange for high scoring Tye Lewis, played very well for Trail.

•After tearing apart league defences at a 5.60 clip for the first half of the season, Viper scorers have been quiet lately, scoring just five goals in the past three games.