Vipers Stifle BCHL All-Stars:

This is posted on the Vipers website:

Vipers stifle BCHL All-Stars

by Don Klepp | Added 2010-01-14

It’s been awhile since a BCHL all star team was held to two goals, but that’s what happened in Nanaimo Wednesday evening. The Vernon Vipers defeated the league’s best players, 7-2.

Kellen Jones was named the Viper Player of the Game. Returning from a lengthy layoff because of a broken jaw, Kellen had plenty of jump. He set up three goals and several other scoring chances.

His brother Connor chipped in with a goal and two assists, while Mike Collins contributed two goals and an assist and Braden Pimm had 1 + 1. For the All Stars, Salmon Arm’s Mark Zengerle and Alberni Valley’s Mitch MacMillan set up each other’s goals.

The first period featured freewheeling action as both teams came with speed out of their respective zones. Many plays broke down in the offensive zone, however, because the teams stiffened as the opposition got close to goal. When the play did get through the defensive coverage, Viper Grame Gordon and Frank Slubowski (Alberni Valley) were very good.

The Vipers opened their account with two strikes in a 21-second span in the first period. First, Mike Collins was paired with the Jones twins and he finished off a three-way passing play. Then, Bryce Kakoske beat Slubowski in close with a “roof daddy” backhand.

Five goals enlivened the second period. Kellen Jones set up Connor on a perfect two-on-one feed. Then, the twins were instrumental in setting up Sawyer Mick at the goal mouth.

League goal scoring leader Mitch MacMillan got the Stars on the board with a breakaway goal, to draw the Stars within three goals. Braden Pimm restored the three-goal cushion by tipping in a precision pass by Dan Nycholat.

Again, the Stars responded. Shifty Mark Zengerle beat three Viper defenders enroute to the goal that was now being manned by Blake Voth. Zengerle tried a forehand/backhand deke, but Voth stayed with him. Running out of room, Zengerle put a backhand over Voth’s right shoulder and into the net.

Braden Pimm rounded out the scoring in the second period as he went to the net and redirected Dan Nycholat’s inch-perfect centering pass.

All Star games seldom feature body checking, but Kevin Kraus lowered the boom twice in the period as the intensity picked up. The All Stars started to forecheck with some determination, led by Surrey’s Mike Krgovich and Powell River’s Drew Pettit.

That forecheck carried over to the third period and Blake Voth had to be very sharp on three shots in the first minute. Later in the period, he also stopped a penalty shot awarded to Westside’s Trevor Bailey. From that point on, the Vipers shut down the collection of BCHL snipers.

Good combination play led to third period goals notched by Mike Collins and Rob Short. Even though Mark Ferner employed several different line combinations in this game, the Viper players’ familiarity with each other made the difference in this game.

The BCHL brain trust seemed reasonably happy with its new All Star Game format because the game was played at a fast clip and was quite competitive. It demonstrated, though, that a cohesive team has an advantage over a group of newly combined players, despite the All Stars’ skill levels.