Vipers Clip Eagles’ Wings:

This is posted on the Vipers website:

Vipers clip Eagles’ wings

by Don Klepp | Added 2010-02-21

In a game that meant very little to either team, the Vernon Vipers cruised to a 7-0 lead before relaxing and allowing the Surrey Eagles to score three third-period goals.

The shot totals told the game story – Vernon fired 53 pucks at Mike Chan while Graeme Gordon faced 23 Surrey shots. That pattern was established early as the Viper forwards constantly buzzed in the Surrey zone. Still, Mike Chan held the fort for the road-weary Eagles.

For the 10th time this season, Connor Jones opened the scoring in a game, and it was a typical Connor goal. Taking a pass from David Robinson, he streaked through the middle, beat two defenders, and slipped a backhand through Chan’s pads at 6:58. Twenty-eight seconds later, Sahir Gill notched his second of the year with a hard, low shot from the slot.

Play was more even in the second period, but the Vipers handled all the scoring. Trevor Fitzgerald got his first BCHL goal, banging in a rebound from five feet. Kevin Kraus then got on the score sheet with a rocket from 35 feet after a fine short handed effort by Jonathan Milhouse.

Milhouse set up the next goal as well. David Robinson’s 14th in 20 Viper games was a quick wrist shot from the right faceoff circle.

The Eagles’ best chance in the middle frame came from the stick of their leading scorer, Andrew Wallace. On a short-handed breakaway, he made a quick move and shot to the open side, but Graeme Gordon snaked out his right pad to deny Wallace.

The only questions to be answered in the third period were whether the Vipers would reach 300 goals and whether Dylan Walchuk and Jon Milhouse would get their 20th of the season. None of these milestones were reached, although the two players and several of their teammates had plenty of chances, as Mike Chan faced 21 shots and Graeme Gordon saw 9 shots in a period where neither team played very good defence.

Walchuk had a glorious chance at the side of the net but couldn’t beat Chan, while Milhouse beat Chan twice, only to hit a post with one attempt and have the puck tick the back of Chan’s skate and go just wide on the other.

Still, the Vipers did score twice, as Bryce Kakoske (13th) and Cory Kane (22nd) added to their 2009-10 goal totals. Then, Surrey completed the scoring.

First, Erik Cooper blew a long shot past Gordon, just inside the far post at 5:37. The Eagles then made the score respectable with two strange bounces that gave goals to Jeff Regier at 14:55 and to Bradley McGowan at 18:44.

The Vipers finished the season with 105 points, just three short of the league record set by New Westminster in 1989-90, and one short of the 1998-99 Viper team, the last BCHL squad to break the 100-point barrier. The Vipers also smashed the record for goals allowed, with 119. (The 2005-06 Penticton Vees held the old mark, at 137.)

In the process, Blake Voth established a new mark for goalies, allowing just 1.79 goals per game. Sebastien Nolet’s GAA of 1.98, for Nanaimo, had stood since 2004-05.