Vipers Shade Vees In Overtime:

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Vipers shade Vees in overtime

by don klepp | Added 2010-02-18

Kellen Jones scored the winning goal at 2:18 of the first overtime to propel the Vipers to a 3-2 victory over the host Penticton Vees.

The win moves the Vipers one step closer to clinching first place in the Interior Division. They now have 99 points with three games remaining, while the Vees have 96 points and just two more games to play. The Vipers can clinch with a win in Salmon Arm Friday night.

The game was a much gentler affair than Friday’s barn burner in Vernon. Both teams seemed content to win the game with skill and speed, especially in the first period. Yes, the passing was crisp and the tempo was swift, but the opening period lacked emotion.

When the game threatened to become more intense, referee Andrew Guest stepped in with a series of marginal penalties while ignoring other more blatant infractions. The Vipers drew three straight penalties early in the period, and the Vees capitalized on the third.

At 8:47, Alex Szczechura popped in a rebound off Beau Bennett’s shot after Blake Voth had made a quick right pad save. Szczechura showed good puck sense on the play, following Bennett’s path to the net.

In the latter part of the period, the Vipers had two power plays of their own, but were unable to break through the Vees’ tight, disciplined four-man box. Indeed, the Vipers generated their best scoring chances at even strength while the Vees were dangerous only with the man advantage.

The pace picked up somewhat in the second period, but Sean Bonar and Blake Voth were unbeatable in their respective nets. Voth was particularly sharp during four Vee power plays in the period. In one sequence, his stick was knocked away and he made three brilliant stops with his right pad. In another sequence, he stared down Alex Szczechura, who had all the time in the world to make a play just outside the crease.

So, the teams saved the drama for the third period and overtime. First, the line of Cory Kane, Sahir Gill, and Rob Short equalized at 3:03 of the third. Following a strong forecheck, Gill whipped a backhand across the goal face and the puck bounced in off a Vee defender. The goal was credited to Cory Kane by a confused referee.

The Vees rebounded with a deflection of their own at 5:01 when Bo Dolan’s innocent-looking point shot ricocheted off the shaft of a Viper defender in the slot.

Once again, the Vipers equalized. At 14:33, Sean Bonar stopped a Connor Jones shot, but David Robinson pounced on the rebound and fired a high backhand past Bonar. The goal was credited to Kellen Jones.

The third period featured plenty of end-to-end action, but both teams blocked numerous shots and again the goalies were good when shots got through.

Kellen’s O.T. goal came when Connor sprung Kellen loose on the left wing. With a defenceman veering toward him, Kellen got everything into a wrist shot that beat Bonar on the short side.

In the end, the Vipers won this game because they killed off seven of eight Vee power plays. (Coming in, the Vees led the BCHL with a power play operating at 29.91 percent.) All six Viper defencemen had a strong game, as they had in Friday’s win over Penticton.

Kellen Jones was announced as the first star, with Penticton’s Matt Paltridge the second star and Blake Voth third star.