Saints Stay Alive:

This is posted on the Vipers website:

Saints stay alive

by Don Klepp | Added 2010-04-22

A three-goal outburst in a seven minute span in the second period allowed the Spruce Grove Saints to escape with a 3-1 win in Vernon on Thursday.

They were outshot 38-20 and out-chanced 30-11, but Vincenzo Marozzi was solid in the Spruce Grove goal and he benefitted from a lack of Viper puck luck. He was beaten several times but Braden Pimm hit the cross bar in the first period and Jonathan Milhouse rang shots off the goal post in the second and third periods.

The first period was scoreless, although the Vipers created a bushel of chances on two power plays. Marozzi robbed Connor Jones and Cole Ikkala on point blank opportunities.

The Vipers opened the scoring on their fourth man advantage. At 6:01 of the second period, Mike Collins went down “Collins Lane” and fired a wrist shot over Marozzi’s right shoulder. Marozzi was partially screened on the play.

The Vipers continued their pressure for a few more shifts, but then the Saints started to win battles in the Viper zone. For three straight shifts, they won faceoffs and checked the Viper defenders. At 10:29, that pressure paid off on the fourth successive dominant shift. Kodie Curran came in from the right point and fired a waist-high wrister that glanced up and over Graeme Gordon’s catching glove.

The Saints went ahead when Nate Fleming sneaked behind the Viper defence and accepted Malcolm Tomlinson’s clearing pass. Alone with Gordon, Fleming placed a backhand that went in off Gordon’s left arm at 13:50.

Another Viper brain cramp left Josh Koper unmarked in the Viper zone for a goal at 17:30. Nate Fleming won an offensive zone faceoff back to Kodie Curran, who spotted Koper all alone in the right faceoff circle. Koper promptly picked the top corner to stun the crowd of 2571.

And that was the game. In the third, the Vipers generated 12 more scoring chances, but were unable to find the range. They tried everything, including storming Marozzi’s net, but the puck would not go in. Marozzi played his angles very well, and the Saints defencemen were adept at clearing pucks. When the Vipers did get second and third chances, the puck slid or rolled wide of the post.

The Saints showed why they have won 54 of 54 when taking a lead into the third period this season. Their tenacity and their willingness to block shots aided their beleaguered goaltender. For most of the final period, they dominated the faceoff circle. The exception came at the end of the game when the Vipers pulled Graeme Gordon for an extra attacker and won four straight draws in the Spruce Grove zone.

For his efforts, Marozzi was named first star, a well-deserved honour and a vindication after he had been replaced in the second period the previous game.

The series resumes Saturday in Vernon with the Vipers still holding a 3-2 series lead. Will they activate their killer instinct, or will the Saints continue to prolong their season?