Spruce Kings Spoil Vipers’ Weekend:

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Spruce Kings spoil Vipers’ weekend

by Don Klepp | Added 2010-10-24

Zac Ashdown’s goal at 1:25 of the first overtime period capped a Prince George comeback as the Spruce Kings nipped the Vipers 3-2 in Vernon.

Ashdown won a faceoff in the Viper end and bulled his way past David Robinson en route to slipping the puck under Bryton Udy.

Playing just his third BCHL game, Udy was very good for the Vipers, but fellow rookie Kirk Thompson was even better for the Spruce Kings, stopping 39 of 41 shots.

Many of Thompson’s saves were difficult, none more so than a sparkling glove save on Bryce Kakoske with two minutes remaining in the third period. Kakoske had time in the slot to rip a shot to the top corner, but Thompson guessed correctly as he snapped up his glove and caught the puck.

He had kept his team in the game in the first period, stopping all 19 Viper shots. He absolutely robbed David Robinson and Dylan Walchuk as his team showed the effects of a grueling road trip that taken them from Powell River to Trail to Vernon this week.

At the other end of the Wesbild ice, young Bryton Udy robbed Vernon native Riley Spraggs, who had a partial breakaway.

The second period was wide open as the Spruce Kings out shot the Vipers 18-14, as the Vipers abandoned their usual tight checking.

However, the Vipers scored the first two goals on a pair of pretty plays. At 10:16, Aaron Hadley, who was parked 10 feet in front of Thompson, re-directed John Knisley’s clever pass for his third of the season.

For the second night in a row, Dylan Walchuk scored an absolute beauty, weaving his way through three defenders and deking Thompson at 12:39.

But then PG went to work on the power play. While Brett Corkey was stepping on the ice from the penalty box, RJay Berra’s attempted pass from the corner nicked off a Viper skate past Udy. Jut prior to the goal, Nik deSousa had knocked down a Viper defenceman in the crease, but referee Kris Hartley missed the infraction.

Soon after the Berra tally, Hartley issued a four-minute spearing penalty to Malcolm Lyles for fishing for the puck under a prone Spruce King. He then gave Captain David Robinson two minutes for arguing the call, and the visitors had a two-man advantage.

Justin Filion converted for the Spruce Kings at 18:59 on a slap shot that Bryton Udy nearly stopped with his right shoulder as he slid across from the other side of the net.

The third period saw no scoring, although the Spruce Kings had three good chances in the first half of the period and the Vipers had five gilt-edged chances in the second half.

David Robinson beat Thompson with a rising backhand with four minutes remaining, but the puck rang off the cross bar. On successive shifts, Robinson was open twice in the slot, but his stick was tied up on each occasion.

Kirk Thompson’s heroics set the stage for Zac Ashdown’s overtime winner and Prince George won for the first time in nine games.

Meanwhile, the Vipers who had won by scores of 5-0 and 8-1 earlier on the weekend, were left to rue their missed chances in front of a full contingent of parents who had come for Parents’ Weekend.