Vipers Rebound Against Prince George:

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Vipers rebound against Prince George

by Don Klepp | Added 2010-11-06

After a tough loss in Merritt the previous night, on Saturday the Vipers found redemption in a 3-1 win over the Prince George Spruce Kings.

The Vipers surrendered a three-goal lead in Merritt, but when they got a lead in the third period versus PG, they shut down the Spruce Kings, who didn’t get a shot on goal for the first 17 minutes of the final frame.

The first period was mostly uneventful. Although each team had chances on the power play, neither team scored. The Vipers did come close, however, with the Knisley line leading the way on the Vipers’ second man advantage of the period.

Veteran Alex Wright, who has stints with the WHL Prince George Cougars, looked strong in the PG net, while Viper rookie goalie, Bryton Udy, displayed his growing confidence.

The teams exchanged goals in the second period, with the Spruce Kings drawing first blood.

RJay Berra, fresh from a three-goal performance in his team’s win over Salmon Arm on Friday night, opened the scoring from just outside the crease at 6:28. Berra’s 18th of the season was set up nicely by Nic DeSousa, who had combined with Zac Ashdown to wrest the puck away from a Viper defender in the corner.

Exactly six minutes later, Aaron Hadley equalized from the low slot as he and John Knisley exchanged passes on a smooth give-and-go. The goal came one second before a DeSousa holding penalty expired.

Partly because of consistent pressure on two power plays, the Vipers out shot the visitors 14 to 5 in the period. They had several excellent scoring chances, but Alex Wright made some sensational saves to keep the score close.

He was let down by his defence early in the third period as John Knisley and Aaron Hadley created a turnover deep in the Prince George zone. Knisley’s deft feed allowed Hadley to power the puck by Wright at 1:13.

Marcus Basara added to the Viper lead at the six-minute mark. At the end of a shift, Mike Zalewski chipped the puck forward on the right wing. With a full head of steam, Basara blew by Trevor Esau and fired a rocket over Wright’s shoulder.

For much of the game, Trevor Esau and Trevor Fitzgerald had been in each other’s face, and their physical battle blossomed into roughing at 6:35 and escalated to a fight at 9:39. The two had both been affiliated with the Vipers last year.

Aaron Hadley came close to a hat trick with six minutes remaining in the period, as he closed in again with John Knisley, but he got in too close and Wright covered the angle.

The Spruce Kings were basically smothered in the third period, but they did finally register five shots at the very end, as they pulled Wright for an extra skater. Bryton Udy had to make two sparkling saves in the last minute as he collected his first win of the year.

Game Notes:

• Dylan Walchuk (Team Canada West commitment) and Adam Thompson (family wedding) missed their second straight game for the Vipers. Patrick McGillis missed due to injury.

• Affiliated player Nicholas Kerr dressed for the Vipers.

• The Spruce Kings had AP D-man Derek Grimm in the lineup as Derek Henderson (suspension) and Bennett Hambrook (ankle injury) were missing.

• After notching his 18th goal of the campaign, RJay Berra is now tied with Mike Hammond, Josh Myers, and Travis St. Denis for third spot in BCHL sniping behind Bradley McGowan (20) and Sam Mellor (22).

• Aaron Hadley’s first two-goal game in the league earned him first star, while John Knisley and Alex Wright got the other two stars.