“Captain Clutch” Delivers For Vipers:

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“Captain clutch” delivers for Vipers

by Don Klepp | Added 2011-01-30

For the fourth time this year, David Robinson has scored an overtime winner for the Vernon Vipers. On Saturday in Trail his rising snap shot gave the Vipers a 2-1 decision over the Smoke Eaters.

“I gave him [goalie Kiefer Smiley] a head fake and he went for it, so I put it upstairs and it hit the back bar inside the net,” said a smiling Robinson after the game.

The goal came at 3:36 of the second overtime period, following frantic end to end action. Malcolm Lyles started the play in the Viper zone after breaking up a Smoke Eater foray. His long pass sprung Dylan Walchuk and Robinson with one Smoke Eater defending.

Walchuk drew the defender to him and slipped the disk to Robinson, who scored on the Vipers’ 39th shot.

Robinson went from goat to hero, because 33 seconds earlier he had been called for tripping Kyle St. Denis, which resulted in a penalty shot. Kirby Halcrow rescued his captain by sticking with St. Denis and stuffing the Trail sniper’s short side move.

Prior to overtime, the two teams had not scored since the first period. Defenceman Eric Walker opened the scoring at 2:33 when his hopeful attempt from the left boards hit the side of the net, bounced high and in behind Halcrow, who had no idea where the puck had gone.

At the midway point of the period, the Smoke Eaters were leading in shots, 7-1, but then the Vipers shook off their bus legs and won the rest of the period, outshooting their hosts 9-0 in the process.

They tied the score with a power play marker with just three seconds left in the period. After Travis St. Denis had taken an elbowing penalty, the Vipers generated three scoring chances and Darren Nowick buried a rebound after Dane Muench and Dylan Walchuk had created havoc in front of Kiefer Smiley.

The Vipers scored in the second when Dylan Walchuk pounced on a strange bounce that came off the boards to Smiley’s left. However, the goal was disallowed because Walchuk was judged offside on the play.

Each team narrowly missed converting chances in the second and third periods, but Smiley and Halcrow continued their solid play.

Early in the third, the Vipers nearly made the Smokies pay for a second St. Denis infraction when Malcolm Lyles’s point shot was deflected onto Smiley’s right post by David Robinson.

For the most part, referee Kris Hartley was reluctant to send players to the penalty box, which was especially apparent in overtime. At times, the Trail fans were livid when Hartley declined to make calls, but he was consistent in his decisions. The Robinson tripping minor had to be called because the infraction was about to result in a Viper scoring chance.

The Vipers have a record of 5 wins, 4 ties, and 8 losses in 18 overtime games this season. The Smoke Eaters are now 3-0-1-3 in overtime action.