Vipers Win Thriller vs. Kings:

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Vipers win thriller vs. Kings

by Don Klepp | Added 2011-01-22

In a vastly entertaining match in Vernon on Friday, Dylan Walchuk’s late power play goal gave the Vipers a 3-2 win after the Powell River Kings had mounted a third period comeback.

Against the league’s penalty killing unit, the Vipers scored twice with the man advantage, including Walchuk’s winner at 15:49 of the third.

With play in the Powell River zone, Steve Weinstein played the puck to Darren Nowick in the left corner. Nowick found Walchuk in the slot for a wicked wrist shot that went over Michael Garteig’s right shoulder.

“Garteig was a little worried that I might go back door, I think,” said Walchuk after the game. “So that gave me a little room on the short side and I was lucky enough to find it.”

Bryce Kakoske had given the Vipers a 2-0 lead at 4:19 of the third period, but the Kings came storming back when the Vipers relaxed a little. They finally broke through Kirby Halcrow’s goaltending 19 seconds after the Kakoske marker.

A giveaway in the Viper zone allowed Teagan Waugh to vacuum a loose puck and put it on net. In the ensuing scramble, Andrew Pettitt notched his 15th of the year.

Cohen Adair’s power play at 14:49 tied the game. Halcrow had little chance on a rising shot that culminated a tic-tac-toe passing sequence.

However, a roughing call earned by Chris Williams gave the Vipers another chance and Walchuk brought the 2612 fans to their feet.

Still, the Kings had no intention of giving up and they continued to press, especially when Garteig gave way for another a sixth attacker in the last 60 seconds. The Kings had several excellent scoring chances and six shots on Halcrow in the last couple of minutes.

Halcrow made the save of the game with 24.7 seconds remaining. He moved to his right to block an expected shot, but the puck bounced over to Halcrow’s left, giving Craig Dalrymple a half open net from 20 feet.

Halcrow twisted back and stopped the puck with the inside of his left forearm to forestall Dalrymple’s anticipated celebration.

This game had all the earmarks of an intense playoff game, with tight checking and non-stop body checking, right from the opening whistle.

Although the first period was scoreless, it was exciting for the fans because the teams played end to end for long stretches without a whistle. In the period, the Vipers dished out 21 hits and the Kings threw 15. Shots favoured the Vipers, 7-3.

The hit parade continued in the second period, as the Vipers registered another 26 hits to the Kings’ 15. However, the Vipers started to make fancy plays exiting their zone, and the Kings seized opportunities to outshoot the Vipers, 11-7.

The big play of the period was David Robinson’s highlight reel goal at 3:35. Collecting the puck from Kirby Halcrow, Robinson skated through the four Powell River penalty killers and, while veering to his left, beat Michael Garteig with a wrist shot to the top corner.

Bryce Kakoske’s goal was also a beauty. Kyle Murphy started the play with a diving effort to clear his zone. Robinson lugged the puck into the Kings’ zone, but was checked. Kakoske rescued it and beat Garteig with a low wrist shot from the high slot.

Coach Mark Ferner was pleased with his team’s effort: “That’s an older, experienced Powell River squad, and I thought our young guys really competed. I knew our older guys would lead the way, but now our fans can see the strides that our kids have made.”

He continued, “We played a great first period, but in the second we started to get a little sloppy, a little too fancy with the biscuit in our end, and it eventually cost us. But we bounced back, and now our group knows that we can play with anybody.”