Fitzgerald Line Leads The Way:

This is posted on the Vipers website:

Fitzgerald line leads the way

by Don Klepp | Added 2011-03-13

The Vernon Vipers rode the play of their fourth line to an early 2-0 lead and went on to defeat the Warriors 5-2 in Westside on Saturday.

Facing the possibility of going down 3-1 in the series, Vernon came out with the kind of intensity that Westside had displayed the previous evening.

Head Coach Mark Ferner was satisfied with the result, but even more pleased with how the Vipers won. “For Jason and me, the key issue is how we play, the process we follow to control play in the key areas of the ice.”

He went on, “The guys knew the significance of this game and they reacted accordingly. From the goaltender on out, they took care of business tonight.”

On their first shift of the night, the Fitzgerald line struck at 2:15 of the first period. Trevor Fitzgerald won the draw back to Brett Corkey, whose shot was tipped in by Colton Sparrow. Encouraged by their success, the line continued to spark the Vipers with an avalanche of forechecking.

“We were just trying to crash and bang, not do anything fancy,” said Fitzgerald.

The line converted again, almost exactly one period later, at 2:14 of the second period. They went hard to the net following Brett Corkey’s shot that he deliberately put wide. This time, Aaron Hadley banged the disk past Kevin Boyle.

The goal came against the run of play as the Warriors emerged from the first intermission with fire in their eyes. They created three early scoring chances but Kirby Halcrow was very sharp in the Viper net. His best save came off Alex Grieve, who snapped a shot from 15 feet after picking up a thwarted Viper clearing try. Instinctively, Halcrow raised his right arm to deny the Westside sniper.

Halcrow also was alert and big in his crease during a Westside power play that began at 4:10. He then contributed to a Viper goal by making a save and directing the puck to Patrick McGillis, who went end to end and beat Boyle with a perfect shot just under the cross bar.

The Warriors finally solved Halcrow with a power play marker at 9:49. He stopped an Alex Grieve shot, but the rebound fell to his feet where Quinn Gould swept it in.

The Fitzgerald line figured in a third goal at 17:38. Fitzgerald, Aaron Hadley, and Patrick McGillis (who had replaced Colton Sparrow on a partial change) won puck battles in the offensive zone and the puck came to Malcolm Lyles. His wrist shot through traffic went over Boyle’s right shoulder.

In the third period, the teams exchanged power play goals, first by Westside’s Matthew Maher and then by Vernon’s Bryce Kakoske.

For the first time in this series, the Viper goaltending outshone Kevin Boyle’s play. Also, the Vipers shot the puck better and they continued to out skate the Warriors.

The series now shifts to Vernon for the fifth game on Monday and to Westside for Tuesday’s sixth game. If a seventh is necessary, it will be played at the Wesbild Centre on Wednesday.

Game Notes:

• Brett Corkey, Patrick McGillis, and Colton Sparrow all had two-point night for the Vipers.

• Alex Grieve continued his productive play with assists on both Westside goals, as did Tyler Brickler.

• Top goal scorer Grayson Downing and defenceman Isaac Berglund missed the game with injuries, and Shawn Hochhausen began the first of his two-game suspension for his dangerous hit on Kyle Murphy in the March 11 game. Hochhausen’s place was taken by Max French, who returned after being suspended for a hit on Dane Muench in the March 9 game.

• Muench, who will likely miss the rest of the playoffs, was joined by healthy scratches Phil Patenaude and Zach McPhee. Tanner Cochrane, an AP who has joined the Vipers this spring, also sat, complete with the requisite blonde Mohawk.

• Colton Sparrow now leads Viper playoff scoring with two goals and three assists. (Note that the BCHL website has incorrectly credited Sparrow with a goal that was scored by Trevor Fitzgerald in Friday’s 4-2 loss.)