Vipers Stay Undefeated:

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Vipers stay undefeated

by Don Klepp | Added 2011-10-08

Darren Nowick was the game's first star.

Another solid defensive effort gave the Vernon Vipers a 4-1 home victory versus the Chilliwack Chiefs on Friday. In the process, they ran their early season record to six straight wins.

The Vipers dominated the first period, outshooting the Chiefs 12 to 5 and out-chancing the visitors 7 to 1. Chief netminder Mitch Gillam kept his team in the game with several big saves, none bigger than his sensational glove save on Darren Nowick at the 13-minute mark.

The line of Nowick, John Knisley, and Mike Zalewski were difficult to contain for the entire game, as exemplified the three way passing play that had Gillam at Nowick’s mercy. Nowick’s shot from 10 feet seemed destined for the top corner, but Gillam propelled himself across his crease to snatch the puck out of midair.

Later in the period, Colton Sparrow’s backhand wormed its way through Gillam, but the puck dropped to the goal line, where Gillam sat on it. In the second period, Gillam took sure goals away from Adam Tambellini and John Knisley.

Kirby Halcrow also had his chances to shine. Near the end of the first period, from a broken play, Kit Sitterley snapped shot from 15 feet, through a screen. Halcrow somehow got his glove on the rising shot.

At 1:57 of the second period, Max Mowat hauled down Trevor Hills, who was awarded a penalty shot. Hills tried a series of moves, but Halcrow stayed square to the shooter and denied Hills with his right pad.

During the next shift Adam Tambellini pounced on a long rebound from a hard Brett Corkey slapper and the talented rookie fired over Gillam’s left shoulder at 2:27. That 1-0 lead seemed in jeopardy when penalties to Darren Nowick and Luke Juha gave the Chiefs a two-man. The Chiefs generated just one scoring chance and the Vipers seemed energized by their penalty kill.

That energy resulted in a second goal at 11:23, following a dominant shift by Zalewski, Knisley, and Nowick. Circling off the left sidewall, Knisley fired a hard shot that Gillam stopped but could not find in his feet. Nowick swooped in to poke in the loose puck.

Between the two goals, however, the Chiefs chipped a puck past a pinching Viper D-man, which created a 3-on-1 rush. At the decisive moment near the Viper net, Kirby Halcrow poke checked the Chief trigger man.

Colton Sparrow gave the Vipers a 3-0 lead at 2:27 of the third period when he came off the right side wall and snapped a shot over Gillam from the right faceoff circle. The play resulted from a good forecheck by his linemates, Jedd Soleway and Marcus Basara.

Four minutes later, Chilliwack used their persistent forecheck to create a goal by Josh Hansen, who buried a rebound of a Trevor Hills shot.

Alex Hagen collected his first BCHL goal on the power play at 17:29 as he fired a laser over Gillam’s catching glove. Luke Juha, who was named the game’s second star, collected an assist on the play.

Aside from the excellent goaltending, one of the key features of this game was the Viper penalty killing, which blanked Chilliwack’s four chances and which has allowed just one goal in 31 power plays against in six games.

The other notable feature was the fierce body checking by both teams. Brett Corkey’s steamroller on Chris Blessing at centre ice was the hit of the game, and Jaret Babych’s rubout of Patrick McGillis sent the Viper captain to the hospital for x-rays. McGillis did not sustain any breaks, but he will out of action for a while.