Vees' powerplay sinks Vipers
Published: January 05, 2012 3:00 PM
PENTICTON – They used to be drama-jammed showdowns between two of the best teams in the B.C. Hockey League.
The Vernon Vipers, however, made things easy this time as the Penticton Vees converted three powerplay goals, held the Vipers to four shots in the first period, and cruised to a 6-1 win Wednesday night before 1,840 fans at the South Okanagan Events Centre.
The Vees – ranked No. 2 in the country – stretched their winning streak to 19 games. They are 31-3-0-2 and a whopping 19 points ahead of the second-place Merritt Centennials in the Interior Conference.
Mike Reilly, one of seven Minnesota products with Penticton, took first star with 2+2. The 98th overall pick by the Columbus Blue Jackets in last year’s NHL entry draft worked a give-and-go with Bryce Gervais as the Vees opened the offence midway through the first period.
Reilly, on a point slapper, and Minnesota Wild draft Mario Lucia, on a scramble, with two seconds left in the period, counted powerplay goals seven minutes apart. Reilly leads all defenceman with 16 goals and 52 points.
Veteran Mike Zalewski, ejected with a misconduct in the third period, said the Vipers simply weren’t prepared for battle.
“They obviously had a lot of time off and maybe that worked to their advantage, but either way we didn’t come out the way we should have so it’s on us,” said Zalewski. “We came back and got a win last week but we weren’t ready to go tonight
“I don’t think it has anything to do with intimidation, it’s all inside our locker room and being more prepared to play night in and night out. We just weren’t ready to go tonight and that is all there is to it.”
Second star Travis St. Denis also had 2+2, while Reilly added a powerplay goal, to make it 6-0 Vees after 40 minutes. Danny Todoyschuk stopped eight third-period shots in relief of Kirby Halcrow.
Aaron Hadley, with his sixth of the year, on a rebound, from Brett Corkey and Dylan Walchuk, on the powerplay, replied for the Vipers midway through the third. Vernon assistant coach Chris Shaw wasn’t using the team’s medical woes as an excuse.
“We have got five guys out, all of whom have previous Junior A experience, so it’s been kind of a common theme for us all year,” said Shaw.
“I don’t think we have had a full lineup since Oct. 7, but no excuses. You don’t have quite as much depth as you would like against a team like Penticton, and Penticton has showed they are the best team in the league, and they are going to be a very strong team throughout the rest of the season and the playoffs.
“You would like to have that depth going into games like that, but at the same time it gives other players opportunities to step up and we just didn’t have it from every guy tonight.”
Shaw said the Vipers will likely keep their roster intact as the Jan. 10 trade deadline nears.
Vees’ head coach/GM Fred Harbinson liked the way his club pressured the Vipers (17-14-1-2).
“I think it was important to get off on the right foot and going into tonight, we only had two more games against Vernon,” he said. “Always against your top competition you want to make sure you stay on top of them and don’t give them confidence and we obviously showed pretty well tonight.”
The Vees are 15-0-1 at home and lead the BCHL in powerplay efficiency at 32.8 per cent.
Forward Bryce Gervais, who was giftwrapped to the Vees earlier this season by the Salmon Arm SilverBacks, says Penticton feels mighty good about themselves these days.
“All of our guys are going and we have so much confidence right now and confidence is really key in a hockey team,” said Gervais. “We are going to keep plugging away and working our butts off.
“It was definitely an important game and we didn’t want to get off to a slow start. We pushed the whole game. We are focused on finishing first and finishing hard and keeping that momentum going into playoffs.”
SNAKE BITES: The Vipers host the Victoria Grizzlies tonight and the Centennials Saturday night...Viper D Geoff Crisfield and Vees’ captain Logan Johnston traded punches in a spirited first-period scrap...Viper F Ben Gamache is out two to three weeks with a knee injury...Shane Hanna scored in double OT as the SilverBacks clipped Trail 5-4 at Cominco Arena...Ex-Viper Alex Hagen scored once as host Surrey Eagles edged Nanaimo Clippers 3-2.
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