Sparrow Settles Tight OT Contest:

This is posted on the Vipers website:

Sparrow Settles Tight OT Contest
 
Sunday, October 7, 2012 - Submitted by Don Klepp

Colton Sparrow's roof daddy at 4:11 of overtime gave the host Vernon Vipers a 2-1 win over the West Kelowna Warriors on Saturday.

West Kelowna had a slight edge in play in the three regulation periods but in overtime the Vipers took advantage of a determined fore check by Sparrow and Pierce Eviston to snap the Vipers' three game losing streak.

Both goaltenders played extremely well throughout the game, but a pair of saves are worthy of special attention.

With seven seconds left in the third period, West Kelowna's Tyler Briggs absolutely robbed Craig Martin after Brett Corkey's fine goalmouth feed, to take the Warriors to overtime. In the second period, the Vipers' Austin Smith had robbed Seb Lloyd in tight, in a replica of Briggs's save on Martin. 

However, in the third period Lloyd had a second chance as he took a pinpoint pass from David Pope, sliced through the Viper defence and slipped the puck though Smith's pads.

Lloyd, the best Warrior skater in this game, knotted the score at 1-1 on his team's first scoring chance in a tightly played third period that saw Vernon out shoot West Kelowna 9-7.

The first two periods were more eventful than the third, despite the lack of scoring. The first 20 minutes included non-stop physical play as the Vipers registered 18 hits to the Warriors' 15.

Although the play was physical, both  teams played under control, so there were no penalties in the opening 20 minutes.  That trend changed briefly in the second period when Braxton Bilous came to the aid of a teammate whom Brendan Persley had crashed
into the boards.

The two engaged in a protracted but rather tame bout that was closer to a wrestling match. Persley earned a boarding penalty, a fighting major, and an unsportsmanlike  minor while Bilous drew an instigator penalty, which carries an automatic 10-minute misconduct.

The first period did have some drama. Each team scored a goal, but Vernon's counted while West Kelowna's was waved off by referee Brandon Liefke. The goal light went on briefly, but Liefke apparently ruled that the whistle blew before the puck entered the net. 

Nobody disputed Adam Tambellini's opening goal at 13:02. He intercepted an attempted clear at the Warrior blue line and ripped a wrist shot just under the cross bar over Briggs' catching glove. Tambellini was not selected as one of the three stars but he had a strong game in all areas of the ice.

Other than Lloyd, the most dangerous Warriors were Marcus Basara and rookies Matt Anholt and Ambrose Firkus.