Special Team Woes Lead To Loss In Powell River:

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Special Team Woes Lead to Loss In Powell River
 
Friday, November 16, 2012 - Submitted by Don Klepp

Led by Evan Richardson, the Powell River Kings scored all their goals on the power play in a 3-0 whitewash of the visiting Vernon Vipers on Friday.

While playing five on five, the teams were evenly matched, but the Vipers had no answer for the Kings’ eagerness to convert power play chances and Richardson’s ability to exploit open space.

While the Kings were going converting three of five opportunities, the Vipers were blanked on their four power plays. Both teams moved the puck well, but the Kings were much more aggressive while shorthanded.

A hard hitting first period resulted in only three scoring chances for each team. Those chances were gilt-edged, but Vernon’s Austin Smith and Powell River’s Jonah Imoo were very sharp. The highlight of the opening 20 minutes was a fight in which Geoff Crisfield schooled the smaller JP Villeneuve. (Crisfield fought the much bigger Luke Nogard in the thirfd period as well, but that bout was primarily a wrestling match.)

In the second, both teams continued to check hard, but the Kings gradually began to assert their dominance. Their pressure paid off at 10:47 when Vernon native Jordan Burns was set up by Evan Richardson with Logan Mick in the penalty box.

Richardson was in on both third period goals, scoring at the two-minute mark and setting up Drew Dorantes at 6:18.

In the final 20 minutes, all seven of the Kings scoring chances came on the power play. The rest of the time, they focused on defence. When the Vipers did create chances, the Kings collapsed to Imoo’s net and prevented rebound opportunities for the frustrated Vipers. 

Tomorrow, the Vipers continue their West Coast swing with a game in Port Alberni against the Bulldogs, who blew a two-goal third period lead and succumbed 5-4 in overtime to the Victoria Grizzlies on Friday.