Vernon 7 Quesnel 0

Vernon 7 Quesnel 0

Was at tonights game as Vernon defeated Quesnel 7-0 in front of 1,692 fans at the Wesbild Center.

1st Period: Vipers got off to a quick start with some physical play and really carried the edge in play in the early goings. Vernon was skating hard with some good puck movement down low and it paid off as 1:56 into the period Bryce Kakoske made a nice pass over to Ryan DePape who beat Ryan Demharter putting Vernon up 1-0. Vernon had full control and total domination over the Mills as the play was held deep in the Quesnel zone for the first 10 mins. Chris Crowells hard work and hustle inbehind the Millionaires goal paid off after Crowell won the battle for the puck, then fed a nice pass out front where Braden Pimm scored a nice goal putting the Vipers up 2-0. Quesnel couldnt keep up with the speed and skill of the Vipers as it showed in the first half. Both teams then struggled for the next few mins as there was a lull in play with not much action going on at both ends. Vernon come close to going up 3-0 but John Digness was stoned in front after Demharter made a nice save in close. The Millionaires wernt in tonights game from the opening draw, only solid scoring chance for the Mills came in close where Trevor Hertz was stopped by Andrew Hammond. Hammond saw very few shots as well as any real quality scoring chances by Quesnel. Vernon was up 2-0 after 20 mins of play. Vipers outshot the Millionaires 15-7.

2nd Period: Vipers got an early powerplay and Bryce Kakoske had the best scoring chance with a shot from the mid-circle but rang it off the crossbar. Vernon owned the 2nd period with basically having the puck on a string as they say. Vipers passing was very smooth all night. Vipers carried the puck out of there own zone as Ryan Santana cut through center and over the Quesnel line, dropping the puck for Connor Jones, Connor made a nice pass over to his brother Kellen Jones, Kellen then made a nice move around the Mills d-man, then passing it back to Connor who then scored beating Demharter as Vernon jumped ahead 3-0 after some nice three way passing. Vernon come close to scoring once again after Ryan Santana & Connor Jones went in on the two on one, as Santana made a nice pass over to Jones, but Connor missed a wide empty goal. Mitchell Smith and Kyle Bigos made a race for the puck in the Mills zone, Smith & Bigos both hit the boards, but it was Smith who hit the ice and didnt get up, as Smith was helped off the ice and didnt return to the game. Vipers were skating circles around the Millionaires all 2nd period, Ryan DePape cut through center and then fed Cory Kane who went in for the breakaway but couldnt beat Demharter who made the nice save. Quesnel couldnt get anything going having most of the play held in there own end. Vernon dominated the 2nd up 3-0 after 40 mins of play. Vipers outshot the Millionaires 12-5.

3rd Period: Quesnel started the 3rd with an early powerplay but it was Vernon who carried most of the play and had the better scoring chances. Ryan Santana showed alot of hustle all night, carried the puck into the Millionaires zone and then made a nice move around two Quesnel defenders, cut towards the goal and was in close but instead of shooting passed the puck off to nobody as Kellen Jones was skating by on the play. Vipers kept pressing shorthanded and it paid off after Kellen Jones made a nice pass down low over to a wide open John Digness who would score into the empty net putting Vernon up 4-0 and in full control. Minutes later Ryan Demharter made his biggest save of the game sliding across the crease to rob John Digness making a big toe save keeping the puck out. Once again the solid play from the line of Connor Jones, Kellen Jones & Ryan Santana made some nice passing as Connor Jones put Vernon up 5-0. Quesnel just couldnt get anything going, it got so bad the Mills were having troubles just touching the puck even after a miss pass or shot by the Vipers. The beating continued as Cory Kane put Vernon up 6-0 after Mike Collins made a nice pass through the zone over to Kane. Vipers looked very strong all night, basically skating circles around the Mills. Late in the 3rd Mike Collins would score his 6th goal of the season after a nice pass and setup from Braden Pimm & Captain Chris Crowell. Then things got ugly after Trent Dorais hit Jordan Principalli from behind in the Mills zone, Principalli had troubles getting up, Matt Brown come flying in and ended up dropping the gloves with Dorais. Dorais was tossed from the game for fighting and checking from behind. Principalli struggled off the ice and headed to the Quesnel dressing room and didnt return. Trevor Hertz come very close to breaking Andrew Hammonds shutout with two great scoring chances in close with 1:06 remaining, but Hammond made two big saves as Hertz was left alone in front but couldnt find the back of the net. With under a minute left, Kyle Bigos & Mills Captain Taylor Rovatti would also drop the gloves. As the buzzer sounded Vernon would defeat Quesnel 7-0 winning there 4th straight hockey game. Andrew Hammond would record his first shutout this season. With the win Vernon moves into a tie for first with the Trail Smoke Eaters. Vipers outshot the Millionaires 15-11.

Top Players: (Vernon)

Ryan Santana (2 Assists) Showed lots of hustle and grit. Santana showed lots of speed and hustle all night, looking very solid on the penalty kill. Had many great scoring chances in close, as well as making some very nice passes to create scoring chances. I have really noticed Santana's hustle and speed over the last week or so, this kid is flying.

Connor Jones (2 Goals) Jones had the puck on a string all game. Connor has really stepped up his play since the return of his brother Kellen and new linemate Ryan Santana. Scored two real nice highlite real goals.

Kellen Jones (3 Assists) Jones also had the puck on a string. Nice to see Kellen get his game back after returning to the Vipers lineup last weekend. Kellen looked very solid up front, making some nice passing all game.

Braden Pimm (1 Goal & 1 Assist) Played a very strong game. Pimm is the Vipers leading scorer and has really stepped up his play over the last month.

John Digness (1 Goal) Played very well, looked very solid on the penalty kill. This kid plays with a ton of hustle and grit game after game. Digness went into the boards head first midway through the 3rd but stayed involved in the play and didnt miss a shift. This is one tough customer.

Kyle Bigos played very physical and was solid defensivly. Bigos was a rock on the Vipers blueline tonight, standing up guys at the line, looking very good on the powerplay.

Adam Thompson (1 Assist) also played very good defensivly. Thompson made a few nice heads up play on the backend. I really like the way this kid plays. A very smart smooth skating defenceman.

Top Players: (Quesnel)

Trevor Hertz had Quesnels best and only real solid scoring chances and couldnt find the back of the goal. Hertz was stopped in close once in the 1st and then had two great scoring chances in close with 1:06 remaining and couldnt beat Andrew Hammond. Hertz was the only Mills player who did much of anything tonight.

Game Thoughts: (Vernon)

Vipers looked very strong and played a solid game all night. Vernon basically had the puck on a string all night long, making the Mills look silly at times. Vipers exploded for 7 goals for the first time all year blowing out the Millionaires. This game wasnt even close and could have been alot worse as the Vipers missed an empty net, hit one crossbar as well as having some other great scoring chances in close but couldnt pull the trigger. Vernons speed and skill was by far way too over powering for Quesnel to even keep pace and it showed for the entire hockey game. The line of Connor, & Kellen Jones along with Ryan Santana was really clicking making some unreal plays all game. An overall solid effort coming from the Vipers. Since a 6-2 loss in Salmon Arm the Vipers have really turned things around and have been improving game after game. Nice to see this team start to get on a roll with 4 straight wins.

Game Thoughts: (Quesnel)

This could be a very long year for the Millionaires with an effort like tonight. Quesnel was never in tonights game, they were out worked, out hustled and out skated all night long. No offensive touch up front to even make a threat, the defence were skating circles chasing the Vipers forwards and you couldnt blame goaltender Ryan Demharter who was shelled for seven goals. I felt sorry for this kid, they didnt need to leave him in for the full game. A tough game for the Mills, very few bright spots. Vipers dominated from start to finish.

Scratches:

Vernon:

Cole Ikkala
Rob Short
Steven Weinstein

Quesnel:

Kyle Golz
Danny McSween
Devin Braden
Jeff Malcolm

3 Stars:

1st Star: Kellen Jones (3 Assists)
2nd Star: Connor Jones (2 Goals)
3rd Star: Mike Collins (1 Goal & 1 Assist)