Kings Win In OT:

Kings Win in OT

by Don Klepp - Apr 8, 2009

Jordan Grant’s goal at 4:05 of the first overtime period gave the visiting Powell River Kings a 3-2 victory over the Vernon Vipers Tuesday. Grant unleashed a wrist shot from just inside the Viper blue line and the puck rolled into the net after Andrew Hammond tried to smother it against his mid-section. The goal came against the run of play, after the Vipers had outplayed the Kings for most of the overtime and the third period. Carsen Chubak was very good in net for the Kings, especially in the third period when the Vipers generated 6 excellent scoring chances. Grant’s winning goal was his third point of the night. He earned an assist on Kyle Leahy’s opening goal at 3:31 of the first period after a strong forecheck by the Leahyfore check/Grant/Neil Chambers line. His other assist was on a Mat Bodie power play blast from the point at 18:49 of the second period. The Bodie goal tied the game at 2-2 after two goals by the Jones line had put the Vipers ahead by a goal. The first Jones goal, scored by Kellen Jones at 16:15 of the first period, came on the power play. Just over the centre red line, Connor Jones absorbed a hit along the boards in order to get the puck forward to Sahir Gill on the right wing. That hit put King defenceman Reid Campbell out of position, so Gill and Kellen had a two-on-one break. Gill’s pass was perfect to Kellen, who drove to the net and tipped the puck high into the net. Gill turned play maker on the second Viper goal at 4:01 of the second period. After sustained offensive-zone pressure by the Pimm line and the Kane line on successive shifts, the Jones line capped the pressure when Mike Leidl kept the puck in at the King blue line and fed Gill who in turn got the puck in front for Connor to bat it in. So, one line from each team did the damage in this game. Although the Leahy line created most of the Kings’ scoring chances, all four of the Viper lines had scoring opportunities as the Vipers out-chanced the Kings in the game, 24 to 14. Also, Rob Short and Braden Pimm had excellent scoring opportunities while killing penalties in the first and second period. In each case, Chubak bailed out his team mates. As in the two games in Powell River, high scoring forwards Kyle Bodie, Erik Vos, Clay Harvey, and Darcy Oakes were largely invisible as they were neutralized by the Viper defencemen. However, Mat Bodie, the Kings’ talented rookie D-Man, displayed the offensive skills that had been stifled in the first two games of this series. The best Viper forwards, in addition to the Jones line, were Braden Pimm and Cole Ikkala. On the Viper blue line all six D-men played well, but Kyle Bigos had a particularly strong game, rushing the puck and smothering King forwards. The series resumes in Vernon on Wednesday evening at 7.00 pm and in Powell River at 7.30 pm on Friday. If a sixth game proves necessary, it will be played in Vernon on Sunday, starting at 7.00 pm.