I was at tonights BCHL game as Vernon defeated Prince George 5-2 in front of 1,900 fans at the Wesbild Centre.
Starting Goaltenders:
Vernon: Blake Voth
Prince George: Kyle Nielsen
1st Period: Both teams with some back and forth play at both ends of the rink but with no real scoring chances. PG would get the games first powerplay of the night but with very little pressure the Vipers killed off the minor. Alot of wide open hockey in the opening period with lots of room for either of the two teams to move. It took the Vipers a while to get going but did manage to get some sustained pressure deep in the Spruce Kings zone. David Robinson was stopped in close after a nice save by Kyle Nielsen. Vernon with several shots but no real quality chances. The Vipers would get their first powerplay of the night. A point shot from Dan Nycholat was tipped in front but stopped by Nielsen. Prince George would kill off the minor. Connor Jones would then go coast to coast, before ripping a shot high over Nielsen at 12:05 putting the Vipers up 1-0 Kevin Kraus & Blake Voth with the assists. Vernon was by far the better of the two teams as most of the play was in the PG zone for most of the 1st period. Dan Nycholat with a nice move at the blueline wired a shot from the point but hit the post. Cole Ikkala with a chance in front was stopped by Nielsen. Vernon with a few decent chances outplayed the Spruce Kings, up 1-0 after 20 minutes of play. Vernon outshot Prince George 19-1.
2nd Period: RJay Berra with a nice tip in front beat Blake Voth on the powerplay at 3:20 tying the game 1-1. Zac Rasmussen & Sam Muchalla with the assists. This was PG's third shot on net. Just over a minute later Mike Collins setup Cole Ikkala who beat Nielsen at 4:29 as Vernon took a 2-1 lead. Collins & Dan Nycholat with the helpers. Once again Vernon controlled the play for most of the period. Braden Pimm & Cole Ikkala went in two on one, Pimm setup Ikkala who was stopped by Nielsen. Bryce Kakoske waited before dishing the puck off to Jonathan Milhouse who was all alone in the slot but couldnt beat Nielsen. A shot that missed the PG net, come out the other side of the net where David Robinson somehow snuck the puck past Kyle Nielsen at 6:57 giving the Vipers a 3-1 lead. Robinsons goal was unassisted. Jonathan Milhouse with a quick shot from the circle just missed the net. Prince George for the second straight period couldnt get much offence going. Kyle Manlow with a shot from the slot just missed the net. Jeff Earnest setup Joe Morgan who beat Voth at 13:32 as PG was back within a goal even though were being outplayed most of the entire game at this point. Vernon had more quality chances in the 2nd compared to the 1st period. The Vipers were up 3-2 after 40 minutes of play. Prince George outshot Vernon 9-8.
3rd Period: A bit of a slow start as the play got a little sloppy at times. Dylan Walchuk setup Jonathan Milhouse who went in on the parcial breakaway but was stopped by Nielsen. The Vipers again were the better of the two teams. Prince George just couldnt seem to muster any offensive attack. Sahir Gill with an amazing pass setup Rob Short who was driving hard towards the goal, putting the puck past Nielsen at 6:59 giving Vernon the 4-2 lead. Gill & Garrett Noonan with the assists. PG would go on the powerplay but it was the Vipers penalty killers who did the job. Connor & Kellen Jones went in shorthanded two on one, Connor setup Kellen at the last minute beating Nielsen at 9:55 giving Vernon the 5-2 lead. Nick DeSousa had a great chance on the man advantage but missed on a wide open net as Vernon would kill off the minor. As the period went on things started to heat up a little between the two teams. Braden Pimm took a few wacks at a few different PG players, while Bryce Kakoske was having words and getting involved with a few Spruce Kings through out the 3rd. Vernon peppered Kyle Nielsen with a ton of shots in the final period. Jeff Earnest used his wheels in the final minute and avoided a big check from Kevin Kraus, to go in on the parcial breakaway but was stopped by Steve Weinstein who hustled back into the play to break up the PG scoring chance. Cory Kane in the final minute then missed a wide open net. Vernon dominated this game & almost the entire game. The Vipers would pull out the 5-2 victory and stay four points ahead of the Penticton Vees as they defeated Merritt tonight 9-3. Vernon outshot Prince George 18-8.
Top Players: (Vernon)
The line of Connor Jones (1 goal & 1 assist), Kellen Jones (1 goal) & David Robinson (1 goal) played very well for the second straight night. Robinson was in and around the PG net most of the net, always parked in front of Kyle Nielsen looking for the screen. Both Jones Twins played well, were both skating well, cycled the puck well down low at times.
Cole Ikkala (1 goal) I thought played well for his second straight game. Ikkala has really come into his own as of late and been playing some great hockey for the Vipers.
Jonathan Milhouse had several good chances this evening. Milhouse looked very strong with the puck down low and in the PG zone.
Rob Short (1 goal) Short looked good most of the night, showed some good hustle. Scored a real nice goal in the 3rd to give Vernon the 4-2 lead.
Top Players: (Prince George)
Kyle Nielsen (40 saves) Was by far PGs best player. Nielsen played a heck of a game and gave his team a chance to pull off the upset. Nielsen made some key saves especially in the first two periods when the Spruce Kings were down just a goal. Played his position very well, dosnt give up any real big rebounds.
Game Thoughts: (Vernon)
This wasnt a very exciting hockey game but wasnt a boring game either. Their was alot of open ice at both ends of the rink at times. I thought the Vipers played well enough to win but at times maybe played down to the Spruce Kings level of play. Vernon dominated most of tonights game, give credit to the Vipers for really shutting down the Spruce Kings offence, and keeping the shots against down under 20 (18). The Vipers at times looked like they had the puck on a string, making some real nice moves. If it wasnt for Kyle Nielsen this could have been a much different score. The Vipers now have to get ready to battle Penticton Wednesday night in another key matchup.
Game Thoughts: (Prince George)
I wasnt overly impressed with the Spruce Kings. PG was outplayed & outworked for most of tonights game. Very few scoring chances, and sustained pressure on the Vipers. I must say they did score two nice goals. The Spruce Kings did take the body and try and get under the skin of the Vipers but that didnt work. Prince George was lucky to be in tonights game in the 2nd period. The Spruce Kings couldnt generate much if any offensive attack.
Scratches:
Prince George:
Jonathan Gibson
Jordan Cool
Stewart Lambert
Vernon:
Darren Robak
Patrick McGillis
3 Stars:
1st Star: Kellen Jones (1 goal)
2nd Star: Jonathan Milhouse
3rd Star: Rob Short (1 goal)
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