Vipers Back On Track:

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Vipers back on track

by don klepp | Added 2010-05-02

David Robinson’s two goals from short range paced the Vernon Vipers to a 4-2 win over the La Ronge Ice Dogs at the RBC Cup on Sunday.

The defending national champions are back in the hunt after dropping their first game in overtime to the Dauphin Kings on Saturday.

In a first period that suffered from long periods of suffocating defence, the Vipers and Wolves exchanged goals early on. The Pacific region champions opened the scoring at 3:56 when Curtis Gedig’s point shot was neatly deflected past Joel Danyluk by Jonathan Milhouse.

Just 28 seconds later, Doug Lindensmith equalized for La Ronge on a wraparound after Aaron Enns and Liam Brennan had won battles deep in the Viper zone. Lindensmith’s goal came from one of the two Ice Wolf scoring chances in the period.

Following this brief flurry of offensive hockey, the game settled into trench warfare for the remainder of the period. The Ice Wolves continually choked off Viper rushes in the neutral zone, and were content to dump pucks into the Viper zone.

The second period presented a different story. According to La Ronge Assistant Coach Gavin Holcomb, the Ice Wolves backed off a bit in the middle frame. With slightly more room to move, the Vipers picked up their skating and puck movement in rush after rush. Their efforts generated 11 scoring chances and 18 shots on Joel Danyluk, who was brilliant in the period.

However, the Vipers scored twice through David Robinson who set up camp on Danyluk’s doorstep. Robinson’s first goal, at 1:23, came when he whacked in a rebound from Rob Short’s shot.

Robinson’s second, while the Vipers were on the power play, came from second effort. His initial shot hit Danayluk in the chest and trickled downward. Before the goalie could corral the disk, Robinson batted it in the net. Danyluk protested vociferously, feeling that he had controlled the puck.

Toward the end of the period, Danyluk was involved in a pair of scrambles that seemed to injure his right knee. With 1.5 seconds left in the period, he had to be helped from the ice and he was replaced by Adam Bartko.

Bartko, who had been the Ice Wolves’ starter for much of the season, had a good third period, stopping 8 of 9 shots. The one exception generated more controversy when Bryce Kakoske at the side of the net used a backhand to jam the puck past Bartko. The goal light did not come on, but referee Jeff Hopkins allowed the goal after consulting with the linesmen.

More controversy resulted a few minutes later when La Ronge players deposited Graeme Gordon and the puck in the Viper net. Referee Hopkins infuriated several disgruntled Ice Wolves fans when he ruled that the play had been blown dead.

The Ice Wolves did not quit, and Doug Lindensmith potted his second of the night when he snapped a Dayton Fossum rebound past Gordon at 18:14. The Western champs pressed for the remainder of the game, but Graeme Gordon denied them on three good chances late in the contest.

The two teams now have identical records of 1 win and 1 loss. Each team will now get a day off, before returning to action on Tuesday. La Ronge will face the host Dauphin Kings (1-0) while the Vipers tackle the winless Oakville Blades (0-2).

Notes:

• Connor Jones missed his second game with an undisclosed injury. His spot on the “Jones line” was taken by Jonathan Milhouse, who had another strong game.

• Patrick McGillis, who replaced Jones in the Viper lineup, was rocked by an open ice hit delivered by 6’ 5”, 220 lb. Dustin Stevenson.

• The Vipers scored once in six power plays, while the Ice Wolves failed to capitalize on their three opportunities.