Silverbacks Defeat Vipers In OT Again:

This is posted on the Vipers website:

Silverbacks Defeat Vipers in OT Again
 
Friday, October 26, 2012 - Submitted by Don Klepp

For the third straight time that the Salmon Arm Silverbacks and the Vernon Vipers have met in this young season, Salmon Arm won in overtime on Friday, this time by a  2-1 score.

Carter Lukenda bundled in a backhand from a scramble at 4:23 of the second overtime period to put the cap on a solid road win by the Silverbacks.

Each team had plenty of chances in the three-on-three overtime, but Salmon Arm’s Adam Clark and Vernon’s Austin Smith were steady in their respective goals, as they had been all game.

Both teams have had difficulty scoring this year, which was demonstrated by a lack of finishing in this game. After a tight checking first period that saw a slight edge in play by the Vipers, the visitors were stronger in the second period. Then, the Vipers applied pressure in the third but could not apply the coup de grace.

Adam Tambellini opened the scoring at 6:00 of the first period, 3:16 into a major penalty that had been issued to Alex Gillies for slamming Michael Statchuk into the boards from behind. The Vipers patiently moved the puck around and Tambellini eventually beat Clark when he one-timed Brett Corkey’s pass from 25 feet.

Gillies was ejected from the contest, while Statchuk played only a few short shifts in the remainder of the game.

Another Viper D-man, Geoff Crisfield, missed significant minutes in the second and third periods after being hit in the head by Salmon Arm’s Ryan Simpson.

Silverback defenceman Shane Hanna maintained his nine-game point steak in the second period when his point shot bounced off Austin Smith straight to Brandon Mistal, who buried the rebound at the 9-minute mark.

The Vipers had the majority of scoring chances in the third period, but once again Adam Clark had the Vipers’ number. He especially frustrated Logan Mick, who had a golden opportunity on the backhand early in the period. It was the fourth time Clark had stopped Mick, the 16-year-old son of Salmon Arm’s GM, Troy Mick.

The Silverbacks dressed a whole line of 16-year-olds, Ryan Simpson, Connor Brown-Maloski, and Spencer Hewson.      

Mitch McAllister, who returned to the Viper lineup after missing 12 games with a shoulder injury, was named the Energy Player of the Game.