I was at tonight's Vipers-Vees game as Vernon defeated Penticton 5-2 in front of 3,348 fans at the South Okanagan Events Centre.
Starting Goaltenders:
Vernon: Ty Taylor
Penticton: Adam Scheel
1st Period; The Vipers got off to a quick start, jumped on the home town Vees early. Just thirty two seconds in Brett Stapley with speed come across the Penticton blueline, ripped a hard shot from the faceoff dot forced Adam Scheel into making a save with Keyvan Mokhtari driving to the net, looking for a rebound. On the following play Jesse Lansdell tried beat Adam Scheel on a wrap around, couldn't convert. About a minute and a half later the Snakes setup Alex Swetlikoff alone in the high slot, couldn't solve Adam Scheel. Vernon with a strong start, had some looks-opportunities just minutes in. The Vees responded with a good push back shift, would get two separate shifts with strong pressure in the attacking zone, but couldn't capitalize no real scoring chances. Just before the midway mark Jagger Williamson setup Niko Karamanis who beat Adam Scheel in close, giving Vernon a 1-0 lead at 9:51 Williamson and Jesse Lansdell collected the assists. Just over a minute later Penticton would get the games first powerplay after Shane Kelly took an undisciplined minor in front of the Viper crease. Kelly and a Penticton player exchanged a punch each, while Kelly delivered another shot or two wich sent him to the box. The Vees with two goal mouth scrambles would later force Ty Taylor into making a difficult save after a shot from the point with bodies in front. The Vees with pressure, were going to the goal, couldn't capitalize with the man advantage. Shortly after the Vees sprung Taylor Ward in for the breakaway, was denied by Ty Taylor. The Snakes quickly moved the puck up ice and just ten seconds later Shane Kelly's quick release from the blueline beat Adam Scheel but not the crossbar as the Vipers come within inches of going up by two. With about five minutes remaining, Massimo Rizzo with a quality chance couldn't solve Ty Taylor. It was 1-0 Vernon after 20 minutes of play. I thought both teams were fairly evenly matched. I thought the Snakes got off to a quick start, jumped on Penticton early. The Vipers with some good looks/chances in the opening minutes. The Vees pushed back and had some good pressure/zone time of their own. Penticton outshot Vernon 12-6.
2nd Period: The Vipers for a second straight period would get the early start and jump on the Vees early. Jesse Lansdell with a hard working shift, was behind the Vees goal, through the puck out front, a Viper couldn't connect on the pass, where the puck would come back to Cameron Trott who's shot from the high slot/point area beat Vees starting goaltender Adam Scheel five hole, giving Vernon a 2-0 lead at 1:15 Lansdell & Chris Jandric drew the helpers. The goal light didn't go on and after watching the replay on the jumbo tron it looked as if the puck barley crossed the goal line before a Penticton defender was just a second too late to try and clear the puck from across the line. The goal stood. About a minute or two later Niko Karamanis with a quality chance couldn't beat Adam Scheel who come up with a good stop. About five minutes in Massimo Rizzo with a great opportunity was denied by Vipers starting goaltender Ty Taylor. The Vees slowly gained control and momentum and took over most of the remainder of the period. With the Vipers back on their heels, Penticton with several good looks, had the Snakes scambling in their own end. In and around the halfway mark Vernon couldn't get out of their own end. After Michael Ufberg turned over the puck, this allowed Penticton to keep possession. Taylor Ward picked up the puck off a Ufberg turnover, setup Massimo Rizzo who then spotted Cassidy Bowes in the high slot, beating Ty Taylor five hole, cutting Vernon's lead to 2-1 at 10:40 Rizzo and Ward collected the assists. Ufberg collapsed to the ice, lying on the ice after costing the Vipers a goal. This goal quickly got the fans back in the game and a little noise in the rink, also adding some life to the Vees bench. Just over three minutes later Shane Kelly with the biggest hit of the night, levelled a Penticton player just in front of the Viper bench. Kelly looked to catch a Vees player (Didn't see who it was) with his head down. Former Salmon Arm Silverbacks forward Marcus Mitchell jumped in after Kelly in defence of his team mate, as the two dropped their gloves. While Kelly & Mitchell were throwing bombs, Jordan Henderson was getting in the face of Brett Stapley deep in the corner, inside the Viper zone. Henderson trying to sucker Stapley into a penalty as the fight was on. The Snakes would come out after this with the man advantage, their first powerplay of the night. Just fourteen seconds into the PP Michael Young beat Adam Scheel giving Vernon a 3-1 lead at 13:51 Jagger Williamson and Michael Ufberg picked up the assists. Just seconds later/on the following shift the Vees would jump on the man advantage. Just thirty seconds into their powerplay, Wyatt Sloboshan spotted veteran forward Owen Sillinger at the side of the goal, looked to just get the puck between Ty Taylor's left goal pad and the post, cutting Vernon's lead to 3-2 at 14:37 Sloboshan & Jonny Tychonick drew the helpers. With about four and a half minutes left, Massimo Rizzo with a great look/opportunity couldn't beat Ty Taylor. Penticton didn't back off, come back again with another strong push late in the period. With about three to three and a half minutes remaining, Owen Sillinger from the faceoff dot couldn't beat Ty Taylor, before Wyatt Sloboshan looked to have a wide open cage, somehow couldn't find the back of the net, on a missed opportunity. With the crowd at the SEOC jumping out of their seats, thought the Vees tied the game. Instead the Snakes come back the other way. Josh Latta setup Derek Brown in front, giving Vernon a 4-2 lead at 18:07 Latta and Jordan Sandhu picked up the assists. Brown and the Vipers with a huge goal late after Penticton misses a great opportunity at the other end. Inside the final minute captain Jagger Williamson went down after a faceoff deep in the Vernon zone. Williamson looked to be in some discomfort. Owen Sillinger would get called for spearing, giving the Snakes a late double minor to end the 2nd period. The Vipers couldn't capitalize before the buzzer. It was 4-2 Vernon after 40 minutes of play. After an early Cameron Trott goal at 1:15 it was basically all Penticton for most of the 2nd period. The Vees had the Snakes hemmed in their own end most of the period. Vernon back on their heels often, had all kinds of trouble getting out of their own end. The Vees with several good looks/chances, non better then Wyatt Sloboshan what looked like missing an open cage late, would have tied the game, instead the Vipers come back the other way, to grab a 4-2 lead. Vernon with very little puck possession, saw most of the 2nd in their own end. The Vees were by far the better of the two teams, were outscored 3-2 this period. Michael Young looked to try and dodge a hit in this period, was going down-went into the end boards kind of awkwardly was a little gingerly getting up. Looked to be showing some discomfort in his leg/knee tried shaking it off, seemed to be ok, stayed in the game. Vernon outshot Penticton 16-15.
3rd Period: Vernon starting the final frame on the powerplay, that was carried over from the 2nd period. The Snakes on a double minor had two goal mouth scrambles couldn't capitalize with the man advantage after a huge PK from the Penticton Vees. This didn't seem to faze the Vipers as Vernon playing dump and chase, with a strong forecheck, hemmed Penticton in their own end for most of the period. The Snakes up two goals, were very aggressive on the wall and hard on pucks, basically played keep away most of the final twenty minutes. The Vees having all kinds of trouble getting out of their own end. Vernon with no real scoring opportunities, were keeping the puck along the wall, winning the battles, killing valuable time off the clock. Just before the midway mark, on a Penticton turnover inside their own zone, allowed Jagger Williamson with a quick shot from the slot, was stopped by Adam Scheel before Jesse Lansdell in front beating Adam Scheel on the rebound adding a little insurance, giving Vernon a 5-2 lead at 8:31 Williamson and Niko Karamanis collected the helpers. This goal basically took the life out of the building and out of the Vees as it was all Snakes at this point in the hockey game. Penticton with just two shots in the first have, played most of the 3rd in their own end. With about nine minutes to go Michael Campoli with a quality opportunity, couldn't solve Ty Taylor. The Vees with a few good looks in the second half, couldn't seem to get anything going. Neither team was really creating/generating chances in the 3rd. Fans started to make their way to the exits with just over four minutes remaining. The Vipers would come away with the 5-2 victory as the Snakes poured off the bench in a huge celebration in front of Ty Taylor. Keyvan Mokhtari grabbing the front of his jersey, thrusting it towards the fans that were still in attendance. As the Vipers were congratulating Ty Taylor, a lot of hooting and hollering coming from the Snakes. A complete shutdown 3rd period from Vernon in a period where both teams never really generated much for offence. The Vipers played dump and chase all period, won the battles, kept the puck along the wall, mucking and grinding it out, killing time off the clock, played a very greasy 3rd period. Nothing fancy, just hard work and a shutdown defensive period. Penticton hemmed in their own end most of the period had troubles with Vernon's aggressive forecheck. The Vees were losing a lot of the puck battles-races, couldn't do much of anything. It was all Vernon in the final twenty minutes in a solid period. Vernon outshot Penticton 12-6.
Top Player's: (Vernon)
Jordan Sandhu (1 assist) I thought played a hard nosed game, was physical, winning the races/battles, was hard on the puck, and hard to knock off the puck at the same time. Really battled/competed through out the night.
The line of Jagger Williamson (3 assists), Niko Karamanis (1 goal & 1 assist) & Jesse Lansdell (1 goal & 2 assists) Had a heck of a game. This line played hard, strong, fought for the puck, played with a ton of intensity, were physical and battled hard through out the game.
Ty Taylor (31 saves) Was good but also may have been a bit lucky at times. Had the bounces go his way this evening. Taylor had to be sharp/alert especially in that middle frame with Penticton pressing hard. Taylor made some big stops in that second frame, was giving up some fairly big rebounds but managed to get the job done. After Anthony Yamnitsky had started and won Vernon's last two games, playing very well, I wasn't too sure who would get the start between the pipes tonight.
Game Thought's: (Vernon)
Other then the 2nd period I thought the Snakes were ready for tonight's first place clash with the Vees. I thought Vernon had lots of jump/energy right off the opening faceoff, played with a ton of energy most of the night. The Vipers were skating, really stepped up their game, had to battle hard, won a lot of the races/puck battles, were very aggressive on the forecheck. It was the 2nd period where the Vipers were outplayed most of the period. Vernon hemmed in their own end, had troubles getting out of their own end. Give the Vipers some credit, as they managed to score three goals that frame, even though being outplayed. Vernon seemed to have a bit more jump in their game, seemed to want tonight's game just a bit more. Tonight was the Vipers first win in Penticton this season and their second straight win over the Vees. These two teams split the season series going 2-2-0-2 The Vipers have struggled in Penticton in previous years. Since the 2011-12 regular season Vernon has just six wins at the South Okanagan Events Centre in their last 24 games going 6-13-3-3. How big of a win was tonight? The first win of the season in Penticton and their second straight win over the Vees. Not only are the two teams now tied atop the Division, with a chance at maybe meeting in the playoffs, tonight was a huge confidence booster. I also think with Wenatchee winning in Alberni Valley tonight, tonight's win-two points also keeps the Snakes three points up on the Wild. A great way to start the four game road trip. With the win Vernon improves to 35-13-1-4 are now tied in points with Penticton for top spot in the Interior Division/League standings. The Vees would claim top spot due to less losses. The Vipers still remain eight points up on 4th place Trail and three points up on 3rd place Wenatchee.
Top Player's: (Penticton)
Jordan Henderson I thought played well on the Vees backend.
Massimo Rizzo (1 assist) I thought was one of Penticton's more dangerous forwards. Not the biggest kid but quick on his feet. Can really skate-move the puck up ice. I thought had several good opportunities.
Wyatt Sloboshan (1 assist) Was another kid who looked strong/played well. Had his fare share of chances through out the loss. Looked to have an open net late in the 2nd somehow missed before Vernon come back the other way to score.
Game Thought's: (Penticton)
Penticton come into tonight being one of if not the hottest team in the league as of late. The Vees had six wins and a tie in their previous seven home games, had won four straight before this evening, had twelve wins and a tie in their last fourteen games prior to tonight. I thought the Vees played hard/well tonight, lost a lot of races-battles, had trouble with Vernon's forecheck. The Vees best period was obviously the 2nd where they totally dominated and outplayed the Snakes, scored twice, but somehow managed giving up three goals. Penticton with a ton of good looks/opportunities didn't get any breaks/bounces, especially in that second frame. I thought the Vees were held to the outside, due to the Viper defence. I thought Vernon's defence did a great job at keeping Penticton to the outside and away from the front of the goal. The Vees unable to handle the Viper forecheck in the 3rd were outworked. Penticton struggled offensively in the final twenty minutes to try and create/generate much of anything for offence. Adam Scheel who has played very well against Vernon this season, I don't think had his best night. Scheel just didn't look very confident in goal, was caught out of position on several goals, looked average tonight. The Vees were also missing some key players due to injury, didn't have the same swagger they have shown vs the Vipers in previous games. The Vees have now been outscored 9-2 in their last two games/losses against the Vipers. With the loss Penticton drops to 35-11-2-3 still have two games in hand over Vernon. Since the 2011-12 regular season the Vipers are 11-28-4-3 vs Penticton. Since the 2011-12 regular season the Vees have dominated the Vipers. Penticton has won thirty two of the last fourty seven regular season meetings vs Vernon going 32-12-0-3. The Vees have won seventeen of the last twenty six regular season games over the Vipers. I always enjoy watching the Vipers play in the Peach City. The atmosphere is always one of the best in the league. A very large crowd over over 3,300 were in attendance tonight, with the 50/50 going for over $3,200 I love the new additions added to the inside of the South Okanagan Events Centre. The Vees have expanded the BC Hockey Hall of Fame now along the back wall next to the Harley Davidson bar-lounge area and also added in a second lounge-patio area, also at the same far end of the arena.
Scratches:
Vernon:
Josh Prokop (Injured-Out for the season)
Coleton Bilodeau
Penticton:
Nicky Leivermann (Injured)
Dakota Boutin (Injured)
Grant Cruikshank (Injured)
Ryan O'Connell (Injured)
Ocean Wiesblatt
Energy Player of the Game:
Marcus Mitchell
Three Star's:
1st Star: Jesse Lansdell (1 goal & 2 assists)
2nd Star: Jagger Williamson (3 assists)
3rd Star: Cassidy Bowes (1 goal)
Boxscore-Game Summary,
Game Report,
Text Boxscore,
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