Wenatchee Wild Even Series With Vipers:

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Wenatchee Wild even series with Vipers

Morning Star Staff

Apr. 3rd, 2019 

Local Sports

They split their six regular season B.C. Hockey League meetings.

So it shouldn’t be a surprise that the Vernon Vipers and Wenatchee Wild have split the first two games of the Interior Conference’s best-of-seven final. 

The hometown Wild guaranteed a return trip to Washington state with a 3-0 win Sunday in Game 2 in front of 1,866 fans at the Town Toyota Centre, sending the series to Vernon tied at one game apiece.

Games 3 and 4 go Tuesday and Wednesday at Kal Tire Place (7 p.m. starts). Game 5 will be back in Wenatchee Friday night. 

Wild goalie Austin Park – yanked in Game 1 Saturday after giving up two goals on seven shots in the first period – bounced back Sunday to stop all 26 Vipers’ shots.

He got all the support he would need from defenceman Jacob Modry, who scored his first of the post-season at 6:31 of the second period to snap a scoreless tie.

Matt Gosiewski added insurance on a third-period power play at 10:31, and PJ Fletcher scored his third of the series into an empty net at 18:10 of the final frame.

The Vipers held the Wild to only 15 shots on goal. Aidan Porter was tagged with the loss.

The defending Fred Page Cup champion Wild and Vipers each won three games in their six regular season meetings.

In the series opener Saturday, defenceman Michael Young scored his second goal 26 seconds into overtime, giving the Snakes a 4-3 win over the Wenatchee Wild before 2,701 fans at the Town Toyota Centre.

The Vipers jumped out to a 3-0 lead Saturday. They scored on two of their first seven shots in the opening period, courtesy of Young, at 10:33, and Lane Zablocki, with his first, at 11:51, to chase Wild starting goalie Austin Park.

Josh Latta’s fourth of the post-season at 3:46 of the middle frame gave Vernon a comfortable 3-0 lead.

That’s when the Wild made things uncomfortable.

PJ Fletcher scored twice – his sixth and seventh of the playoffs – at 5:45 and 8:54 to make it 3-2 Vernon going into the third period.

Brian Adams capped the Wenatchee comeback with his third of the playoff at 8:28, setting the stage for Young’s overtime heroics.

Vernon is 4-1 in overtime games this post-season, and also 5-1 on the road.

Aidan Porter made 22 saves for his ninth post-season win in the Vernon goal, while Sandquist stopped 20 shots in relief of Park.