Penticton 2 Vernon 1 Overtime

I was born and raised in Vernon, BC and been watching/following Junior hockey in Vernon my entire life. I have had season tickets since 1990 and missed four Vipers home games since 2004. In the past thirty years I have missed 45 home games. I'm not a sports journalist, writer, reporter or work for the Vernon Vipers. I do not get paid for doing this blog and do this blog on my own personal time. I started and created this blog in November 2008 and have over 1.7 million viewers. For anyone who couldn't attend or watch tonight's Vipers game, here are my thought's and views from tonight's game. You may agree or disagree but we all have our own opinion on the game. I try to be professional and give a fare game recap from both sides. Thank you for visiting my blog.

I was at tonight's Vipers-Vees game as Penticton defeated Vernon 2-1 in overtime in front of 1,762 fans at Kal Tire Place.

Starting Goaltenders:

Vernon: Reilly Herbst
Penticton: Yaniv Perets

1st Period: The Vees had some early pressure off the opening faceoff but it was the Vipers who opened the scoring. Matt Kowalski setup Jo Jo Tanaka-Campbell who pushed off the side way, found some open ice before letting go a quick shot from the circle that found it's way through traffic, beat Yaniv Perets, giving Vernon an early 1-0 lead at 1:54 Kowalski with the lone helper. This is a shot/goal I don't think Perets even saw. The Snakes open the scoring, get the crowd into the game early and force the Vees to play from behind on the road. Two minutes later Jay O'Brien returned to the Vees lineup, ripped a quick low shot from the high slot that forced Reilly Herbst into making a quick right pad save, on a good push back from the visiting Penticton Vees. The Vees would generate several quick shots from in and around the slot area, forcing Reilly Herbst into making several key saves, keeping his team in the contest. Around the midway mark, Steve Holtz shot from well out would be denied by Reilly Herbst. Minutes later, former Vernon Vipers forward Tyler Ho used his wheels on a two on one, got past his defender, before going in on a partial breakaway before being stopped by Reilly Herbst. The Snakes were up 3-1 in shots in the opening minutes, were now trailing in shots 10-3 at this point. Shortly after Penticton would get the games first power play, on a pretty soft call. Viper captain/forward Connor Marritt would get called for crosschecking. The Vees would get a few looks, only managed three shots with the man advantage, as a good Vernon PK was able to hold the fort and kill off the minor. Shortly after Vees forward/captain David Silye with a slick move inside the blueline, found some open ice couldn't beat Reilly Herbst from in close, on a quality chance. With about three minutes left in the 1st period, Carson Kosobud's shot from the blueline would be stopped by Reilly Herbst on a quick save with bodies in and around the blue paint. Lukas Sillinger would be tripped up cutting through the slot, as the Vipers catch a huge break, weren't given a penalty as the play continued. It was 1-0 Vernon after 20 minutes of play. The hometown Vipers may have opened the scoring, but the Snakes were outplayed, outworked, outchanced and outskated for the entire twenty minutes. It was all Penticton who controlled and carried the play for the opening period. The Vees looked very strong, were hard in on pucks, aggressive on the forecheck, winning the battles & races for the pucks, carried the entire play and a ton of puck possession and zone time, manage to create and generate some very good looks/opportunities couldn't solve Reilly Herbst. It looked like men against boys the entire frame. Vernon saw most of the action in there own end, were outmanned, struggled defensively against a very speedy and skilled Vees team. Reilly Herbst was the difference as Penticton could have easly been up 4 or 5-1 after twenty minutes. Penticton outshot Vernon 17-4.

2nd Period: The Vees jump on the Vipers early, generate some early pressure but no real scoring chances before jumping on an early PP. Penticton had some looks but no real quality opportunities as the Snakes penalty kill did a great job at keeping the Vees forwards to the outside, were nine seconds away from killing off the minor before being called for too many men, sending Penticton to a shortened two man advantage. The Snakes managed to kill off the remaining nine seconds off the first minor, were left to kill off close to full two minutes. The Vees had a look or two but no real threat with the man advantage as Vernon killed off the penalty. Seconds after the minor expired, Ryan Shostak out of the sin bin, jumped on a loose puck at the side of the goal, couldn't beat Penticton Vees starting goaltender Yaniv Perets who was forced to make his first big stop of the evening. On the same play/shift, Ben Sanderson with a good look/opportunity from the high slot would be denied by Perets who stood tall, making another big stop. Two quality chances for Vernon after killing off back to back penalties. This shift/opportunities gave the Snakes a little life and some momentum as around the halfway mark, Connor Marritt tried setting up Dawson Holt in front. Holt either didn't get enough on his shot or Ethan Martini made a strong defensive play, lifting Holt's stick, taking away the shot. Either way Holt with a quality chance in front, couldn't give the Snakes a two goal lead. Minutes later, David Silye weaving his way across the Viper blueline, forced Vernon Vipers netminder Reilly Herbst into making a tough save, keeping this a one goal game. On the same play/shift Danny Weight shoving some frustration, took two punches towards Jackson Caller, before Caller pushed back as both players were forced to be separated. Both Caller and Weight were sent to the box. I thought the Snakes should have come out of this altercation with the man advantage. Weight took two swings at the Vernon d-man, while Caller pushed Weight back. How does Caller get two minutes? Penticton catches a break as the teams go to four on four. With about six minutes remaining Jay O'Brien with some moves and a head of steam, found his way across Vernon's blueline, couldn't beat Reilly Herbst with a good opportunity. It was 1-0 Vernon after 40 minutes of play. The Vees carried a lot of the play, had more puck possession and offensive zone time, but didn't dominate the edge in play like the 1st period. Penticton had some looks and a few opportunities but give Vernon credit for defending much better in the middle frame. The Vipers kept Penticton's forwards to the outside, closed the shooting lanes and limited the Vees opportunities. The Vipers were forced to kill off back to back minors and looked very good on the PK, killing off both penalties. I thought this gave the Snakes a little life and some momentum as the Vipers had some real good looks/opportunities shortly after killing off both penalties. I thought the Snakes had the better quality chances but couldn't play with the same pace the entire period. The Vees were a little better had a little more edge in play but the Vipers played much better. Penticton outshot Vernon 14-9.

3rd Period: About two minutes into the final twenty minutes, the Snakes spotted Jo Jo Tanaka-Campbell in the high slot, couldn't beat Yaniv Perets. A good look/good save. Shortly after the Snakes get caught in there own end, can't clear the zone. Carson Kosobud keeps the puck in at the blueline on a soft clearing attempt. Kosobud's shot would be stopped by Reilly Herbst before your Penticton Vees captain David Silye buries the rebound at the top of the crease, tying the game 1-1 at 5:59 Kosobud with the assist. About a minute and a half later, Vernon would get there first PP of the evening. The Vipers get some good looks but none better then Vernon product Matt Kowalski. Kowalski from the bottom of the dot, just fires high and over the goal on a missed opportunity. A Penticton defender may have gotten a stick in the way, either way the puck stays out and the Vees kill off the minor. Shortly after a Vernon shot goes up in the air, comes down and hit the Vees netminder in the back, as Yaniv Perets croutches down and under the crossbar, Perets and what would be the puck go back into the goal. The Vipers and the Viper faithful inside Kal Tire Place think the Snakes have taken the lead. The play was blown dead and the referee said no goal. The puck was quicky fired down the ice on the play, on a play I don't know how that puck could have stayed out of the net. It stayed 1-1 as the game continued. Shortly after the Snakes go back to the man advantage. A sloppy and disorganized Vernon power play struggles as the Vipers get hemmed in there own end early, can't get out of there own end. With an aggressive forecheck, two Vees press the Viper defender who losses the battle along the end wall, allowing the Vees forward to steel the loose puck, and try and beat Reilly Herbst with the wrap around. Herbst had to be alert, was able to make the save as the Viper PP struggles. On the same man advantage, the Vipers turn over the puck, allowing David Silye and Tyler Ho to go in on the two on one but again Reilly Herbst has to be sharp to bail out his team. Penticton with an aggressive forecheck manage to kill off the minor. The Vees put some pressure on for most of the remainder of the period, have some looks but not many quality chances. It was 1-1 after 60 minutes of play. For the first time tonight, the Snakes were able to skate with the Vees and held there own for some of the 3rd period. Both teams went back and fourth at times, with neither team getting a lot of pucks to the net. Both teams had a few looks/chances but not many. Penticton seemed to find another gear in the final six-seven minutes, carried the better of the play to finish the frame as the Vipers held on late to force overtime. Vernon outshot Penticton 12-11.

Overtime: The Vees get early puck possession but turn the puck over inside the Vernon blueline inside the opening minute. Dawson Holt on an odd man rush, sends a lengthy pass to Matt Kowalski who looked to be out of the play, managed to get a shot towards the goal, that handcuffed Yaniv Perets. The Vees netminder looked to lose the puck after it hit him. The puck laying in the crease, in front of his left pad was free for the taking. I don't think Holt or Kowalski noticed the puck was still loose/free for the taking. Jay O'Brien took the puck up ice, managed to beat his defender, started to drive towards the goal before setting up former Victoria Grizzlies d-man Nico Somerville for the overtime winner at 1:07 as the Penticton bench erupts onto the ice. The extra frame didn't last very long as both teams had quality chances early. The Vipers couldn't capitalize on there two on one, while back come the Vees the other way, capitalize on there two on one, to gain the extra point and the 2-1 overtime victory. Shots were 1-1.

Top Player's: (Vernon)

The line of Connor Marritt, Dawson Holt and Max Bulawka I thought played hard, were the only real dangerous players going for the Snakes.

Reilly Herbst (44 saves) Was by far the difference in the loss. The former Chicago Steel goaltender had to be sharp from the start, was forced to make several key saves through out the game. I thought Herbst was at his best in the 1st period, stopping all seventeen Penticton shots. The Vees could have easily put the game away and been up 4 or 5-1 after twenty minutes.

Game Thought's: (Vernon)

The Snakes may have opened the scoring two minutes in but Vernon was outplayed, outchanced and outworked in that 1st period. The Vipers struggled defensively and offensively. Other then opening the scoring, nothing was good with the 1st period. Give the Vipers a little bit of credit as I thought they got a little better at times as the game went on. I thought the Snakes played much better defensively in the 2nd and 3rd periods, kept Penticton's offensive players to the outside, limited there chances and didn't give up nearly as many shots. I thought Vernon for the first time tonight, managed to create/& generate some opportunities in the 2nd and 3rd periods. I thought the Vipers best looks/chances come in that middle frame shortly after killing off back to back minors. The Vipers couldn't keep up the pace for lengths of time. How big was the second goal of this hockey game? If Vernon scores, they take a 2-0 lead and with the way Reilly Herbst was playing, maybe win this game, instead the Vees with a big early goal to start the 3rd, get the monkey off there back, maybe have the Snakes double guessing themselves at this point? In a game where your outplayed for a lot of the night and don't see a lot of time in the visitors zone, leading 1-0 heading into the 3rd this late in the season in a big divisional game, these are games you need to try and hold onto and win. I really liked Vernon's penalty kill. What I didn't like was the amount of turnovers and poor decisions. The Vipers turned over pucks in the neutral zone & inside there own blueline. Vs a team like the Vees, these mistakes will cost you. It looked like Vernon was going for that long stretch pass up the middle, that the Vees dialed into right away and were picking off. The Snakes need to be smart with and without the puck vs a team like Penticton. Keep shifts short, get pucks in deep and force the Vees defenders into making mistakes, turning over pucks. Jason McKee stated the exact same thing on the post game show on the drive home. McKee wasn't very pleased with the Vipers game tonight. The Vipers may have got a single point and took the Vees to overtime, but overall it looked like men against boys at times. Especially in the opening frame. Let's face it the Vees were the better of the two teams. Your not going to be able to match the Vees line after line, instead you need to play hard, wear down there D and win the forecheck/battles down low. Get pucks to the net and go after the rebounds. Yaniv Perets looked to be having troubles at times, seeing/and handling the puck on occasion. Keep it simple, get pucks to the net and look for second and third opportunities. After helping Canada West win the CJHL Prospects game last night, I heard Trey Taylor arrived back in Vernon at 3am and was in the lineup tonight. Not a bad turnout for a cold wintery midweek game in Vernon. Former Vernon Vipers forward/captain David Robinson was in attendance. Tonight was the Vipers third game in five days. Vernon with a quick turn around, have one day off before getting on the bus and travelling to Trail for a game Friday vs the Smoke Eaters. The Vipers three game winning streak comes to an end, have won three of there last five games but have lost six of there last ten. With the loss Vernon falls to 23-17-2-1 remain 3rd in the Interior division are twenty two points ahead of 6th place West Kelowna, three points ahead of 5th place Wenatchee, a single point up on 4th place Salmon Arm and nine points back of 2nd place Trail.

Top Player's: (Penticton)

Evan McIntyre Played very well on the Vees blueline.

Jay O'Brien (1 assist) Made his return to Penticton's lineup after being out with an injury, setup the overtime winner. This kid looked very good, was hard to contain, dangerous with the puck, gave the Vipers defenders all kinds of trouble. Had several quality chances through out the evening.

David Silye (1 goal) The captain of your Penticton Vees has played very well vs the Snakes this season and had another strong outing vs Vernon tonight. I really like this kids game. He plays hard, always skating, going to the net, creating/generating plays, is very skilled and hard to contain, dangerous with and without the puck.

Tyler Ho Playing against his former team, didn't stand out but had a few good shifts. Was stopped on a 1st period partial breakaway/two on one. Was also involved in an odd man rush while shorthanded in the 3rd period.

Liam Malmquist I thought played hard, was very good at both ends of the rink tonight. Was very strong with and without the puck. Was another forward who gave the Snakes troubles.

Ethan Martini The former Trail Smoke Eaters defenceman played very well on the backend.

Steve Holtz Was another d-man that looked/played well on Penticton's blueline. Was involved in the play, joined the play on at least two plays.

Carson Kosobud (1 assist) Assisted on the Vees game tying goal in the 3rd. I really like this kid. A big body, plays physical, gets pucks to the net, has a hard shot, plays well at both ends of the rink.

Yaniv Perets (24 saves) Wasn't as busy as Reilly Herbst but was forced to make a few key saves. Made two large stops with the Vipers pressing midway through the middle frame. Looked a little shaky at times, lost sight of the puck on at least few occasions, was also handcuffed on one or two Vernon shots.

Game Thought's: (Penticton)

The Vees are once again near the top of the league and in a class of there own and they showed why tonight. In a game where the 1st place Vees dominated the hometown Snakes in the 1st period, found themselves down 1-0 heading into the 2nd period, there didn't seem to be any panic. Penticton may have not dominated the Snakes in the 2nd and 3rd periods, but still managed to carry the edge in play for long periods of time. The Vees may have not got as many shots/or opportunities in the 2nd and 3rd periods but they didn't go away. Penticton kept pressing before tying the game early in the 3rd, capitalized on there first chance in the extra session to get the extra point and the win. At times it looked like men against boys. Penticton plays with a very aggressive forecheck, ware you down down low, force you into turnovers/coughing up the puck, feed the d-men who get a shot towards the goal, where the forwards are looking for the deflection or rebounds. The Vees were trying to get under the skin of Reilly Herbst in that middle frame. On at least four or five plays, Herbst was bumped in the crease, as the Vees were sending guys through the blue paint. The Vees have a ton of speed up front, a mix of forwards with some big bodies on the backend that jump into the play, like to get pucks to the net and are also physical/solid defensively. Penticton has a ton of very skilled forwards who are dangerous with and without the puck, gave Vernon all kinds of trouble tonight. The Vees don't take a lot of penalties and it showed again tonight as Penticton has to be one of the least penalized teams in the league. For a lot of the game the Vees were stronger on the wall, harder on pucks, won the races/battles, have a quick transition game and rarely miss a pass. I was very intrigued with how well the Vees passing is. Almost tape to tape every time. I also noticed a lot of chatter coming from the Vees bench. Not only from the players but from Fred Harbinson. The Vees had five kids on there roster tonight who's fathers use to play in the NHL. The Vees were wearing there replica original Penticton Vees jerseys which are the teams third set jerseys this season. These are very sharp, I really like the looks of these sweaters. I don't know if I'm a big fan of the beige color but do love the other colors and look. Very sharp. Penticton leads the season series 4-2 has won two out of the three games in Vernon, have now won three straight over the Snakes. These two teams will meet for the final time this regular season, February 1st in the Peach City. The Vees have won back to back games and four of there last five and eight of there last ten. Since a 2-0 loss in Vernon December 13th the Vees have gone 8-2. With the win Penticton improves to 33-11-1-1 remain atop the Interior division are nineteen points ahead of Vernon and ten points ahead of 2nd place Trail.

Scratches:

Vernon:

Jack Glen
Logan Cash
Nicholas Kent (Injured)
Max Palaga (Injured-Out for the season)

Penticton:

Richter Heintz
Cade Webber

Energy Player of the Game:

Trey Taylor

Three Star's:

1st Star: Reilly Herbst (44 saves)
2nd Star: Nico Somerville (Overtime winner)
3rd Star: Connor Marritt

Boxscore-Game Summary,

https://bchl.ca/stats/game-summary/9549

Game Report,

https://lscluster.hockeytech.com/game_reports/official-game-report.php?lang_id=1&client_code=bchl&game_id=9549

Text Boxscore,

https://lscluster.hockeytech.com/game_reports/text-game-report.php?lang_id=1&client_code=bchl&game_id=9549

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Here are some photo's I took before and during tonight's Vipers-Vees game.