Vernon, BC: Kaidan Johnson scored his first goal of the tournament and Roan Clarke was outstanding stopping 33 of 35, but it wasn't enough to earn the Vipers their first win of the Okanagan Cup as they fell 2-1.
The Vipers had a few looks early on. The best came from Reagan Milburn who jumped a loose puck but rang it off the iron. The Vipers took their first lead as Trey Taylor set up Kaidan Johnson for his first goal as he tapped in a pass in the final minute.
Penalties took over the middle frame and that seemed to help the Warriors who had the edge in the special teams battle. Carter Wilkie sniped a shorthanded marker to even the game up before Deegan Mofford put home a rebound late in period 2. Before that Roan Clarke was stellar making a number of big saves including a highlight reel save with his head.
In the third the Vipers pushed for the equalizer, but were stymied by the cross bar and Zach Bennett who made a game saving stop off Ryan Shostak with just seconds remaining.
The Vipers will now have 10 days off to prepare for the next home and home set which features dates with the Penticton Vees.
