Merritt, BC: Winning in Merritt is never easy and the Centennials sure made the Vipers lives difficult, but a Luke Pakulak hat trick and a stellar performance from Ethan David pushed the Vipers to a 4-1 win for their 9th victory of the season.
“We wanted to bounce back and get on the winning side of the game after a good performance in Penticton,” says Assistant Coach of the Vipers Lukas Lomicky. “It wasn’t an easy game today. Merritt works extremely hard, but I thought we played a patient game and capitalized on our opportunities. Ethan deserves a lot of credit for his performance. He was ready when the team needed him.”
Luke Pakulak scored 3 times including the empty netter to seal the victory. His first of the day on the powerplay, the second one even strength and the third into an empty net to preserve the win.
Owen Kim’s hot hand continued on Sunday with a trio of assists. The North Vancouver product has been a consistent producer for the Vipers with a point streak of five games. In that span he has 2 goals and 6 assists.
Ethan David bounced back in a major away after to tough starts against Surrey and Penticton. The 20-year old netminder made 39 saves on 40 shots and was the biggest reason for the victory.
“We needed to break even on the week and that’s exactly what we did,” says Ethan David. “It wasn’t pretty, and there were lots of mistakes, but I’m glad I was able to help the team out tonight. After a couple of losses due to goaltending, I figured I owed them. On to November!”
Michael Stenberg scored the lone goal for Merritt, a shorthanded goal early in the third period to tie the game up.
Beau Lane was solid in goal with 22 saves on 25 shots.
In the special teams department, Vernon went 1 for 6 on the powerplay and killed off two Merritt chances.
The Vipers finally return home after two weeks on the road when they host the Cranbrook Bucks for a Wednesday matchup at Kal Tire Place. Puck drop is 7pm.
