Vernon, BC: The Vernon Vipers struck early but couldn’t build on the momentum, as the Cranbrook Bucks responded with four unanswered goals to earn a 4–1 win.
Cranbrook answered back in the opening frame, with Samuel Lyne tying the game before taking over offensively. The Bucks grabbed their first lead midway through the second period when Konstantin Hutzinger scored what would stand as the game-winning goal.
Lyne added a highlight-reel tally in the third to provide breathing room, and Adam Csabi capped the scoring with a penalty-shot goal to make it 4–1.
Between the pipes, Colton Jugnauth made 26 saves on 30 shots for Vernon, while Josh Scully turned aside 26 of 27 for Cranbrook.
Vernon’s penalty kill was a bright spot, going a perfect 3-for-3, while the powerplay was unable to convert, finishing 0-for-4.
The Vipers won’t have long to dwell on the result, as they head to West Kelowna tomorrow night to take on the Warriors.
#TimeToStrike
