VERNON, B.C. — Now that was a way to wrap up the preseason.
From the drop of the puck to the final buzzer, the Vernon Vipers put together their most complete performance of the exhibition schedule, rolling to a 6-0 victory over the Trail Smoke Eaters.
It was about as consistent a performance as you could ask for. The Vipers were tight defensively, dangerous offensively and received solid goaltending at both ends of a combined shutout.
Vernon controlled the pace throughout, outshooting Trail 34-20 and getting contributions from up and down the lineup.
Mykolas Skadauskas led the offensive attack with a pair of goals, while Mason Kim continued his strong preseason with a goal and an assist. Van Martin and Josh Denes each chipped in with two assists.
Ryan Fairbairn, Cole Bieksa and Luca Pura also found the back of the net for Vernon.
The Vipers once again split the goaltending duties, and both netminders were perfect. Sammy DiBlasi stopped all 13 shots he faced through the opening half of the game before Jack Carter turned aside all seven shots sent his way to complete the shutout.
Special teams also delivered for Vernon. The Vipers finished 1-for-3 on the power play while killing off all three Trail opportunities.
At the other end, Kason Kobelka made 19 saves on 22 shots for the Smoke Eaters before Chayson Johnson stopped nine of 12 in relief.
The victory gives the Vipers a 1-3 record through their four preseason games, while Trail finishes exhibition play at 1-2.
With the preseason now in the rear-view mirror, the games start counting for real.
The Vipers open the 2026-27 regular season Friday night when they head to Rogers Rink to face the Salmon Arm Silverbacks.
Puck drop is set for 7 p.m.
