Wenatchee, WA, USA: Reilly Herbst stopped all 30 shots he faced and the Vipers powerplay struck twice as the Vipers downed the Wenatchee Wild 3-0 in Game 1 of the best of seven series.
The Wild came out buzzing in the first few minutes jumping out to a shot advantage and a time of possession advantage. The Vipers found themselves shorthanded, but did a great job of blocking shots and clearing out the front of the net. Despite the possession the two minutes expired without any damage against. The Wild still had their legs but defended well keeping the Vipers to the outside and to just 1 shot through 8 minutes. The Vipers ended up shorthanded again and again the PK was great despite the Wild having the puck essentially for the full 2 minutes. Some key blocks killed it off once more. The Vipers then found themselves on a powerplay of their own but couldn’t find the back of the net. Moments after it expired, Logan Cash powered to the front of the net and Connor Sleeth poked home the rebound to give Vernon a 1-0 lead after 1 period.
In the second, the Vipers increased their lead on a powerplay as a point shot from Matt Kowalski was kicked out and Ryan Shostak slammed home the rebound to make it 2-0. Reilly Herbst made a crucial save midway through the period on a second chance in front robbing the Wild player with the paddle of his stick. From there the Vipers defended well and were able to head into the dressing room up 2-0.
In the third the Vipers executed again on a powerplay as Connor Marritt carried into the zone and released a low hard shot to the glove side to make it 3-0. The Wild continued to try get back into the game, but the Vipers were solid defensively and when called upon Herbst was up to the challenge. The Vipers killed off a penalty in the third period as the PK went 3 for 3. A late powerplay for Vernon saw them eat away at the clock and the final horn would sound giving the Vipers a 3-0 win and a 1-0 series lead.
The Vipers will look for another complete effort tomorrow night for Game 2.
