Salmon Arm, BC: Cam MacDonald had a pair of goals and James Porter Jr. was stellar in goal stopping 43 of 45 as the Vernon Vipers capped off 2019 with a 4-2 win over the Salmon Arm Silverbacks.
The Vipers survived an early flurry from the home team who jumped out to an early shot advantage. Porter would make a number of saves early. By the time the game hit the midway mark of the period, the Backs had 11 shots but the game remained scoreless. The Vipers found themselves on a double minor powerplay after Christian Felton was cut. In the final minute of the powerplay, a mad scramble in front saw the puck pop out to Cam MacDonald and he flipped the puck in for his 11th of the season making it 1-0. The lead was shortlived as Akito Hirose tied the game up 40 seconds later with a point shot through traffic making it 1-1. The Vipers restored the lead as Tanaka-Campbell spotted MacDonald coming off the bench, fed him with a nice pass and MacDonald made no mistake beating Langenegger to make it 2-1. All three goals were scored in a 2 minute and 15 second span. That score would hold up through 20 minutes.
The Vipers had a great opening shift that saw them control the puck for nearly a minute. That shift led to a Salmon Arm penalty. The Viper powerplay struck again as a point shot from Trey Taylor found its way through to give the Vipers a crucial two goal advantage. The Backs pushed back as you’d expect, but again Porter and company came up with some big saves. Dawson Holt had a glorious chance shorthanded, but Ethan Langenegger made a huge save keeping it 3-1. Just as the powerplay expired, Daniel Rybarik had two whacks a puck at the side of the Viper goal, the second wouldn’t miss making it 3-2 with just under 9 minutes left in the period. That score stood after 40 minutes.
In third, knowing a push was coming, the Vipers did a nice job at playing in the Salmon Arm zone. Shots were 11-11 and the pace was significantly slower at times. That played to the benefit of the Vipers who kept the quality chances down. The Backs relied on their top line to generate, but they failed to get the game equalized. Porter Jr made the necessary saves the rest of the way. Dawson Holt hit the empty net with 4 seconds left to make the final 4-2.
The Vipers will kick off 2020 with a New Year’s Day matinee against the Penticton Vees at 2pm at Kal Tire Place. You can get your tickets at vernonvipers.com
Photo Credit – Pure Life Photography
