Salmon Arm, BC: Nick Kent had 3 assists and the Vipers had 4 different goal scorers as they downed the Salmon Arm Silverbacks by a 4-1 margin on Friday night at the Shaw Centre.
The Vipers controlled a good portion of the first period outshooting the Backs 15-5, the best chance for either side was a goal post hit by Vipers rookie forward Reagan Milburn. Riley Kohonick was strong in the Salmon Arm goal keeping it scoreless after 1.
In the second Simon Tassy opened the scoring for Salmon Arm against the flow of momentum as a shot from the right circle deflected off a Vipers defender and past Roan Clarke on the glove side to make it 1-0. The Vipers had a good response and it was Ethan Mercer set up on a quick entry into the zone and he snapped a shot low to the blocker side for his 3rd of the preseason. Just over 90 seconds later while on a powerplay, Josh Prokop was able to find a soft spot in the left circle and rifled a one timer home to make it 2-1. The insurance marker came in the final minute of the period as Nick Kent set up newcomer Tyler Carpendale for a tap in with just 50 seconds left to make it 3-1 after 2.
The Vipers weathered a Salmon Arm pushback thanks to some good goaltending and smart defensive play. Zack Tonelli scored his first goal of the Okanagan Cup on a rebound in front of the net. From there, the Vipers were able to defend well and guide the game to a 4-1 victory.
The Vipers and Silverbacks will do it all over again Saturday night at 6pm at Kal Tire Place.
