Merritt, BC: Six different Vipers had multi point games and Roan Clarke stopped all 22 shots as they took down the Merritt Centennials 9-0 at the Nicola Valley Memorial Arena.
The Vipers looked dialed in early on as they efficiently killed off a Merritt powerplay. They’d open the scoring 7 minutes in as Tyler Chan scored his second of the season. Three minutes later while shorthanded JoJo Tanaka-Campbell executed a nice breakaway to make it 2-0.
Three minutes into the second Jack Glen scored his second of the season off a quick pass from Zack Tonelli. 70 seconds later while 4 on 4, Talon Zakall set up Luke Buss who popped home the centering pass to make it 4-0 early into the second. The Vipers forecheck directly led to the 5-0 marker as Zack Tonelli spotted Cade McNelly who tapped in his second of the season. Moments after that McNelly would drop the gloves with Geoff Bjarnason in a spirited tilt where both men would hit the showers early.
Griffen Barr struck on a great individual effort after picking off a puck at center, cutting in on the back hand and picking the far post for a 6-0 advantage. Just 20 seconds later Luke Buss scored his second of the game for a 7-0 lead. That would spell the end of the night for John Hicks, replaced by Jackson Baker. Ben Ward was assessed a 5-minute major and the Vipers were able to keep the offense rolling as Zack Tonelli snapped a shot from the right circle for an 8-0 Viper lead. At the 14-minute mark, Jack Glen scored his second of the night to cap off the scoring. Roan Clarke not tested often was perfect on a handful of Merritt chances, but turned them all aside for his 16th win of the season and second shutout.
The Vipers are next in action on Wednesday night when they host the West Kelowna Warriors.
