Vernon, BC: The Vernon Vipers battled back from a pair of two-goal deficits on Tuesday night in West Kelowna, but a late second-period marker proved to be the difference in a 5-3 setback against the Warriors.
The Warriors opened the scoring with two goals in the first period while outshooting the Vipers 11-6. Vernon found their stride in the second, striking for three goals — from Toms Trockis (1), Tyler Chiovetti (2), and Michael Munroe (4) — with assists from Edvin Nilsson (2), Chiovetti, and Munroe. Despite the pushback, West Kelowna answered twice of their own, including a late tally with just 11 seconds left in the period to take a 4-3 lead into the intermission.
The Vipers pressed in the third and had three consecutive powerplay chances, but couldn’t find the equalizer. A late empty-netter sealed the 5-3 final.
Brendan Gee was steady in net with 23 saves on 27 shots, while Angelo Zol turned aside 21 of 24 for West Kelowna. The Warriors were led offensively by Ian Alonso and Carter Oakenfold, who each scored twice, along with a goal from Ruslan Jamaldinov.
After the game, Assistant Coach Ryan Hollweg stressed the importance of consistency moving forward:
“Last night’s game was an example of inconsistency. The standard has been laid down. The challenge for us now is bringing that same effort on a consistent basis, night in and night out. When the game gets tough and adversity hits, we need to trust the structure that’s been taught and rely on it. We’ll take the lessons from this one, learn and continue to get better moving forward.”
The Vipers return home this weekend for a pair of games against the Sherwood Park Crusaders, Friday and Saturday at Kal Tire Place.
Tickets are available at vernonvipers.com
#TimeToStrike
