Vernon, BC: After a back-and-forth battle last night in Trail and an early arrival this morning, the Vernon Vipers are right back at it as they head to West Kelowna to take on the Warriors.
The Vipers (4-11-5-0) enter tonight following a 6-5 loss to the Smoke Eaters. Evan Sundar led the offense with a goal and three assists, while Dmitrii Kubantsev continued his strong stretch with a goal and two helpers. Defensemen Maverick Hayes and Seth Tansem each scored their first goals as Vipers, and Davids Livsics added one as well. Colton Jugnauth made 35 saves on 40 shots, while special teams were a mixed bag — the powerplay went a perfect 2-for-2, but the penalty kill finished 2-for-5.
The Warriors (16-3-2-0) also played last night, edging Cranbrook 2-1 in a shootout. Liam Nilsson had the lone goal, and Angelo Zol turned aside 23 of 24 shots, including seven in overtime, before stopping all three attempts in the shootout.
In their last 10 games, Vernon sits at 1-7-2-0, while West Kelowna is 7-2-1.
On the road, the Vipers are 2-7-1; the Warriors have been dominant at home at 10-1-1.
Players to Watch
Vernon: Dmitrii Kubantsev — riding an eight-game point streak (4g, 6a).
West Kelowna: Noah Garthe — scored twice vs Vernon last Saturday and has points in 6 of his last 8 games (4g, 6a).
Tonight marks the third of seven meetings this season. Each team has taken one matchup so far:
• Sept 30 — West Kelowna 5-3 at Royal LePage Place
• Nov 22 — Vernon 4-2 at Kal Tire Place
Catch all the action at 6:45 on 107.5 Beach Radio, Vernon Matters, or watch on FloHockey.
#TimeToStrike
