What a difference 24 hours made for the Vernon Vipers who missed out on a chance to eliminate the Warriors in game 5, but rebounded with a very nice 60 minute effort to move onto the next round.
The game started off quite slow with the exception of some pressure by the Warriors to start. Austin Smith had to make some pad saves and got to feel the puck early. The Vipers then grabbed some of that momentum and fired a few on Cody Porter. The Vipers would get the first goal of the game as Brett Mulcahy driving to the net had the puck go in off of his mid section.
The middle period overall was an even affair with the Vipers capitalizing on their chances. Just after a key penalty kill ended Michael McNicholas found a loose puck and fed Persley in front to give the Vipers a 2-0 lead. The lead would increase again as Demico Hannoun was stopped on a breakaway but TJ Dumonceaux was there to put the rebound in and the Vipers led 3-0 after 40 minutes.
In previous games, the trailing team would come out like a house on fire, but the Vipers pushed the pace to make sure the Warriors couldn't generate much momentum. Liam Coughlin would get the fourth goal of the game off a shot from the right circle. On a powerplay a few minutes later Brendan Persley would re-direct a pass from Colton Sparrow past Porter for his second of the game. That would end it as the Vipers skated away witha 5-0 win and a 4-2 series win.
My 3 Key Thoughts
1) – Finished At Home – The Vipers were clearly disappointed with their effort in game 5, but there was no panic for them knowing their home record was very good. This is a good team on the road, but there is something different about this squad when playing on Kal Tire Place ice. They've got a home ice swagger that is contagious and spreads through all 20 players. They will need that type of home ice effort in the next round of the playoffs.
2) – Austin Smith – Rylan Ferster mentioned in the pregame show that neither goaltender in the series had stolen a game for their respective teams, well that wasn't the case after game 6 as Austin Smith was perfect. He turned aside all 29 shots he faced and seemed to gain confidence with every stop. In his first foray into junior playoffs, he was great at shaking off games that didn't go the Vipers way. Following a loss in the series he gave up 1 goal and a shut out respectively. He will be heavily relied upon in the next round.
3) – Next Up – The road to the RBC doesn't get any easier for the Vipers who now get set to square off with the Penticton Vees. The Vees won the season series, but the Vipers had won the last two matchups in a span of 8 days. The Vees play a lot like the Warriors from an offensive standpoint although they're not quite as injured as the Warriors were. Without a doubt, this series will be a dandy.
Game 1 of the Interior Division Finals will go Friday night at the SOEC. Puck drop will be determined a bit later on. All the action will be on 107.5 KissFM.
