Vernon, BC: The Vernon Vipers will put a season high 4-game win streak on the line tonight as they take on the Prince George Spruce Kings to kick off back to back games at the Rolling Mix Concrete Arena.
The Vipers (11-14-3-3) come in after a 4-3 shootout win in Merritt. The Vipers put up a season high 61 shots on goal through 65 minutes, but needed the skills competition after a heroic performance by Centennial netminder John Hicks. Anthony Cliche, Luke Buss and Ayden Third had goals, while Zack Tonelli and Cam MacDonald were masterful in the shootout. The Vipers bumped a huge slump on the road with the victory. They previously hadn’t had a win away from home since the Showcase in Chilliwack in October. The Vipers have scored 19 goals in their last 4 and have started to thrive in tight games with two shootout wins (over Merritt and Trail) and an OT win over the Backs. Luke Buss and Cam MacDonald sit atop the Vipers scoring list with 24 points each.
The Spruce Kings (19-9-2-3) are red hot right now. They haven’t lost in regulation in their last 10 games with a (6-0-1-3) record in that span. Their last regulation loss was December 18 when the Vipers defeated them 2-1. Home ice continues to serve this team well. In their last 3 wins at home, they’ve out scored the opposition 14-4 with wins over Penticton, Merritt and West Kelowna. This stretch has propelled the Spruce Kings into third place in the conference.
This is the fourth meeting of the season against Prince George. The Vipers are 2-0-1 against them so far.
You can catch all the action starting at 6:45 on BCHL.TV and 107.5 Beach Radio.
