Morning Star Staff
The Vernon Home Hardware Centre Vipers finished fifth in the 16-team Banff Christmas Midget Rep Hockey Challenge Cup.
The St. Albert Crusaders squeaked past the Vipers 5-3 in semifinal action after adding an empty netter Sunday. Kyle Sherwood, Dex Elders and Conor Johnston scored in support of Billy Cawthorn.
Connor Webb was spectacular in net as Vernon dispatched the Saskatoon Screaming Eagles 5-1 in their final round-robin game, putting them first in their pool.
Johnston (2), Reed Cashato, Stephane Richard and Dylan Sedlacek handled the offence, while Jason Shaigec and Gage Kopp each had two helpers.
The Home Hardware Centre crew rebounded from their opening overtime loss to ground the Fort Saskatchewan Rangers 6-3 with Cawthorn in net.
Johnston, who was relentless on the puck, pulled the hat trick with Brady Marzocco netting a deuce and Harvey Pawsey getting a single. D-man Grady Caton chipped in with two assists.
The Vernon Fix Auto Vipers bounced the Kamloops Blazers 5-3 in a Bantam Tier 3 league play Saturday at Priest Valley Arena.
Vernon had a 2-1 lead heading into the ice clean on goals from Jadon Foster and Mason Robinson. A pair of sweet goals from captain Gavin Fleck and a single from big Ben Reinhardt gave the Vipers the victory. Aiden Spraggs was solid in net and made two key saves late in the game to maintain the two- goal spread.
The Vipers ambushed the Salmon Arm Silverbacks 15-0 Sunday night with Zack Laranjo supplying four goals and Kael Black turning the hat trick.
Jordan Foster, Lucas Zubrod and Ben Reinhardt had two snipes each. Vernon hosts nine teams in their home tournament this weekend.
The Fix Auto crew takes on Langley in their opener Friday, 4 p.m., at Civic Arena.
Kelowna, Port Coquitlam, Kamloops, Revelstoke, Kitimat and Winfield complete the tourney roster.
JJ Milne collected 2+2 as the Watkin Motors Mustangs slammed the Salmon Arm Silvertips 7-0 in Pee Wee Tier 2 league play Sunday night in Sicamous.
Call-up Cash Anderson and Zack Funk also had deuces, while Steel Quiring supplied one goal. Teja Sheldrake and Cayden Hamming shared the shutout.
The Mustangs fell 5-2 to the Tier 1 Kamloops Jardines Blazers in exhibition play Saturday at Art Holding Memorial Arena in Chase.
Issac Thomas, on a partial breakaway with the assist to Jace Weir, and Milne, from Quiring, handled the Mustang offence.
The Valley Wood Remanufacturing Vipers fell 8-2 to the host Kamloops Blazers in Atom A Development play Sunday at Valleyview Arena.
Deagan McMillan and Theo Van Wyk, assisted by Terry Johnson, handled the Viper attack in front of Josh Donison took the loss.
“We came out flat and against that Kamloops team they can make you pay in a hurry,” said Vernon head coach Trevor Seibel. “We struggled to make clean outlet passes and lost too many battles along the boards. The boys were better in the third period but by that time the hole we dug was too big to overcome.”
The H&L Glass Atom C Vipers smothered the host Summerland Jets 7-2.
A five-goal, third-period explosion sparked the H&L gang. After giving up the first goal, Hudson Kibblewhite responded quickly to level the score before converting again, on his next shift, from Ryan Cox.
Charlie Swartz, Riley Beer, Marcel Green, Zack Casagrande and Cox scored in the final period.
