Morning Star Staff
The Sun Valley Source for Sports Vipers clipped the West Kelowna Warriors 2-1 in Sunday’s final of their home Bantam Tier 1 Hockey Tournament at Civic Arena.
Reed Cashato and Harvey Pawsey scored for Vernon, with Brady Marzocco getting a helper. Kieran Watts was in net.
Vernon toppled Kamloops Blazers 5-2 in the semifinal Sunday morning with game MVP Matt Kowalski netting the hat trick. Marzocco bagged a deuce, while Owen Beliveau pocketed two assists.
The Vipers shut down the Prince George Cougars 7-0 in preliminary play Saturday night with Kowalski and Stephane Richard each supplying two goals.
Pawsey, Dylan Sedlacek and game MVP Jason Shaigec added singles. Connor Johnston registered four helpers, while Powell Connor had three in support of Conor Webb.
Sun Valley upended West Kelowna 5-1 Saturday morning on snipes by Richard, Kyle Sherwood, Riley Swiscoski, Beliveau and Marzocco. Game MVP Johnston earned three assists with Sedlacek and Cashato each counting a pair.
Keith Chase’s Sun Valley boys are 44-4 on the season, including three tournament titles. They have lost twice in tourney finals.
The Fix Auto Bantam Tier 2 Vipers tied host Penticton 2 -2 and drew 6-6 with the visiting Salmon Arm Silvertips.
Nick Cherkowski converted in the opening period Saturday in Penticton, from Lucas Halvorson and Brayden Jones. Dex Elders levelled the score midway through the second period, from Cody Webb and Mason McLennan.
Mika Burns tapped in early in the first from brothers Joe and Sam Eggert in Sunday’s tie at Priest Valley Arena.
Early in the second, Damian Coljee-Fehr buried a wrister on assists by Brennan Schwark and Halvorson, and then Cherkowski and Joe Eggert added goals, from Burns, to finish the second.
The Vipers clawed back late in third with Elders clicking, from Sam Eggert and Cherkowski. With 18 seconds remaining, Schwark tied it, from Sam and Joe Eggert. Ethan Huizinga stopped 35 shots.
The Vernon Home Building Centre Vipers bowed 8-6 to the Prince George Cougars in Midget Tier 1 league action Saturday morning at Kal Tire Place.
Special teams were huge with Prince George recording four powerplay goals and one shorthanded snipe, while Vernon counted one powerplay, one four-on-four and one shorty.
Scoring for Vernon were Nick Higgs (2), Carson Richards, Jeff Bochon, Eamonn Miller and Cole Woodliffe. Jacob Dolinar collected four helpers.
Prince George lost 11-1 to Kelowna later Saturday night before earning a 4-4 tie Sunday morning.
The Coca-Cola Midget Tier 2 Vipers lost 2-1 to the Trail Smoke Eaters and shaded Kamloops 2-1.
Logan Revell, from Julian Darkanzanli and Josh DeCoffe, had the Viper goal Saturday at Kal Tire Place.
Brenden Zupp fired the first Vernon goal Sunday at Memorial Arena, with Kaden Black and Michael LeNoury picking up assists. Black produced the winner from Carl Main.
Dylan Huber and Alex Gilowski each pocketed two goals as the North Okanagan Knights grounded the Revelstoke Grizzlies 8-1 in Pee Wee Tier 4 play Saturday at the Forum.
Brett Zbytnuik, Griffin Evans, Wesley Graves and Kevin Thomas Walters contributed singles in support of Caedon Bellman. Kord Haller provided three assists.
The Knights brushed off the host Grizz 5-4 in exhibition action Sunday with Graves and Eli Dwyer each scoring twice and Bryan Brew once in front of Thomas Burton.
In Atom Tier 1 action, the Valley Wood Vipers tied the host Penticton Vees 2-2 Saturday afternoon.
The Vipers came out swinging with goals by Jacob Boden and Austin Roest in the first period. Roest buried a big rebound.
Goalie Owen Swiskoski had a perfect first half for Vernon, making some spectacular saves. Cayden Hamming played the second half, and was busy, as he tried to hold off the very determined Vees.
D-men Porter Palfreyman and Connor Elliot, played a key role all game, especially, on a late penalty kill. The game MVPs were given to Palfreyman, Swiscoski and Hamming
In Atom Tier 3 play, the H&L Glass Vipers iced the West Kelowna Warriors 2-1 Sunday at Jim Lind Arena.
John Spraggs opened the scoring two minutes into the second when he corralled a pass from Brock Holliday. Left winger Colby Restiaux gained the Warrior line, faked a shot, and then feathered the puck over to Spraggs. His initial shot blocked, Spraggs leaned into a second wrister, whistling it past the goalie’s blocker.
Standing tall in net, Jaret Cooper held West Kelowna scoreless in the first half. At 8:43 of the third, West Kelowna greased one in, and five minutes later the Warriors went on a powerplay looking for the lead. Those hopes were quashed by net closer Teja Sheldrake, along with defenders Adam Bourgeois, Liam Remple and Quinn Soon, who keyed Vernon’s penalty killing to a perfect 4-for-4.
Competing for every inch of ice, linemates Chris Bond and Jordyn Morris worked the puck time and again to Maddex Minard, who paced Vernon with seven shots. Liam Leibel kept his line clicking with his passing proficiency.
Tied 1-1 late, a fifth straight win over West Kelowna looked doubtful. With 67 seconds left, before a defensive zone faceoff, Vernon coach Brent Bond called a timeout to focus his Vipers. It worked like a charm.
Twenty-five seconds later, Cash Anderson, who has made a habit of victimizing his old teammates this season, haunted them yet again.
First, Nick Noren found Emma Elders in the high slot, and the whirling dervish on skates whipped a wicked shot on net. Anderson collected the rebound and hammered home the winner.
