They spotted Vancouver the first goal, but it was all Vernon Coca Cola Vipers after that as they opened their home Winter Classic Midget Tier 3 Hockey Tournament with a 13-1 win Friday night.
Vernon quickly replied with a goal from Jayden Pedersen, assisted by Solomon Ivanoff and Brian Ferguson, and the Snakes just kept rolling from there. Adding to the offence were Bryton Stead (4+2), game MVP Riley Swiscoski (3G), Dex Elders (2+2), Jeremy Pogue (1+3), Kyle Sherwood (1+2) and Julian Darkazanli.
Supplying assists for Vernon were Cordell Oppenheimer (4), Harvey Pawsey (2), Easton Jones and netminder Conor Webb. Mason McLennan and Jarett Campbell contributed with strong physical play.
In Bantam Tier 1 play Friday at Kal Tire Place, the Sun Valley Source For Sports Vipers bowed 3-2 to the Kelowna Rockets.
Joe Eggert deflected in a point shot by captain Dylan Sedlacek for Vernon’s first goal. Eric Noren buried the rebound off of a shot by Mika Burns. Keegan McRae drew the other assist.
Jacob Green and Jakob Jones handled the offence as the Nixon Wenger Vipers fell 14-2 to Okanagan Hockey Academy in Pee Wee Tier 2 league play Friday in Penticton.
Owen Swiscoski and Aidan Spraggs shared goaltending duties for Vernon. Gage Stoll and Ronac Chauhan recorded assists.
The Valley Wood Remanufacturing Vipers opened the Kelowna Classic Atom Development A tourney with a 6-5 win over the West Kelowna Warriors.
The line of Austin Roest (2+1), Nick Noren (1+1) and Max Stewart (1G) was dominant.
Erik Pastro and Bennet Kuhnlein picked up singles, Cash Anderson chipped in with an assist and Colten Colmorgen picked up the win.
The Vipers wrapped up the round-robin Saturday against the Kelowna Chiefs and Kamloops Ice Hawks.
In Bantam House tournament play Friday, Vernon Interior Savings Just Orange disarmed the Chilliwack Snipers 8-6 at the Sun Bowl in Osoyoos.
D-man Braydie Allen-Webber’s second goal of the game, on a beautiful individual rush, ended with a wrist shot through the legs of the Snipers’ goalie, snapping a 6-6 tie with four minutes left. Evan Trottier added the insurance marker with 32 seconds left, on a scramble.
It was a character win for the Orange, who let a 6-3 lead slip away in the third.
Game MVP Brogan Houston had three goals for the Orange. Houston, Allan-Webber and d-man Tanner Bueckert, with his first goal in two seasons, scored three minutes apart midway through the second to snap a 2-2 tie.
Seb Wenger opened the scoring 30 seconds into the contest. Sam Knox and Caedon Bellmann split the goaltending chores for Just Orange, who faced Salmon Arm North Broadview Plumbing and Heating and the Kamloops Lumberjacks in round-robin play Saturday in Oliver.
The Lumberjacks beat the Vernon Five Star Awards Cougars 5-3 and North Okanagan Knights whipped West Kelowna in other opening-day play Friday.
