Morning Star Staff
The Vernon Home Building Center Midget Tier 1 Vipers are primed for their eight-team home hockey tournament Friday.
The Vipers, coached by Brad Shaigec and Murray Caton, warmed up for tourney play by icing the Okanagan Hockey Academy Varsity Canucks 5-0 Saturday in Penticton.
Viper goals came from Carl Main (2), Logan Imrich, Stephane Richard and Bryce Pyle. Braden Gilowski and Cameron Hitch both supplied two helpers with single helpers going to Connor Johnston and Reed Cashato. Josh Evans earned the win.
Vernon opens their tournament Friday night (6:15) against Richmond Blues at Civic Arena. The Vipers meet Bow Valley Flames of Calgary (9:15 a.m.) and battle Coquitlam Chiefs (4 p.m.) in Saturday games at Civic.
The North Kamloops Lions, Vancouver Thunderbirds, Salmon Arm Silvertips and North Shore Winter Club Lions round out the tourney roster. The A final goes Sunday at 1:45 p.m.
The Thompson-Okanagan Midget AAA Female Lakers posted three home wins over the Kootenay Wildcats.
After winning 4-1 Friday night, the Lakers toppled the winless Wildcats 6-3 Saturday and 7-2 Sunday.
Jenna Fletcher and Andie Kaneda, both of Vernon, Anna Morrish and Ts’Setkwu Dunstan of Kamloops and Christy Blackburne and Riley Henderson of West Kelowna supplied goals Saturday with Fletcher and Kaneda each earning two helpers at Civic Arena.
Fletcher and Blackburne each pocketed a pair Sunday with singles going to Henderson, Morrish, and Tylee Cooper of Armstrong. The Lakers are fourth at 6-8-1.
The Salmon Arm Midget A Female Silvertips (sponsored by Armstrong Co-op) defeated Penticton 3-2 Saturday in Sicamous.
Brooke Miller (Salmon Arm) scored on a one-timer after a great pass by Sam Maric (Vernon). Penticton tied it a minute later on a rebound on Bailey Berndt (Enderby) in the Tips’ net.
Vernon took the lead for good in the second when Cailee Bauml (Vernon) powered around a defender and went in alone to score top shelf. Emily Clarke (Vernon) responded a minute later on a rebound when Bauml made an identical rush, but was stopped by the goalie. Taylor Vandale (Vernon) assisted on both goals.
The Tips ran into penalty trouble in the third and gave up a power play goal, but Catlyn Marshal (Armstrong) and Makenna Southam (Vernon) were strong on the back line to preserve the win. The Tips are 2-5-1 as they head to Kamloops for the 4 Nations Cup.
The Coca-Cola Vipers lost 3-1 to the visiting Trail Smoke Eaters in Midget Tier 2 league play Sunday after clipping the host Merritt Centennials 3-2 in a Saturday exhibition at Priest Valley Arena.
Kyle Sherwood supplied the Coke crew goal versus the Smokies with helpers from Easton Jones and Cordell Oppenheimer. Billy Cawthorn was in goal.
The exhibition was scoreless going into the second half when Dex Elders scored with assists from Openheimer and Landon Munk. The Cents potted the next two goals before Munk and Jayden Pederson put Vernon ahead in the third with assists from Kyle Sherwood, Brian Ferguson and Jones. Connor Webb took the victory.
The Source for Sports Bantam Tier 1 Vipers lost 3-1 to the host Penticton Vees Saturday afternoon.
Penticton scored on the very first play of a physical game which was still 1-0 at the ice clean.
After falling behind 3-0 early in the thrd, Dawson Chase fed Nick Cherkowski in the slot and Cherkowski redirected it in at 10:14. Keegan McRae picked up the secondary assist. Penticton outshot Vernon 38-26 with Tyler Sedlacek and Brendan Forman in goal.
The Fix Auto Bantam Tier 3 Vipers fell 7-1 to the West Kelowna Tier 2 Warriors Saturday at Kal Tire Place.
The Vipers were outshot 38-18 with the teams swapping third-period goals. Nick Mitchell made a nifty toe-drag around a d-man and fooled the Warrior goalie with a quick snap shot from the right corner after a pass from d-man Zach Agar. The Vipers lost winger Cory Lazar with a broken wrist in the opening minute.
Mustangs fall 3-1 to Rockets
The Watkin Motors Mustangs fell 3-1 to the Kelowna Rockets in Pee Wee Tier 1 play Sunday morning.
The Mustangs grabbed a 1-0 lead when Zach Funk buried a rebound off a Jacob Boden shot.
The teams battled back and forth and the Mustangs took the lead into the third period. Goalie Kobe Grant registered some excellent saves to keep the Rockets at bay, but some early penalty trouble gave Kelowna a two-man advantage and they scored two quick goals.
In Pee Wee Tier 2 action, the Nixon Wenger Vipers earned their first win of the year by bottling up Williams Lake 6-2 Sunday at the Salmon Arm Invitational.
Owen Swiscoski was marvellous in net, while goals went to Jacob Wettlaufer (2), Maisun Ang-Hamilton, Jacob Green, Maddex Minard and Emma Elders. Liam Remple and Jakob Jones had assists. Gage Stoll was game MVP.
In Saturday games, the Nixon Wenger bunch lost 5-3 to St. Albert and bowed 15-1 to North Shore Winter Club.
Game MVP Emma Elders, on a breakaway, Anne Cherkowski, on an assist by Porter Trevelyan, and Elders, unassisted, accounted for the Viper scoring. Swiscoski was again stellar as Vernon was outshot.
Wettlaufer scored from Elders and Jones against North Shore. Issac Thomas took Player of the Game.
