The Vernon Home Building Centre Vipers dispatched the Kamloops Blazers 6-0 victory in Okanagan Mainline Midget Tier 2 Hockey League play Sunday.
The first-place Snakes were missing six regulars but call-ups Lincoln Connor, on forward, and Noah Debalinhard, on defence, stepped up admirably as Vernon took period leads of 2-0 and 4-0.
The Vipers struck early in the first on the powerplay as Harvey Pawsey jumped up from the right point and converted a one-timer on a cross-crease feed from Joe Eggert.
Eggert put Vernon up 2-0 at 6:06 of the first with a low stick-side snapper from a Mica Burns feed on a two-on one.
Lee Christensen picked up his third assist of the game on the Vipers third goal, setting up Dex Elders as he skated in untouched off the rush and fired his first of two beauties top shelf from the top of the slot.
Kyle Sherwood completed the second-period scoring in the final second as he pounced on a loose puck in the slot and deposited a wrister upstairs. Assists went to captain Dylan Sedlacek and Stephane Richard.
The Home Building Centre squad struck 4:19 into the third as Elders registered his second snipe with a quick seeing-eye slapper from the point, assisted by Sherwood and Richard. Gavin Fleck completed the onslaught scoring an empty netter with 19 seconds left as Kamloops attempted to break Ty Sedlacek’s shutout bid by pulling their goalie for an extra attacker.
The Coca-Cola Vipers split a pair of Midget Tier 3 league games, shutting down the Summerland Jets 4-0 Saturday at Priest Valley Arena before falling 5-1 to South Okanagan Sunday in Osoyoos.
Ethan Joe, Luc Halvorson, Chris Moore and Drew McKenzie scored versus the Jets.
The Thompson-Okanagan Lakers moved into sole possession of second place by stopping the Northern Capitals 1-0 and tying them 3-3 in the B.C. Midget AAA Female Hockey League Winter Showcase at Planet Ice in Delta.
Jackie Leone (Winfield) blocked a shot shorthanded which bounced out to centre ice and was picked up by Laine Grace (Vernon) as she stepped out of the penalty box for a breakaway in Sunday’s tie. Grace went with the sweet forehand-backhand-forehand deke to slide it by Capitals’ tender Nicole Kay.
The Caps tied it early in the second when Wynonna Creyke drove down the right wing and beat Dani Strymecki (Kelowna) far side just under the bar with a hard wrister.
The Lakers took the lead back in the middle of the period when Elizabeth Lenardon (Kelowna) fired a sharp-angle shot that was redirected at the side of the net by Mairyn Tucker (Armstrong).
The Capitals equalized on a powerplay marker before Chanreet Bassi (Winfield) scored midway through the final frame to take the lead. The Caps levelled things with 2:21 remaining when league-leading scorer Caily Mellot got her first point of the weekend batting home a loose puck in front of Strymecki.
Both teams dealt with a 5:45 a.m. wake-up call to wrap up the weekend series Sunday, but nobody was asleep as the two teams battled for the third time in three days in a thriller.
Grace converted late in the first period, the assist going to Ashlyn Sunderman (Kamloops) and some help from Bassi creating the screen in front as the captain’s point shot found net.
Shots were even with Laker goaltender Ashlynn Neurauter (Kamloops) making 28 saves for the shutout while the Lakers fired 29 on Olivia Davis.
The Lakers improved to 8-7-6, four points in front of the Caps.
The Sun Valley Source for Sports Vipers squeaked out a 5-4 victory over the Kelowna Rockets in Bantam Tier 1 action Sunday afternoon at Kal Tire Place.
Mason Robinson opened up the Viper scoring when he flipped a shot from the point that handcuffed the Kelowna goalie. Colby Feist made it 2-0 when he tucked in a shot off a feed from Ben Imrich.
Kelowna responded against the flow of play before Vernon’s Steel Quiring connected from Jakob Jones and Zack Funk. Feist clicked from Jacob Boden and Kelowna tied it 4-4 late in the third period.
Funk, from Quiring and Porter Trevelyan, supplied the winner in front of Cayden Hamming for the first-place Vipers.
The Fix Auto Vipers battled host Winfield to a 1-1 tie in Bantam Tier 3 play Saturday.
Ronac Chauhan of the Snakes and Matthew Reis of the Bruins traded first-period tallies.
The West Kelowna Warriors grounded the Watkin Motors Mustangs 8-4 in a Pee Wee Tier 2 showdown Saturday morning at Kal Tire Place.
Jarred Feist (2), Deagan McMillan and Kyle Wheeler provided the goals in front of Austin Seibel.
“The kids just turned off the switch in the third,” said Mustang head coach Trevor Seibel. “We have an opportunity for redemption as we play West Kelowna Saturday at Royal Lepage Place. We still control our own destiny: if we win our last three games we will finish first.”
