Morning Star Staff
The Vernon Home Hardware Centre Vipers closed the regular Okanagan Mainline Midget Tier 2 Hockey League season with a 4-1 victory over the Kelowna Fripps Warehouse Rockets Sunday afternoon at the Capital News Centre.
Kelowna opened the scoring on a screened shot from the point before Connor Johnston banged in a Grady Caton shot from the point for the equalizer. Reed Cashato put the Vipers up by one when he knocked in a shot from a scramble in front of Kelowna goalie Nathan Sparks.
After the ice clean, Dex Elders put the game away with back-to back goals. Jason Shaigec chipped in with a couple of assists. Connor Webb took the win and made a key breakaway save when the game was only 2-1.
Vernon travelled through a snow storm Saturday afternoon and gained a 2-2 tie with the West Kelowna Warriors.
The Vipers’ Kyle Sherwood finished a nice pass from Logan Imrich going bar down. Dylan Sedlacek sniped a nice goal to knot the game 2-2 before West Kelowna took the lead on a high stick goal that only the referee missed.
Nick Cherkowski wheeled out from the corner to fire the equalizer. Dawson Chase had a couple of helpers.
Vernon (11-2-2) finished just behind first-place Penticton (12-2-1) and will face off against Kelowna (4-10-1) in a first-round, best-of-three playoff series. Game 1 goes Saturday, 7:45 p.m., at Civic.
The Sun Valley Source for Sports Vipers ended the Bantam Tier 2 regular season with a split, stopping Kelowna 5-1 at Priest Valley Arena and falling 6-4 to Pursuit of Excellence Varsity in Kelowna.
Nic Teale, with 2+1, Trevor Kennedy, with 1+2, Lincoln Connor and Corbin Hanson handled the Vernon offence against Kelowna. Colby Feist pocketed a pair of helpers.
The Sun Valley crew topped the league at 16-2 and will start the playoffs Friday night at home (venue and time TBA) versus last-place Penticton (2-15-1.
The Watkin Motors Mustangs ambushed West Kelowna 10-1 in Pee Wee Tier 2 play Sunday at Kal Tire Place.
Cayden Hamming went the distance in net as Vernon ended the regular season atop the table at 14-1.
The first goal came 20 seconds into the first period, slapped in by Jarred Feist, assisted by Steel Quiring and Jakob Jones.
Ronac Chauhan scored the second with feeds from Emma Elders and Porter Trevelyan.
Elders supplied the third goal with helpers to Connor Elliott and Trevelyan.
Quiring pulled the hat trick and also compiled two assists. Feist got his second goal, followed by singles from Jones, Zackary Funk and Jacob Boden.
The Mustang defence was dynamic, anchored by Nic Noren, Isaac Thomas and Jace Weir.
The Mustangs open the 45th Coca-Cola Invitational Pee Wee Hockey Classic Thursday, Feb. 11 (8 a.m.) against the Glenlake Hawks of Calgary .
Vernon is in the Coca-Cola Division with the Idaho Jr. Steelheads and the Dawson Creek Canucks.
The Vernon Fix Auto Vipers finished the Bantam Tier 3 regular season with a 3-2 victory over the West Kelowna Warriors Sunday at Civic Arena.
Cole Boyarski opened the scoring from Mason Robinson, while Lucas Zubrod from Jacob Brewer tied it 2-2 at the end of 40 minutes.
Jacob Green put Vernon ahead to stay with seven minutes left. Gavin Fleck picked up the assist. Vernon played very disciplined. Jadon Foster took the win. Second-place West Kelowna dipped to 11-6-1. The Vipers ended up sixth at 5-7-2 and will begin the playoffs Friday night in Kamloops against the third-place Blazers (7-4-3). Game 2 goes Saturday, 12:45 p.m., at Priest Valley.
The H&L Glass Atom C Vipers struck silver at 3-2 in a Kelowna tournament, falling 6-0 to Kelowna in Sunday’s final.
After the game, the boys celebrated Trey Schober’s 11th birthday and their second-place showing with doughnuts.
The Vipers wiped out Burnaby 10-0 in the early-morning semifinal Sunday with Matthew Kuhnlein recording the shutout.
Charlie Swartz, Maguire Nicholson, Luke Walsh and Lyndon Carleton compiled two goals each, while Marcel Green and Jeffrey Curtis provided singles.
The H&L Glass crew beat a Kelowna tournament team 6-2 and bounced Burnaby 3-1 in Saturday preliminary action.
Hudson Kibblewhite notched a hat trick, Nicholson had 2+1 and Rielly Beer scored once against Kelowna. Austen Vandenbrand netted a deuce and Joshua Mark added one versus Burnaby.
Vernon erased a 3-0 deficit and gained a 3-3 tie before Kelowna caught fire in a 6-3 win. Swartz, Curtis and Beer produced the goals.
The Atom Cs are coached by Dallas Walsh.
