The goals came fast and aplenty at Kal Tire Place Saturday, April 24.
The Vernon Vipers and Salmon Arm Silverbacks combined for five first-period markers and 12 goals overall as the Snakes won their third straight B.C. Hockey League pod game, 7-5, over the Gorillas.
The Vipers erased three separate deficits on the night. Simon Tassy and Sullivan Mack scored two minutes apart in the first period to give Salmon Arm a 2-0 lead. Tyler Carpendale cut the lead in half 25 seconds later for Vernon, and Reagan Milburn tied the game 90 seconds later.
Tassy gave the Silverbacks a 3-2 lead after one with a powerplay marker late in the period.
Seth Bafaro tied the game up early in the second with a seeing eye point shot through traffic. Drew Bennett gave the Backs their third lead back midway through knocking home a rebound past Vipers goalie Roan Clarke to make it 4-3. The Vipers were then without the services of head coach Jason McKee following an ejection and misconduct.
Milburn scored his second of the night after a nice toe drag play making it 4-4 seven minutes into the third. JoJo Tanaka-Campbell gave the Vipers their first lead of the night tipping home a Sam Duerr point shot. Nick Remissong gave the Vipers a big two-goal cushion as he stuck with a loose puck at the side of the ‘Backs goal to make it 6-4.
The Silverbacks responded moments later as Lucas Matta scored making it 6-5.
The Gorillas threw everything at the Vipers and Clarke trying to send the game to overtime, but Cam MacDonald would give Vernon the two points with an empty-net marker.
Clarke and Liam Vanderkooi of the Silverbacks each finished the night with 29 saves.
Vernon leads the pod standings at 8-3-1-1, three points ahead of the Silverbacks (6-4-2-1) and six up on the West Kelowna Warriors (5-5-1-1).
The Silverbacks and West Kelowna meet Sunday night. The Vipers are next in action on Monday at 7:30 p.m. when they take on the Warriors. Vernon blanked West Kelowna 2-0 Friday night.
READ MORE: Vipers blank West Kelowna to take lead in Vernon BCHL pod
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