Derek Brown had the magic touch with 3 goals, while Alex Swetlikoff chipped in with a pair of helpers and Coleton Bilodeau scored his first BCHL goal as the Vipers took care of the Warriors 7-4 to sweep the season series.
Even first period that featured an early onslaught by the Vipers on the West Kelowna goal. The period evened out as both teams played tight defensive hockey without too many chances. The Warriors opened the scoring while the game was 4 on 4 as RJ Murphy found a hole through Ty Taylor to make it 1-0 West Kelowna after 1.
The second period was anything but defensive. The Vipers tied the game just 12 seconds in as Brett Stapley potted home a rebount to make it 1-1. The Warriors then rattled off two in succession as the Vipers had some defensive zone troubles. RJ Murphy scored his 2nd of the night, then just 52 seconds later, Ryan Steele extended the Tribes lead to 3-1. The Vipers used their powerplay to cut the deficit as Derek Brown scored his first of the night. Jesse Lansdell pounced on a loose puck minutes later to tie the game up at 3. Jimmy Lambert was hit very hard into the corner and the Vipers would end up on a 5 minute powerplay. Derek Brown would score his 2nd of the night to make it 4-3. That would spell the end of the night for Nik Amundrud, he was replaced by Cole Demers. It was the only goal the Vipers would get on the man advantage, but momentum was on their side as Brown would tack on his hat trick goal to make it 5-3, before Jimmy Lambert added a late goal to make it 6-3 at the buzzer.
The Vipers held the fort in the third period and as the Warriors took chances to make plays, the Vipers found themselves with a number of odd man rushes and it was Coleton Bilodeau ripping home his first BCHL goal to make it 7-3. The game got chippy through middles stages, but players were ejected and cooler heads prevailed. Bennett Norlin had a late goal for West Kelowna, but the Vipers would take home a 7-4 win for their 30th of the year.
The Vipers have a quick turnaround as they welcome the Alberni Valley Bulldogs on Saturday night at Kal Tire Place.
