The Vipers looked to rebound after a disappointing result in Salmon Arm and had a tough challenged ahead in the form of a trip up north. When the oppositions record is where it is, the tendency is to take them lightly. The Vipers did a nice job of shaking a slow first 6 minutes to go onto win 6-3.
The Spruce Kings came out flying in the first few minutes as they controlled the puck and generated a few scoring chances. They were able to open the scoring on a 3 on 2 as Cooper Prechel rifled home his first BCHL goal. The Vipers then found themselves shorthanded, but their PK remained rock solid and turned the momentum in their favour. Ben Butcher would get the game tied up after a nice feed from Liam Finlay. The Vipers forecheck really brought the Spruce Kings defense difficulties as they caused numerous turnovers and late in the period that trend paid off in the Viper favour as Callum Volpe had time to step into a slap shot from the left point to make it 2-1 after 1.
The Vipers were able to kill off an early penalty, but the Spruce Kings were able to generate some momentum from and were rewarded with a goal from Stephen Penner who’s point shot found its way through traffic. The Vipers were able to compose themselves and tightened up while getting some scoring chances. They would get an abbreviated powerplay and thanks to a Mitchell Oliver point shot the Vipers took a 3-2 lead. The Spruce Kings had a great chance to tie the game up a few minutes later on a 2 on 0 rush, but Andrew Shortridge shut the door to keep it a one goal game. That proved important as Christian Cakebread was able to sneak a puck across the line to give the visitors a 4-2 lead after 2 periods.
An early powerplay opportunity would present itself for the Vipers and after some quick movement, Christian Cakebread was able to redirect a bullet pass from Odeen Tufto to make it 5-2. Shortly after, it was the Spruce Kings turn on the man advantage as Nic Ponak had a point shot hit him and slip five hole on Shortridge to make it 5-3. The Vipers really tightened up defensively after that and kept the Spruce Kings to the outside or hemmed in their own zone. The Snakes would seal it on the second of the night from Ben Butcher after a nice feed from Charley Michalowski to make the final 6-3.
Scoring Summary:
Period 1
PG – Cooper Prechel (1) – Ponak, Stief 5:55
VER – Ben Butcher (9) – Finlay, Pellah 9:54
VER – Callum Volpe (3) – Stapley, S. Jandric 18:19
Period 2
PG – Stephen Penner (3) – Tilsley, Funk 3:11
VER – Mitchell Oliver (4) – Williamson, Sacco 10:03 (PP)
VER – Christian Cakebread (11) – Lambert, Tufto 16:05
Period 3
VER – Christian Cakebread (12) – Tufto, Pellah 3:35 (PP)
PG – Nic Ponak (5) – Stief, Tilsley 6:49 (PP)
VER – Ben Butcher (10) – Michalowski 17:08
Game Stars
Vernon – Christian Cakebread – 2G, GWG
Christian Cakebread missed the last handful of games and despite the Vipers winning the majority of those, his presence was missed. He is a big body with a nose for the net and doesn’t shy away from the dirty areas. His two goals tonight were examples of that as he scored both within 3 feet of the blue paint. He also adds depth to a lineup that when healthy boasts talent and skill up and down the lineup.
Prince George – Cooper Prechel – 1G (1st BCHL goal)
The Spruce Kings have gone through a lot this season, but a bright spot would be Cooper Prechels first BCHL goal. He logged a lot of minutes on the PG blueline, but to score his first on a goalie the calibre of Andrew Shortridge and a nice shot off the post and in as well. Its always a big moment for a player to score his first BCHL goal and for Prechel this was a bright spot in a season that hasn’t had many.
Final Thoughts
The mindset for the Vipers was don’t treat this as a trap game and play hard from start to finish. I thought despite the slow start the Vipers battled hard and did what they had been doing before the game in Salmon Arm on Saturday. They were getting in on the forecheck and making life extremely difficult for the PG defense. They were able to get production from their blueline and their PP was effective. This is a good momentum builder for this team heading into a 6 day lay off between games.
