Vernon, BC: The Vipers had a lot of good looks and plenty of shots at the Salmon Arm goal, but could only find the back of the net twice as they fell 4-2 in game 3 of preseason action.
The Backs struck first on their first shot of the game as Coalson Wolford cut across the slot and released it just inside the near post on Dawson Pelletiers glove side to make it 1-0. Connor Sleeth drew the game even with his second consecutive goal dating back to the OT winner of Wednesday night. Daniel Rybarik gave the Backs the lead back with 5 minutes and change remaining in the first period making it 2-1 after 1 period. The shots favoured the Vipers 14-7.
The Vipers dominated the time of possession in the second period. Most of that was from the powerplay opportunities which counted at 4. The powerplay looked dangerous but had some misfortune as they clanked a pair of goal posts. The Vipers peppered the Salmon Arm net with 19 shots, but couldn’t find the mesh. Akito Hirose rifled home a goal with just seconds left in the period to give the Backs a 3-1 lead after 2 periods.
Just 16 seconds into the third period Noah Wakeford made it 4-1 after a wrap around. JoJo Tanaka-Campbell scored 8 minutes into the period to make it 4-2 after poking home a loose puck in front of the net. Despite the 41 shots at the goal, it would be the Backs earning the split of the home and home set with the final buzzer sounding.
“There were some missed opportunities tonight offensively that I would have liked our group to finish,” says Head Coach and GM of the Vipers Jason McKee. “I didn’t think we engaged enough in the hard areas of the ice and we need to be more committed and competitive in battle situations.
The Vipers roster now sits at 25 with one preseason game remaining.
The defending National Champion Brooks Bandits make a visit to Kal Tire Place on Sunday afternoon at 2pm.
