The 91原创 91原创 scored on their first shot on goal Friday.
The Vernon Vipers followed suit.
The difference, however, is Vernon would score on three of their next five shots and the 91原创 didn鈥檛 get another goal as the Snakes rolled to a 5-1 B.C. Hockey League win over the 91原创 in front of 2,529 fans at Kal Tire Place.
91原创 forward Eric Butte opened the scoring 96 seconds after the Beairsto Elementary Glee Club finished the national anthem with a beaut of a goal. He picked up the puck in the corner, walked out untouched and unleashed a wicked wrist shot over the shoulder of Vernon goalie Anthony Yamnitsky.
Vernon captain Jagger Williamson, playing after missing five games with a concussion, gave Vernon the lead with a pair of powerplay goals 16 seconds apart on a 5-on-3 advantage.
Williamson wired a wrist shot with linemate Jesse Lansdell setting a screen in front of 91原创 goalie Braden Fleming on the team鈥檚 shot on goal at 4:33. Off the ensuing faceoff, Lansdell took a defenceman wide and centred the puck to a streaking Williamson going to the net, who tapped in the puck past Fleming.
Derek Brown added two more; the first Fleming should have stopped at 8:08 then, coming out of the penalty box, Brown picked up a pass from Mitch Andres, used Keyvan Mokhtari going to the net as a decoy, and ripped a wrister over Fleming鈥檚 blocker, ending the 91原创 goalie鈥檚 night at 12:28, replaced by Chad Cromar.
鈥淥nce they got that first goal, we knew we had to get into it,鈥� said Brown, who has seven goals in 10 games since joining the Vipers at the BCHL trade deadline from the Alberta League鈥檚 Bonnyville Pontiacs. 鈥淛aggy got us back into it and I was able to follow that up.鈥�
The final goal of the game came off a face-off at 15:02 of the second. Jimmy Lambert 鈥� celebrating his 21st birthday Friday 鈥� won the draw to Brett Stapley, who beat Cromar for his team-leading 23rd goal of the year.
Things got nasty in the third.
Mokhtari 鈥� playing his first game in four after a concussion 鈥� was hit from behind into the boards by 91原创鈥檚 Ethan Leyh at 10:56, resulting in a five-minute major penalty and a game misconduct. Skirmishes broke out on the ice after the hit with Vernon鈥檚 Jack Judson and Shane Kelly, and 91原创鈥檚 John Wojciechowski receiving early showers with 10-minute misconduct penalties.
Mokhtari was seen leaving the ice with a towel on his head. He was to be re-evaluated Saturday prior to the Vipers鈥� game in Penticton.
On the ensuing powerplay, a line donnybrook 鈥� hardly a brawl 鈥� broke out with the main combatants being Vernon鈥檚 Jesse Lansdell against 91原创鈥檚 Brady Berger.
The nine skaters received 10-minute misconducts. Cromar signalled for Yamnitsky to come and join the fray but the Vernon goalie stayed in his crease.
Yamnitsky made 18 saves, the best of which were back-to-back on a 91原创 second-period powerplay, when he made a neat pad save through a screen, then dove across the crease to foil a wraparound attempt, and a glove save in-close in the third off Tanner Versluis.
Cromar made the save of the game, denying Williamson鈥檚 hat trick by moving across the crease to rob the Vernon captain, who nearly finished off a terrific four-way passing play.
Vernon remained two points behind the league- and Interior Division-leading Penticton Vees, 3-0 winners at home Friday over Trail.
The Vipers and Vees finished off their regular season encounters Saturday at the South Okanagan Events Centre. Penticton is 2-1-2 in the first five meetings.
鈥淲e have to go into there with the same effort we had here tonight,鈥� said Brown, who is feeling very comfortable in his new surroundings.
鈥淓ver since Day 1, since I got here, the guys have made it really easy for me to fit in, and Mark鈥檚 (head coach Ferner) been great. He鈥檚 been patient with me and it鈥檚 been nice to get myself into it and I think I鈥檓 starting to fit in great here. This is an awesome team.鈥�
91原创, 3-8 in its last 11, took on the Eagles in Surrey Saturday. The 91原创 are one point behind the second-place Eagles in the Mainland Division.
鈥淲e had a good start tonight but we kind of shot ourselves in the foot there with penalty trouble,鈥� said 91原创 head coach Bobby Henderson. 鈥淲e let it get away from us in the first and against a team like Vernon you have to be better than that.鈥�
