
The Vernon Vipers are fighting for every point as they try to sneak into a playoff position.
The Vipers went through a gauntlet this weekend. They travelled south to play the Trail Smoke Eaters at Cominco Arena and then turned around to play the Brooks Bandits at home.
“We were not able to get the points, but it was a character performance by our team,” said head coach Lukas Lomicky.
Weekend Summary:
The Viper's first game was against the No. 2 ranked Trail Smoke Eaters in front of a 1904-person crowd.
The Smoke Eaters scored four goals before the start of the third period and never looked back. Trail scored four more in the final period to send the Vipers packing by an 8-3 score.
Logan Cunningham and Jari Kykkanen stopped 39 shots while Forward Luc Bydal netted two of Vernon’s goals.
“We were down 2-1, and then we had a couple of individual mistakes that cost us the game,” said Lomicky.
After the rough loss, the Vipers came home to Kal Tire Place to take on the No. 3 ranked Brooks Bandits.
The Vipers came out swinging in the first period with Forward Koji Gibson netting the first goal of the game.
The bandits then took over in periods two and three, outscoring the Vipers 6-2. The Bandits would hold that lead and take the match 6-3.
Roster Updates:
With what has been a common theme for the Vipers, the team had more roster changes occur.
On Jan. 31, the Vipers announced the addition of goalie Logan Cunningham.
“I’m super excited to have the opportunity to battle alongside a great group of guys and join a historic franchise with a great fan base in an amazing city,” said Cunningham in a release for the team.
Cunningham saw the ice right from when he joined the team. He played the full game against Brooks, saving 27 shots.
“He just came here last week and I thought he did a pretty good job,” said Lomicky about the young goalie.
What's next:
The Vipers currently sit 19th in the BCHL standings with a 11-20-6 record. The team is six points behind a playoff spot.
The Vipers will face the Penticton Vees on Friday at the South Okanagan Events Centre. The puck drops at 7 p.m.