Valley eyes on Vipers’ playoff run
The Vernon Vipers are now the valley’s team. After West Kelowna and Penticton faltered in the first round, Vernon carries the Okanagan flag into round 2 of the B.C. Hockey League playoffs tonight at home to the Trail Smoke Eaters.
The Vipers subdued the Salmon Arm Silverbacks in the opening round, and now face a Trail team that stunned the Merritt Centennials to advance.
Trail was last place in the Interior Conference, and the only team in the group with a sub .500 record.
But after the Smokies dropped Game 1 to Merritt, they stormed back to win four consecutive games against the second-seeded Cents.
Vernon also dispatched Salmon Arm in five games, although three of those contests went to overtime.
Game 5 was an epic, triple-overtime thriller that ended 4-3.
With four minutes to play in the third extra period, Connor Marritt created a neutral zone turnover to send Matt Kowalski away. He cut to the middle and, on the backhand, roofed the series-clinching goal.
Kowalski was the hometown hero. The five-11, 165pound Vernon native leads the Vipers with three playoff goals.
Jesse Lansdell and Jagger Williamson share the team lead in points with seven apiece.
Aidan Porter has played all five playoff games in goal for Vernon. He’s brining with him a sturdy .932 save percentage and a 1.77 goals-against average into the second round.
The Boston native turns 20 years old later this month, and he’ll attend Princeton University in the fall. Trail is led by Tyler Ghirardosi, a 19-year-old forward from Montrose, B.C.
He scored two goals and five assists from the opening round. Ghirardosi has landed a scholarship to Quinnipiac University for the fall.
Kent Johnson paces Trail with four goals. The Port Moody native is only 16, but has already committed to University of Michigan for the start of the 2020 season.
Goalie Donovan Buskey was a trade deadline acquisition for the Smoke Eaters.
The 19-year-old Vancouver native was playing for the Western Hockey League’s Prince Albert Raiders when he was caught in the numbers game.
After P.A. traded for a goalie, they made Buskey available on the open market.
Trail lost veteran starter Adam Marcoux to injury in early February, but Buskey hasn’t let his new team down.
His .931 save percentage is better than the 2.40 GAA, but both are vast improvements over his nine regular-season appearances (3.99 GAA, .880 save percentage).
Vernon held a slight edge against Trail this season, going 3-2-0-1 against the Smoke Eaters.
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Daily Courier Staff