Vipers roll Capitals: Kalbrener and Kasowski combine for 11 goals
Brody Kalbrener and Gray Kasowski, who’ve paced the Vipers offense all year, would combine for 11 goals to lead the Valley City Vipers squirts to an 8-2 win against Bismarck Capitals B1 White and an 11-1 win against Bismarck Capitals B1 Red in a double header Saturday.
Kalbrener would open the scoring with a goal six minutes into the game vs. Capitals White (assist Kasowski). Bismarck would tie it up three minutes later, but Kasowski would score with 24 seconds left in the first to give the Vipers a 3-1 lead after one (assist Corbin Petersen). The second period would be all Vipers as Kalbrener would add two (one unassisted and one assisted by Cooper Peterson) and Kasowski would add another (assist Gavin Wiebe) for a 6-1 tally after two. Colton Gerlach would score an unassisted power play goal five minutes into the third. Bismarck would tack one on three minutes later, but VC would score the final two; Riley Roelfsema unassisted and Kalbrener (assist Kasowski) for the 8-2 final. Goaltender Tyler Olsen would finish with 14 saves as the Vipers defense kept the Capitals at bay throughout the day. Kalbrener finished with four goals, Kasowski with two goals and two assists, Gerlach and Roelfsema each with a goal and Wiebe, Peterson and Petersen would get credited with assists.
The afternoon game vs. Capitals Red would be more of the same as Kalbrener would light the lamp three minutes into the game. That would open the floodgates as Kasowski would score two in the first (both assisted by Kalbrener), Gerlach would notch one, Kalbrener would add another and Teagan Klevgaard (assisted by Kayson Ziemba) would score his first career goal for a 6-0 score after one. Kasowski would score to open the second, followed by goals from Ziemba (assist Peterson) and Roelfsema (assist Gerlach). Bismarck would get on the board nine minutes into the second, but VC would notch the final two goals of the game (Gerlach unassisted and Roelfsema from Ziemba) for the 11-1 final. Kasowski would finish with the hat trick, Kalbrener would add two goals and two assists, Gerlach would tally two goals and an assist, Ziemba with a goal and two assists, Roelfsema two goals, Klevgaard with a goal and Peterson and Wiebe with assists. Olsen would turn away 20 of 21 shots for the Vipers.
The Vipers improve to 7-1 in their division and 7-4 overall. They’ll look to stay hot with a full slate next weekend when they’ll play two at home Saturday and two in Fargo Sunday.