Announcement
A great weekend of hockey has put the Community Savings Vipers right where they wanted to be with only one game that matters left this season. Saturday morning saw the Vipers who after regular season play, finished third in the six team league, squared off against the MGM Cobras who claimed sixth place in the league. Although the Viper’s had some success against the Cobras in the regular season they weren’t taking them for granted. The Viper’s were guilty of taking teams too easily in the last few games of the season and had their lunch fed to them as a result. Lesson learned! The Cobras came busting out of the gate and carried the play for the first five minutes. Our Viper’s weathered the storm and began to exert their dominance from that point on. In the first period the Viper’s jumped to a 3-0 lead. The line of Price, Miner and Leedahl were on fire as Cody Miner scored the first two of the game with Easton Leedahl chipping in the third. In the second period the teams traded goals with Leedahl scoring a beauty on a break away. MGM scored late in the third on the power play to make it a 4-2 game and keep the fans interested. With the goalie pulled for the last minute and thirty seconds MGM tried to apply heat but the steady play of the Viper’s held court. The Viper’s actually extended their lead as Stefan Bratzke placed a beauty of a shot from just outside the blue line, over the head of an MGM d-man, and into the yawning open net. The referee erroneously called the play off side and the goal was disallowed. Despite that the Viper’s skated away with a 4-2 victory and set themselves up for a berth in the semi-final game on Sunday morning. Will Gummow stood tall in the net for the Viper’s stopping 8 of 10 shots directed his way.
A stormy Sunday morning at the Red Deer arena, set the scene for the league semi-finals, The Trophy Loft Tigers were eagerly awaiting for the game to take place, after earning second place in the league and a bye in the first round of the play-offs. The betting lines in Vegas had the odds on the game at even after the Vipers and Tigers finished with the same number of league wins on the season and the Tigers holding a 2-1 lead in games won head to head over the season. The game almost didn’t get underway as the referees were sent to the wrong arena, the game began with the rink attendant strapping on some skates and grabbing a whistle and officiating the first 15 minutes of the game. Once things got started the action came fast and furious, the Vipers grabbed the first lead of the game on a short handed break-a-way goal by Jared Lower. A few minutes later the Tigers evened the score. Before the end of the period Carson Stuve potted 2 goals in a row and the Viper’s closed the period with a 3-1 lead. The Tigers came out firing in the second, scoring 2 goals to even things up at 3’s and with that the barn burner was on. The Viper’s and Tigers traded chances for the rest of the period until Austin Price decide to take matters into his own hands scoring late in the second to give the Viper’s the 4-3 lead after 2 periods. Not long into the third period Price rocketed his second goal of the game into the net and the Viper’s had a 2 goal cushion. With six minutes left in the game Price completed the hat trick with a nifty goal top cheese on a break-a-way. From there the stellar play of the Vipers defense took over and ensured that the Vipers would have a date in the league final next Sunday. Defensively Jordy Haraldson, Matt Cormack, and Austin Thorne had stand out games for the Viper’s. Nolan MacGregor tended the twine and collected the W stopping 25 of 38 shots directed at him. After the game Austin’s mom opened her Salon and the team went in for custom green dye jobs to their hair to get ready for the contest. Since it is St. Patrick’s day falls a couple of days after our final the hair will also work for that as well. Nice work Mrs. Thorne! We’re playing good and looking good. Things are looking positive for next weeks final. Stay tuned!
