VIPERS CLIPPED BY KINGS IN HIGH SCORING CONTEST

VIPERS CLIPPED BY KINGS IN HIGH SCORING CONTEST

Dustin Spearing, Nick Glackin and Spencer Yeats each score twice in Red Deer’s 9-8 loss to Strathmore.

For Immediate Release

Sunday, November 15, 2015

Red Deer, AB – On a Saturday evening at the Red Deer Arena, the Red Deer Vipers welcomed the Strathmore Kings in their final matchup of the 2015-2016 season. The Vipers looked to Rylan Bardick between the pipes, while the Kings countered with Isaac Stewart.  

Red Deer would strike for the game’s opening tally five minutes into the first period. From behind the net, forward Colton Weseen swung a pass through the slot to Dustin Spearing, who quickly finished off the play to give the home side the early lead. Nick Glackin would then strike with five minutes remaining in the opening frame as he cut into the Kings’ zone and rifled a shot from the high slot to increase the Vipers lead to 2-0. Less than a minute later, Spencer Yeats found his first Heritage Junior B goal as he burst down the right wing and fired a shot over the shoulder of Stewart in tight for the 3-0 advantage. The scoreboard read 3-0 in favor of Red Deer after 20 minutes.

The home side continued to dominate the play for the opening half of the second period, but it would be Strathmore collecting the next goal. Off a shorthanded breakaway, Jacen Bracko made a nice forehand deke that beat the outstretched pad of Bardick to cut the Vipers lead to 3-1. Red Deer quickly regained their three-goal advantage only seconds later as Matt Krusky thread a pass through the crease to Glackin who quickly converted his second of the night. Brady Hoover replaced Stewart in the Kings’ net after the Vipers fourth goal. The goaltender change proofed crucial as Strathmore stormed back to score the game’s next three goals. First, Zachary Meadows converted on the man advantage after an unlucky bounce in front of the Vipers’ net, before Tyler Rivest fired a shot past Bardick from the left face-off dot. The Kings then found the game tying marker with 1.5 seconds on the clock as Bracko deflected a point shot past the Red Deer netminder from the slot. After 40 minutes, the teams headed to the dressing rooms tied 4-4.

The Vipers jumped right back into the lead less than two minutes into the final frame as Yeats banged home his second of the evening off the rebound in tight from a Conner Veroba shot. Red Deer then found their sixth of the night shorthanded as Yeats set up Declan Johnson for the easy tap in just outside the blue paint. The Vipers scoring onslaught continued as Krusky wired a slap shot past Hoover from the slot to push Red Deer’s lead to 7-4 with 10 minutes left in the game. Spearing would then notch his second of the game on a breakaway for the Vipers eighth of night before Strathmore once again stormed back with three consecutive goals. Bracco collected his third and fourth goals of the night 13 seconds apart off plays in front of the Red Deer net before Rivest fired home Strathmore’s seventh to pull within one goal. With less than a minute left, the Kings pulled their netminder for the extra attacker and found the game tying marker with 32 seconds to play as Meadows buried a centering pass pasted the outstretch blocker of Bardick. After three periods, the teams headed to overtime tied 8-8. 

In the extra period, Strathmore would score the game winning marker as Blake Bishop fired a shot from the right point that eluded a screened Bardick. Kings 9 Vipers 8.

Red Deer outshot Strathmore 62-37.

The Vipers next action will come on Wednesday, November 25^th when they travel to Didsbury to take on the Mountainview Colts. Red Deer’s next home game will come next Saturday, when they welcome division rival the Blackfalds Wranglers to the Red Deer Arena. Puck drop is set for 8:00 PM.

The Red Deer Vipers are proud to host the 2016 Hockey Alberta Provincial Championships taking place March 31^st – April 3^rd, 2016. Head over to the Vipers website at www.reddeervipers.com for more information.