A 23-save performance by Andrew Hammond and two assists from Sahir Gill led the Vernon Vipers to a 3-1 road win over the Penticton Vees in the BCHL Game of the Week on Saturday night.
Gill helped set up second period tallies by Rob Short and Cory Kane, while Chris Crowell provided insurance in the third with a power play marker.
Curtis McKenzie replied for Penticton, who has now dropped a pair of decisions to the Vipers on home ice in the last week.
Elsewhere around the Interior Conference:
- Prince George bounced back from an overtime loss on Friday, scoring three first period goals in a 3-1 win over Westside. Joe Morgan paced the Spruce Kings offensively with a goal and an assist while netminder Kevin Genoe turned aside 32 Warriors shots.
- Travis St. Denis scored goals 27 apart in the second period, leading Trail to a 4-1 road win at Quesnel. Patrick Raley added two point for the Smokies, while Ben Payne responded for the Mills.
- Conor Morrison and Mark Zengerle each tallied three points in a 5-4 home ice win over Cowichan Valley. Mickey Spencer tallied twice for the Caps, who finished their four-game Interior road set with a pair of wins.
- Colton Beck's double overtime marker was the difference in a 6-5 decision for the Langley Chiefs in Merritt. Derek Grant added three points for the Chiefs, while the line of Alex Valenti, Alex Goodship and Jordan Grant combined for six points.
Meanwhile, the Surrey Eagles jumped back into the win column with a 4-3 overtime win in Powell River. Nolan Toigo netted the winner for the Eagles, while Chris Santiago assisted on the OT tally and added a goal of his won.
Kyle Bodie assisted on all three goals for the Kings, who peppered Surrey netminder Vinny Lessard with 47 shots. Chad Ketting stopped 14 shots in the loss.
In other Coastal Conference action:
- Evan Witt scored twice, including in overtime, to lead Alberni Valley to a 4-3 win in Burnaby. Mitch MacMillan added three points for the Bulldogs, while Brent Vandenberg assisted twice in his first home game since being traded to Burnaby earlier in the week.
- Four second period goals and three point nights from Derek Lee and Evan Pighin propelled the Victoria Grizzlies to a 4-1 home ice win over Nanaimo. Anthony Grieco stopped 20 of 21 shots for the Grizzlies, with Ronnie Smith scoring the lone Clippers goal in the third period.
Four games close out November around the BCHL on Sunday, including:
- Westside at Quesnel, 2:00 PM
- Langley at Burnaby, 2:30 PM
- Surrey at Nanaimo, 3:00 PM
- Trail at Prince George, 3:00 PM
Catch all the action live with BCHL Web TV or in streaming audio in the Fanzone.
