On a night where the Westside Warriors' power-play failed to score, it was the shorthanded prowess of Vernon Vipers forward Connor Jones that proved to be the difference in a 4-1 road victory for the defending RBC Cup champions.
Vernon opened the scoring on a second period penalty kill when Jones netted his first of the night. He followed that goal up with an unassisted shorthanded effort 15 seconds into the third that stood up as the game winner.
Rob Short and Max French traded goals later in the frame but the Vipers sealed the win with an empty net effort from recent acquisition David Robinson late in the game.
Jones finished with three points on the evening and spurred on a Vipers offence that lacked finish during a 17-shot second period. He was named the game's first star. Westside netminder Kevin Jebson took the loss despite a 31-save perfomance, while Blake Voth faced 21 shots in picking up the win.
The Vipers will look to enter the All-Star break on a winning note on Saturday when they entertain the Williams Lake Timberwolves. The Warriors, meanwhile, remain on home ice for a visit from the Salmon Arm SilverBacks.
