The 2010 Fred Page Finals are long in the rearview mirror for the Vernon Vipers and Powell River Kings, but it still made for an interesting match-up when the teams faced off for the first time since that hard-fought seven games series on Wednesday night at the Hap Parker Arena on the Sunshine Coast. In the end, the Kings got the best of the rematch with a 5-2 victory.
Carter Shinkaruk and Daniel Schuler had the Kings ahead by a pair after 20 minutes, but a second period power-play marker from Adam Thompson and a goal from Michael Zalewski early in the third knotted the game.
The Kings regrouped quickly, however, as Justin Dasilva scored at the 9:51 mark of the period before setting up Matt Garbowsky for an insurance goal just 44 seconds later. Mike Sones then iced the game into an empty net.
Michael Garteig was strong in net for the hosts with 26 saves, while Blake Voth saw 31 shots in the loss.
Meanwhile, in Langley, Brandon Thompson netted the first four-goal game of his BCHL career to lead the Chiefs to a 10-2 victory over the Coquitlam Express. Thompson scored his first during a five-goal first period for Langley and had completed the hat trick by the 18:06 mark of the second. He was one of nine Chiefs to net a multi-point night. Jared Eng and Riley McIntosh replied for the Express in a losing cause.
In Cowichan Valley, Tyler Jones supplied the third period winner as the Capitals defeated the Merritt Centennials by a 2-1 score. Stephen Wall and Mike Hammond had traded first period markers and the teams went scoreless in the second, setting the stage for Jones to beat Lino Chimienti off a feed from Brendon McDonald. Derek Dun faced 28 shots in the win while Chimienti made 20 saves in defeat.
In Nanaimo, the Clippers jumped out to a four-goal lead after 20 minutes but ultimately needed overtime to take two points from the Quesnel Millionaires with a 6-5 victory. The line of Andrew Gladiuk, Yannick Laflamme and Kyle Kramer combined for nine points in the first period and Kramer added a fourth when he converted the winner at the 2:50 mark of double OT. Chris Kerr helped key the Mills' comebacks with two goals on the night.
In Penticton, a total of five Vees and Smoke Eaters returned from duty at the World Junior A Challenge in a 6-3 win for the hosts over Trail. Goals from Kyle Mountain, Logan Johnston and Mark MacMillan had Penticton up three after 40-minutes, but a pair of quick strikes got the Smokies close before the Vees took control. Four of the five WJAC particpants — MacMillan, Joey Laleggia, Brendan O'Donnell and Travis St. Denis — had two-point nights upon their return to action.
