The Vernon Vipers opened a big first period lead and never looked back, defeating the Merritt Centennials on the road by a 10-4 margin on Friday evening.
Dylan Walchuk and Cole Ikkala each scored a pair of first period goals and finished the night with three points for the Vipers, who took a 4-0 lead after 20 minutes. Cory Kane and Dustin Johnson traded second period markers, and the Vipers exploded for five goals in the third as Mike Collins netted a pair while Nick Amies, Rob Short and Darrin Robak added singles. Collins picked up first star honours on the night following a four-point effort.
The Centennials received third period markers from Johnson, Mitch Jones and Alex Valenti but were never closer than three goals behind their visitors.
Blake Voth picked up the win with a 27-save performance, while Cameron Dagg took the loss despite turning aside 29 shots.
Merritt returns to the ice on Saturday evening when they visit Penticton, while the Vipers are idle until Tuesday when they make the trip to Salmon Arm.
