A pair of goals in the first period would be all the Vernon Vipers needed as they claimed a 3-1 road win over the Powell River Kings in Game 1 of the Fred Page Cup finals.
Vernon went shorthanded early on when Brett Corkey was whistled for interference but the Snakes killed it off and seemed to gather momentum from it. They got the first goal of the game from Dylan Walchuk, who scored four times in the last game of the Interior Conference finals, at 6:41.
The Vipers doubled their lead when Bryce Kakoske scored with just over a minute left in the first period.
The score remained the same until late in the second period when Powell River's Daniel Schuler scored his eighth goal of the postseason to get the Kings on the board. As in the first, each team had one power play opportunity but neither scored.
In the third, Vernon got the insurance marker they were seeking from Michael Zalewski who scored unassisted just after the five-minute mark.
Powell River held the edge in shots on goal in the third but couldn't beat 1st Star Kirby Halcrow in the final frame. Vernon outshot the Kings 25-21 for the game.
Neither team had a power play goal. Vernon was 0-2 while Powell River was 0-3.
Game 2 goes Saturday night at 7:30 in Powell River.
