Vipers’ Strong Effort Not Enough as Vees Prevail

Penticton, BC:   In a thrilling battle that had fans on the edge of their seats, the Penticton Vees edged out the Vernon Vipers with a final score of 2-1 in a match that showcased the high intensity and skill of both teams.

The Vipers came out strong, with Shea Busch leading the charge, scoring his first goal of the preseason with the assists going to Simon Binkley and Lukas McCloskey. Vernon found themselves in penalty trouble in the first 22 minutes taking four minor penalties, but were able to kill them off.  This came thanks to some stellar goaltending from Marko Bilic who made 40 saves on 42 shots.

For the Vees, it was Landon Wright and Max Heise who scored.  Heise’s goal came off a fortunate bounce in the final minute of regulation.

The Vipers’ coach Lukas Lomicky praised his team’s effort, noting that while they faced a tough opponent, they had moments of brilliance and will look to build on this performance as they move forward in the preseason.

“I thought both teams played with lots of energy and physicality considering it was an exhibition game,” said Head Coach of the Vipers Lukas Lomicky.  “They worked hard to try find their rhythm and chemistry with it being their first games of the season.”

Next up for the Vipers they will play their 3rd of 4 preseason games on Tuesday night in Salmon Arm.