Colin Reay made 31 saves for his second career BC Hockey League shutout as the Vernon Vipers got past their Interior West division rivals, the Salmon Arm Silverbacks, by a score of 4-0 Friday night.
The two teams met at Rogers Rink in Salmon Arm Oct. 25 with the Backs vying for their third win in a row while the Vipers looked to bounce back from a 4-3 loss to the Okotoks Oilers on Sunday night.
The Vipers took the lead when defenceman Keaton Dowhaniuk — playing in his first season with the Vipers since coming from the Western Hockey League — scored his first career BCHL goal with a minute and a half left in the first period.
A scoreless second period saw the Silverbacks out-shoot the Vipers 15-8, with Reay standing tall.
Early in the third the Vipers got two quick goals, from Marko Stojkov at even strength and Charlie Kresl on the power play, to make it a 3-0 hockey game.
Lukas McCloskey added a power play goal in the final minute of regulation to bring the final score to 4-0.
Vipers skater Will Schumacher had his fingerprints all over the score sheet with three assists in the game.
Special teams were on point for the Vipers with the team going two for six on the power play (with Stojkov's goal coming right after a power play expired) and the penalty kill shutting down all three Silverbacks power play attempts.
The Vipers have now won three of their last four games, helping to make up for their early struggles that saw them lose their first six games of the season. They remain at the bottom of the Interior West division standings with a 4-7-1-0-0 record.
The Silverbacks are second in the division with an 8-3-1-0-0 record.
The Vipers will look to close out their six-game road trip on a high note as they face the division-leading Penticton Vees Saturday night in Penticton, with puck drop set for 6 p.m.
The Silverbacks also play Saturday night at 6 p.m., at home against the Trail Smoke Eaters.
