The LaSalle Vipers closed out the month of January with a shootout victory over the St. Thomas Stars on Friday night in St. Thomas.
Playing without seven regulars in the lineup, the Vipers rode the strength of their penalty-kill which killed off seven St. Thomas power-plays in a low-scoring affair that required extra time. Owen Findlay for LaSalle and Jackson Dobbin for St. Thomas were the only scoring plays through the 60 minutes of regulation, and neither team, despite glorious chances on both sides, could find the back of the net in the seven-minute overtime session. In the shootout, Cole Davis and Spencer Lecot scored for the Vipers, while Tre Altiman stopped both Stars shooters he faced to secure the win.
Altiman and St. Thomas netminder Connor Bradford were the stars of the game, which each doing all they could to give their team a chance to win. Altiman stopped 42 of the 43 shots he faced to earn his 14th victory of the season in goal.
Compiling a record of 7-1 in eight January contests, the fourth-place Vipers remain very much in the hunt for the third and second spots in the conferene, with an outside chance at first as well. They currently trail the St. Marys Lincolns by three points for third place and own a game in hand, as well as still having two games to play against the Lincolns. Their upcoming two-game week will see them host the Sarnia Legionnaires on Wednesday night in LaSalle. before heading to St. Marys on Friday night for what will be one of the keys games of the regular-season against the Lincolns.
