In front of another packed crowd at the Vollmer R.C on Saturday night, the LaSalle Vipers delivered when it mattered most, defeating the Elmira Sugar Kings 5-3 in Game 4 of the first-round Sutherland Cup playoffs. With the win, the Vipers evened the series and kept their playoffs hopes alive.
LaSalle came out with urgency from the opening puck drop, earning a power play just 51 seconds in the game. The strong start paid off, as Adriano Tonin got the Vipers on the board first at 5:39 to take an early lead. The Vipers extended their lead to two halfway through the period when Kade McGeen found the back of the net. However, moments after his goal, McGeen was sent to the penalty box, and Elmira capitalized on the advantage, cutting the deficit back to one.
The Sugar Kings tied the game just 3:59 into the second period. Despite facing a four-minute penalty to Kieran McNally at 6:08, the Vipers refused to back down. Lucas Pougnet broke the tie at 8:54, and the Vipers never went looked back. Elmira found themselves shorthanded again, and Grady Spicer capitalized with a power-play goal at 14:02.
The third period was strictly defensive for the Vipers as they focused on protecting their 4-2 lead. Elmira managed to get within one on a power-play goal at 12:59, but Kieran McNally sealed the deal for the Vipers with an empty-net goal just three seconds before the final buzzer.
Game 5 is set for Monday night in Elmira at 7:00pm, before the series returns to LaSalle for Game 6 on Tuesday at the Vollmer R.C.
Article: Emma Cicovacki
Photo: Isabella Ruccolo
