Sunday afternoon in LaSalle was nothing short of entertaining as the Vipers exploded for a dozen goals in a high-scoring matchup that highlighted two hat tricks and a dominant performance from every player.
The Vipers wasted no time getting to work, putting up five goals in the opening period. Nic Rosati opened the scoring just 1:20 into the contest, setting the tone early. Kade McGeen followed with his first of three goals, before Michael Cunha struck twice- first at 3:46, then again on the power play at 6:22. Sarnia briefly paused the Vipers’ offence with a goal at 7:28, but Adriano Tonin capped off the five-goal period with a marker at 16:40.
Sarnia found the back of the net again at 6:52 of the second period, but the Vipers responded once more. McGeen scored his second of the afternoon at 13:32, followed by Kale Pucovsky, who continued his hot streak by extending his goal streak to three straight games. McGeen completed his hat trick, scoring at exactly 17:00 to close out the middle frame.
The scoring surge continued into the third. Josh Lepain found himself all alone by the net and added another to the tally, before Cunha completed his hat trick at 5:13. Lepain added his second of the period with a shorthanded goal at 6:23. Sarnia responded with a power-play marker of their own, but Connor Chartrand sealed the afternoon by scoring with just 30 seconds remaining, officially finishing off the twelve-goal performance.
While McGeen and Cunha led the way with hat tricks, the Vipers saw contributions throughout the lineup. Captain Connor Chartrand recorded four assists, while Matteo Vilardi and Kieran McNally each added three assists in the win.
With several new additions joining the lineup following the trade deadline, the Vipers will look to build chemistry over the next few days of practice before heading up the 401 to face London on Wednesday, followed by a matchup in Komoka on Saturday.
Article: Emma Cicovacki
Photo: Isabella Ruccolo
