The LaSalle Vipers closed out the month of October by coming away victorious in both of their games this week and pushing their win-streak to three in the process.
On Wednesday night in LaSalle, Stephane Crevier’s goal with just under seven minutes remaining in regulation broke a tie game and lifted the Vipers to a 3-2 victory over the visiting Komoka Kings. It was LaSalle’s second narrow one-goal win over the Kings in less than two weeks, with four of the teams’ seven wins in the month being decided by just the one goal. Owen Findlay and Tanner Winegard were the other goal-scorers in the game, while Matt Tovell made 23 saves to record the win in goal.
Hoping to cap off the month in style, the Vipers travelled to St. Marys to take on a Lincolns team who handed them their last defeat back on October 20. Starting the game already down one skater, the Vipers were dealt more adversity when captain Nic Pavia was given a game-misconduct for a check from behind just seven minutes into the contest.
St. Marys took a 1-0 lead into the first intermission, but LaSalle responded with what may have been their best two periods of the season. Two second-period goals by Patrick McManus and a third by Andrew Kotevski all came in a three-minute span and turned the game’s momentum completely in the Vipers favour. Brody Gillis stretched the lead to three early in the third and Drew Booker put the final nail in the coffin with his second goal of the season coming just shy of the 15:00 mark. Matt Tovell was again sensational between the pipes, stopping 35 of the 36 shots he faced on the night to pick up his GOJHL-best eighth win of the season.
Compiling a 7-2 record in a busy October, the Vipers overall record now sits at 9-2-0-1 and 19 points through 12 total games. Leamington’s win on Saturday night dropped the Vipers back to within a point of the Flyers for first in the Western Conference, as the two local rivals continue to take turns atop the standings.
The calendar now flips to November where the Vipers will play seven games, beginning Wednesday, November 3 when the St. Thomas Stars will visit the Vollmer Complex.
