The Estevan peewee A Vipers held on for a 1-0 win over the Swift Current Ice Cats at the Civic Auditorium on Saturday.
“We didn’t really come out to play like we have the last probably two or three games,” said Vipers manager Brent Olfert. “We’ve been working on our conditioning in practice and it showed the last two or three games, but today it just wasn’t there. You could tell right from the start that maybe the girls were lacking a little, so I guess they gutted it out and found a way to put one in the net.”
The Vipers controlled the play early in the game, but it was Swift Current’s Alexandra Johnson who enjoyed the first good opportunity by using a blown tire by Estevan defenceman Kiley Davis to break in alone down the wing and fire a shot that sailed over the net. Davis made up for the stumble leading two strong rushes into the Ice Cats zone early in the second period.
Vipers left wing Caydence Chapman put the home side up 1-0 with 2:35 remaining in the frame by batting in a loose puck at the side of Ice Cats goalie Aurora Van Wormer’s net. Swift Current stepped up the pressure at the beginning of the third period with Johnson notching the first opportunity on a top-of-the-crease tip that dinged off the post before Rio Runcie earned a chance driving to the net off an opposition zone faceoff, but Vipers netminder Chloe Sorenson refused to be beat.
“These guys play us good,” said Olfert. “They’ve got a few good solid players and they don’t quit. If we don’t put the puck in the net it’s going to be a long game, but we got one and we were able to do enough to hang on.”
Olfert said the Vipers (14-4-2) may see the Ice Cats (8-11-1) again in the second round of the playoffs depending on the outcomes of Swift Current’s opening round series against the Weyburn Young Fellow Gold Wings (4-15-1) and the Swift Current Fire Cats (9-8-3) series against the Parkland Fire (3-15-2). The Vipers own a bye in the first round of the post-season thanks to a second place finish in the South Saskatchewan Female Hockey League.
The Vipers next scheduled game comes Feb. 25 when the team completes their two-game total-point Saskatchewan Hockey Association south semifinal series against Regina. The Vipers won their first match against Regina 4-1 late last month.
“We basically have a week-and-a-half off before that provincial game, so we were looking to maybe pick up an exhibition game,” said Olfert. “We might just practise twice each week and try to get our conditioning rolling again.”
