Kit Sitterley scored once and added an assist as the Chilliwack Chiefs improved to 4-1-0-0 with a 4-1 win over the previously undefeated Vernon Vipers (7-1-0-0) Friday night in Chilliwack.
The best scoring chance of the scoreless first period came with five minutes left when Chiefs forward Chris Blessing picked off an errant pass in the Vipers zone and had a clear path to the net from 30 feet out.
Blessing went to his forehand but was beat by the glove hand of Vipers goaltender Kirby Halcrow.
Shots on goal in the first were 11-10 in favour of the Chiefs.
The Vipers came close to drawing first blood four minutes into the second period when a dump in from just outside the blueline by Connor Hartley took a strange bounce in front of Chiefs goaltender Mitch Gillam. Gillam was able to make a quick glove save to keep the game scoreless.
Chiefs forward Josh Hansen had a great chance to break the scoreless tie when at the ten minute mark he was left all alone in front of the Vipers net. Hansen was able to one time a pass from the corner but Halcrow slid across to make an acrobatic save to keep the game tied.
With 90 seconds left in the middle frame and the Vipers shorthanded, Vipers forward Mike Zalewski picked up a loose puck at center ice and had a clear lane to the Chiefs net. Gillam again came up big putting down his left pad to send the game into the second intermission tied at zero.
Shots through 40 minutes favoured the Chiefs 23-18.
The Vipers took a 1-0 lead just under four minutes into the third period when Darren Nowick beat Gillam with a shot along the ice from the right wing. The only assist on the play went to Marc Hetnik.
Chilliwack knotted the game at one just under two minutes later when Kit Sitterley took a pass from Blessing from behind the net and banked a shot in off of Halcrow who was cought out of position on the play. It was Sitterley’s third goal of the season. Spencer Graboski also picked up an assist on the goal.
The Chiefs took a 2-1 lead 89 seconds later when Tyler Miller’s point shot beat Halcrow through a maze of players. The goal was scored on the power play with assists going to Sitterley and Shay Laurent.
David Bondra’s first of the season put the Chiefs up 3-1 at the 9:24 mark. Bondra’s wrist shot from 20 feet out beat Halcrow cleanly, hit the cross bar and dropped behind the goal line. Assists went to Malcolm Gould and Derek Huisman.
Jaret Babych added his first of the season at 12:50 to up the Chiefs lead to 4-1. Babych beat Halcrow with a low shot glove side from the left wing. Assists to Mike Berry and Jeremy Gossard.
Final shots in the game were 34-25 in favour of Chilliwack.
Chilliwack was 1/3 on the power play and 6/6 on the penalty kill.
The Chiefs are back on home ice Saturday night when they host the Powell River Kings.
