The Highway 97 rivalry between the West 麻豆精选 Warriors and Vernon Vipers was decidedly one-sided on Saturday night, as the Warriors dispatched Vernon, 7-3 in BCHL action.
At home at Royal LePage Place, the Warriors scored three times in the opening 13 minutes to put the Vipers on their heels.
Elias Callgren, Tyler Grahme and Ian Alonso all found the back of the net for West 麻豆精选 in the opening frame. Vernon's Jackson DeGraves scored his first as a Viper late in the period to slice the Warriors lead to 3-1.
In the second, Grahme scored his second of the night, this one short-handed, off a feed from Jackson Kyrkostas to put the Warriors up, 4-1.
After a bench too-many-men minor by West 麻豆精选, Vernon's Will Schumacher capitalized on the power-play for his 14th of the season. However, Vernon quickly took a cross-checking minor, which Sam Ledrew was able to take advantage of to restore the home squad's three-goal lead.
The final period saw Caden Kemkaran-Humble and Talan Blanck swap goals, before Grahme's first hat-trick of the season to ice the game, 7-3 for West 麻豆精选.
Grahme added an assist for a four-point night, while Jack Sadowkski, Kyrkostas and Joey Macrina all had two assists for the Warriors (16-18-15-2). Goaltender Edouard Gauthier made 33 saves for his first win as a Warrior, as they snapped a two-game losing streak.
The Vipers (12-21-6) Jari Kykkanen made 21 saves on 28 shots for his sixth loss of the year.
Vernon will be back home on Valentine's Day (Friday, Feb. 14) to face off against the bottom-dwelling Blackfalds Bulldogs at 7 p.m.
West 麻豆精选 will also play the Bulldogs on Saturday, Feb. 15, at home.
