Vipers, Maniacs post IJHL victories

KENSINGTON, P.E.I. — Riley Gallant and Parker Ronahan ignited the Kensington Moase Plumbing and Heating Vipers’ offence on Friday night

Gallant scored twice and assisted on another while Ronahan had one goal two helpers in the Vipers’ 7-2 win over the Sherwood-Parkdale A&S Scrap Metal Metros in the Island Junior Hockey League.
The Vipers, who are 23-8-0 (won-lost-overtime losses) and have won five straight and 12 of their last 13 games, have closed to within six points of the first-place Arsenault’s Fish Mart Western Red Wings (25-3-2), with two head-to-head meetings remaining in the regular season between the two arch-rivals. Those games will take place in Abram-Village on Wednesday, Feb. 27, at 7:45 p.m., and in Kensington on Sunday, March 3, at 7 p.m.
Both teams are in action on Sunday as the Vipers host the Eastern Maniacs (4-24-0) at 2 p.m., and the Metros (12-15-3) visit the Red Wings in a 2:15 p.m. start.
Elsewhere on Friday night, the Maniacs edged the Kent Koyotes 4-3 in overtime in an interlocking game with the New Brunswick Junior Hockey League. The Maniacs will host the Cap-Pele Predators in an interlocking game in Souris on Saturday at 7 p.m.

Vipers 7 Metros 2
At Credit Union Centre in Kensington, Tyler Gallant (2), Logan Vandervelden and Kyle Pinksen also dented the twine for Kensington. Nick Trainor, Dylan Wheatley and Jonathan Arsenault all chipped in with two assists.
Tanner Lund and Jacob Stewart replied for the Metros.
Sherwood-Parkdale took a 1-0 into the first intermission, but the Vipers rebounded to take a 3-1 advantage into the final 20 minutes.
Overall, the Vipers outshot the Metros 38-23. Cameron Visser earned the goaltending win.

Maniacs 4 Koyotes 3 (OT)
In Cocagne, N.B., an unassisted goal by Connor MacIntyre (1-1) at 4:30 of overtime lifted the Maniacs to victory.
Nick Steele (1-2), Kyle Martin and Chris Sear also scored for the Maniacs.
Jeremy Jaillet (1-1), Francis Robere (1-1) and Serge Arsenault answered for the Koyotes.
The Maniacs led 2-1 after the first period, and the teams were tied 2-2 at the end of 40 minutes.
Winning goaltender Noah Laybolt made 31 stops.