ABRAM-VILLAGE, P.E.I. — Ben Parent backstopped the Kensington Moase Plumbing and Heating Vipers to their biggest win of the 2019-20 Island Junior Hockey League season on Sunday night.
Parent made 50 saves and Riley Gallant’s second goal of the game at 3:08 of overtime lifted the Vipers to a 3-2 road win over the first-place Arsenault’s Fish Mart Western Red Wings. The winning goal came on the power play.
This win, which followed Friday’s 3-2 regulation-time win over Western in Kensington, clinched second place in the regular season for the Vipers and home-ice advantage in the opening round of the playoffs against the Sherwood-Parkdale A&S Scrap Metal Metros.
The Vipers completed the regular season at 16-15-2 (won-lost-overtime losses) and are three points up on the Metros (15-16-2), who close out the regular season in Montague against the Hynes Paving Maniacs (7-24-2) on Monday at 8 p.m.
The Red Wings (27-4-3), who ran away with the regular-season title, will open the playoffs at the Evangeline Recreation Centre against the Maniacs on Sunday at 7 p.m. No dates have been released for the Vipers-Metros’ series.
At the Evangeline Recreation Centre, affiliated player Brett Ballum also scored for the Vipers while Ethan Beaulieu and Alex Morrissey replied for the Red Wings. Silas Handrahan added two assists for Western.
The Red Wings took a 1-0 lead into the second intermission after a scoreless first period.
Overall, the Red Wings outshot the Vipers 52-22, including period advantages of 14-8, 17-5 and 21-6. The Vipers recorded the only three shots of overtime.
Cole Gallant was between the pipes for Western.
