It was a goaltenders’ duel to mark the return of former Spruce Kings’ netminder Bradley Cooper to Prince George.
Cooper, now wearing a Vernon Vipers jersey, and Logan Neaton in the Spruce Kings net each stopped 31 of the 32 shots they each faced in the game. The Spruce Kings, however, came away with a 2-1 win as Ben Brar put the eventual winner into an empty net.
Neither team could dent the twine in the first two periods. It wasn’t until 7:22 of the third that Dustin Manz put one behind his old teammate to give the Spruce Kings a 1-0 lead.
Vernon coach Mark Ferner pulled Cooper with just under two minutes left in the third, opening the door for Brar’s empty-netter.
Vernon, however, wasn’t done, as Teddy Wooding ruined Neaton’s shut-out bid with just 33 seconds left in the game.