An early third-period goal by Troy Klaus stood up as the winner as the Red Deer Vipers edged the visiting Blackfalds Wranglers 2-1 in a Heritage Junior B Hockey League game on Saturday.
Red Deer’s Ryan Traynor opened the scoring late in the second period. The Wranglers’ lone goal, at 17:15 of the final frame, came off the stick of Chad Muth.
Jason Pohl made 32 saves for the Vipers, with Layne Swier stopping 26 shots at the other end. Red Deer was assessed 11 of 19 minor penalties as well as the lone major and misconduct.
Elsewhere on Saturday, the visiting Three Hills Thrashers got two goals from Lucas Ford in a 4-3 win over the Stettler Lightning.
Jesse Scheunert and Kelby Stevens rounded out the Thrashers’ scoring. Replying for Stettler were Tyson Glazier, Brett Ouellette and Kyler O’Connor.
Three Hills netminder Brady Hoover made 16 saves. Simon Thieleman stopped 30 shots for the Lightning.
On Friday, the Lightning fell 8-3 to the host Mountainview Colts and Three Hills lost 2-0 to the Bisons at Okotoks.
Ouellette, Landon Potter and Derek Muhlbach provided the Stettler goals at Didsbury. Steven Altman made 42 saves in a losing cause as the visitors were outshot 50-40.
Hoover made 32 saves for the Thrashers at Okotoks, where the Bisons, who scored an empty-net goal, held a 33-32 advantage in shots.