By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

Two-time defending champs Vipers succumb to Colts comeback from three games down

Mar 3, 2019 | 11:38 AM

The Red Deer Vipers 2018-19 season ended Saturday night in heartbreaking fashion.

At home to the Mountainview Colts in game seven of their 2nd round HJHL playoff series, the Vipers were attempting to stop their foes from coming back from down three games to none.

Ultimately, the final match-up went the way of the visiting side, the Colts edging the Vipers 5-4 in overtime. The loss for Red Deer also ended hopes of a three-peat as league champions.

Much like the series, Red Deer got out to a 3-0 lead with goals from Keenan Smith and Connor Sullivan in the first, and then on the powerplay from Brady Kalinowski at 9:47 of the second.

Mountainview struck back at 14:50 of the middle frame to cut the lead to 3-1.

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In the third, the Colts got another one early at 4:21 to make it 3-2.

Red Deer’s Ryan Vandervlis restored the two goal cushion just 37 seconds later, but by the 14:57 mark, things were square at four goals apiece.

In OT, Mitchell Visser of Didsbury sealed the incredible in-game and series comeback for the Colts with a powerplay goal at 11:43.

Red Deer outshot Mountainview in the game 33-29.

In the first three games of the series, the Vipers outscored the Colts 15-5, but then Mountainview won the next three by a margin of 14-10, including another OT win in game six on Friday.

Mountainview now faces the Airdrie Thunder, who swept the Blackfalds Wranglers in their own second round series.

On the South side of the bracket, the Cochrane Generals will go head to head with the Coaldale Copperheads.

Both semi-final series feature the one and three seeds.