The Vernon Vipers came into West Kelowna Friday night desperate for a win to keep their playoff hopes alive.

The West Kelowna Warriors, 39 points better in the standings, are days away from clinching the division title.

Friday night at Royal LePage Place, desperation won out.

The Vipers scored four straight goals over the final seven minutes to come-from-behind and beat the Warriors 6-4 to move to within five of the final playoff spot in the Interior West Division with 10 to go and two games in hand on the Cranbrook Bucks.

That the Vipers had to come back in the latter half of the third was by no means an indication of who the better team was on the night. The Vipers dictated much of the play, especially during a dominant second period when they got a goal to tie it 2-2 and allowed the home side just four shots on goal.

Warriors head coach Simon Ferguson said the Warriors were lucky to be ahead with half a period to go after their showing earlier in the night.

“Any time you show up and play for yourself, you’re going to be in trouble,” said Ferguson.

“They came out and we let them. We cheated. We did not play to our identity, we played to our individual self and I think that was the biggest difference.”

The Vipers opened the scoring on a shot Bor Glavic whiffed on, and could have made it 2-0 moments later, but Glavic threw out his pad to deny a backdoor one-timer from in tight.

The Warriors eventually got the equalizer when Blake Burke buried a rebound for his eighth of the campaign. Just before the end of the period, Burke was the trigger man on a two-on-one, electing to shoot instead of pass, finding the top corner.

It was his second multi-goal effort in four games, giving him nine goals since joining the team 17 games ago.

The Vipers tied it during that dominant second, but just 46 seconds into the third, Alexandre Lallier buried a juicy rebound to put the Warriors up one. Five minutes later, Ian Alonso blasted a shot from the slot on a power play and gthe Warriors appeared in control, leading 4-2 with 14 minutes to go.

Cue the comeback.

Vipers captain Deagan McMillan blasted a shot from the right circle past Glavic on the short side to cut the deficit to one, then netted his second in succession two minutes later to tie it.

Natan Ethier has a glorious chance to break the deadlock minutes earlier when he was awarded a penalty shot after being hauled down on a breakaway.

However, Lane Maarhuis stopped the Warriors sniper as he tried to go five-hole after coming off the left wing.

Seconds later, Connor Dick beat Glavic five-home from the left circle to put the Vipers up for good.

Christian Maro sealed it with an empty net goal with 70 seconds left.

Friday’s loss was just the third for the Warriors in regulation time on home ice all season.

They have a chance to redeem themselves Saturday when they entertain the Okotoks Oilers on parents night.

The Vipers meantime will host Salmon Arm with a chance to move closer to the Backs in the battle for the final playoff spot.