This was in todays Morning Star Newspaper:Published: September 17, 2009
When you make the Trail Smoke Eaters roster, you get overalls, hard hat, steel-toed boots and a Sopranos lunch kit.
If you aren’t a work of art on the art of work, you don’t make the B.C. Hockey League team which hosts the Vernon Vipers tonight at Cominco Arena. The Smokies are here Saturday to complete the home and home series.
The Smokies did the unthinkable and lost 4-2 to the host Merritt Centennials in their season opener last weekend. Trail head coach Jim Ingram figures the defeat will boost his team’s intensity.
Oh, and he won’t be reminding the Smokies how the Vipers ran the table at the Royal Bank Cup last May in Victoria.
“The guys know who we’re playing,” said Ingram. “It’s just a case of playing our game and relying on our work ethic because you can’t just rely on your skill against a team like Vernon.
“Merritt’s better, they have definitely upgraded, and they worked hard, but I think it was a case of us getting mulled into their game-plan. It was a great wake-up call. This is going to be a tough division.”
Added Ingram: “We need a more consistent effort from our guys, but it was a good lesson early on that we have to take every game seriously no matter who the team.”
Tye Lewis, a USHL refugee from Vancouver, Wa., had 1+1 in his Smokies’ debut. The 5-foot-10, 170-pound dangler is expected to be a highly productive pointgetter all year.
“He’s a very skilled player, he works hard, he has a good shot and he’s fun to watch,” said Ingram.
Veteran Paul Mailey is the Trail captain, while Colin Lidster, Justin Brown and Sean Nugent are assistants. Lidster, a monster forward, has gone back in the NCAA pool (had secured a scholarship with the Quinnipiac Bobcats while with the Salmon Arm SilverBacks).
Snipers Matt Wilkins and Sam Mellor, who led the junior B Kimberley Dynamiters last year, give the Smokies scoring prowess up front. Wilkins racked up 31 goals and 122 penalty minutes, while Mellor fired 19 goals.
Mailey, perhaps the hardest-working Smokie, also took positives from the loss to the Cents.
“We learned a lot from that first game and now we have get back to practice and come back stronger,” said Mailey.
“It was their home opener, they were fired up and we just weren’t ready for it.”
Ingram said big centre Riley Loyst of Kelowna came into camp in “phenomenal shape” after missing most of last season with two broken jaws, one suffered in a game versus Vernon in Trail.
The Vipers, meanwhile, are 2-0 after sweeping the SilverBacks, and riding a 12-game winning streak going back to the nationals.
Fourth-year veteran Rob Short is on injured reserve with a compression cut on his knee so rookies Pat McGillis and Brendan Persley will likely takes turns drawing into the lineup.
“We need to get better as a group and that’s the message that gets sent everyday in practice,” said Viper head coach Mark Ferner, not totally happy with the work ethic of his entire roster.
When you make the Trail Smoke Eaters roster, you get overalls, hard hat, steel-toed boots and a Sopranos lunch kit.
If you aren’t a work of art on the art of work, you don’t make the B.C. Hockey League team which hosts the Vernon Vipers tonight at Cominco Arena. The Smokies are here Saturday to complete the home and home series.
The Smokies did the unthinkable and lost 4-2 to the host Merritt Centennials in their season opener last weekend. Trail head coach Jim Ingram figures the defeat will boost his team’s intensity.
Oh, and he won’t be reminding the Smokies how the Vipers ran the table at the Royal Bank Cup last May in Victoria.
“The guys know who we’re playing,” said Ingram. “It’s just a case of playing our game and relying on our work ethic because you can’t just rely on your skill against a team like Vernon.
“Merritt’s better, they have definitely upgraded, and they worked hard, but I think it was a case of us getting mulled into their game-plan. It was a great wake-up call. This is going to be a tough division.”
Added Ingram: “We need a more consistent effort from our guys, but it was a good lesson early on that we have to take every game seriously no matter who the team.”
Tye Lewis, a USHL refugee from Vancouver, Wa., had 1+1 in his Smokies’ debut. The 5-foot-10, 170-pound dangler is expected to be a highly productive pointgetter all year.
“He’s a very skilled player, he works hard, he has a good shot and he’s fun to watch,” said Ingram.
Veteran Paul Mailey is the Trail captain, while Colin Lidster, Justin Brown and Sean Nugent are assistants. Lidster, a monster forward, has gone back in the NCAA pool (had secured a scholarship with the Quinnipiac Bobcats while with the Salmon Arm SilverBacks).
Snipers Matt Wilkins and Sam Mellor, who led the junior B Kimberley Dynamiters last year, give the Smokies scoring prowess up front. Wilkins racked up 31 goals and 122 penalty minutes, while Mellor fired 19 goals.
Mailey, perhaps the hardest-working Smokie, also took positives from the loss to the Cents.
“We learned a lot from that first game and now we have get back to practice and come back stronger,” said Mailey.
“It was their home opener, they were fired up and we just weren’t ready for it.”
Ingram said big centre Riley Loyst of Kelowna came into camp in “phenomenal shape” after missing most of last season with two broken jaws, one suffered in a game versus Vernon in Trail.
The Vipers, meanwhile, are 2-0 after sweeping the SilverBacks, and riding a 12-game winning streak going back to the nationals.
Fourth-year veteran Rob Short is on injured reserve with a compression cut on his knee so rookies Pat McGillis and Brendan Persley will likely takes turns drawing into the lineup.
“We need to get better as a group and that’s the message that gets sent everyday in practice,” said Viper head coach Mark Ferner, not totally happy with the work ethic of his entire roster.
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