Gorillas Go Two Straight:

This is in todays Morning Star Newspaper:

Gorillas go two straight

By Graeme Corbett - Vernon Morning Star

Published: January 05, 2010

The Vernon Vipers started the new year the same way they ended the last one – by gift-wrapping an early lead for the Salmon Arm SilverBacks, then trying to play catch-up the rest of the game.

The SilverBacks got first-period goals from Josh Manson, Levi Hantula and Mark Zengerle to earn a decisive 3-1 win over the Snakes before 2,600 B.C. Hockey League fans Saturday night at Wesbild Centre. It is the first time they have lost back-to-back games all season.

Manson needed just 76 seconds to open the scoring as the Gorillas swarmed the Vipers down low on the opening shift.

Hantula, scoring his first goal in more than 50 games, made it 2-0 at 4:19 when he took a quick feed from Matt Cassidy from behind the net, beating Graeme Gordon with a one-timer from in close. The 19-year-old Revelstoke product missed the first half of the season recovering from offseason knee surgery, and was thrilled to get the winner.

“Especially against Vernon,” grinned Hantula, in his seventh game back. “They’re always a good team to beat.”

Sensing an impending meltdown, Vipers’ acting head coach Jason Williamson called a timeout and shook things up by pulling Gordon, who allowed two goals on seven shots, in favour of Blake Voth.

“Slow start, no puck luck – everything seemed to be going bad at the beginning. A veteran team like that just can’t start that way,” said Williamson.

“We had too many guys just waiting for someone else to do it.”

Voth (32 saves) was tested right away as Bobby Lipsett took a stretch pass up the left side and forced the Herbert, Sask. product to make a quick glove save. Voth flashed the glove again later in the period to deny Corey Chakeen on the doorstep.

“You just got to focus before every game like you are going to play,” said Voth, who turned 18 in December. “Hopefully that (pulling your goalie) never happens, but still you’ve just got to go in there and try your best.

“You have to get the boys going. We’ve had two slow starts now, so we had to shake it up a bit to see if we could get things rolling.”

Zengerle (24th), taking a short pass up the sidewall from Tyler Gubb, completed the 23-15-2-2 SilverBack attack at 10:37 as he cut in on net and appeared to have his shot bank off a defender’s leg.

The Vipers (34-4-0-2), who went 0-for-5 on the powerplay, including a 5-on-3, looked disjointed in their attack at times, disinterested at others.

The only line that offered any sense of consistent energy was the all-rookie unit of Darin Robak, Patrick McGillis and Junior B call-up Trevor Fitzgerald.

“It’s different coming from Junior B always being that goal scorer guy to this, coming to the Vipers and being that fourth line grinder-type guy. It was fun though, I loved it,” said Fitzgerald, who leads the North Okanagan Knights with 22-20-42 in 35 games.

Added Williamson: “Guys like Fitzgerald and Robak and McGillis, they just stuck to the game-plan. They kept it simple, played the body and they created things out there. And that was one of the messages sent – if those guys can do it, there’s no reason anyone else can’t do it.”

Braden Pimm delivered the hit of the night, hammering Charlie Vasaturo behind Salmon Arm’s net during a first-period dump-and-chase. The Gorillas’ Travis Statchuk stepped up to fight Pimm, but not much really came of it. Vasaturo left the ice bleeding from his face, but returned later.

After a scoreless second period, Jonathan Milhouse ended first star netminder Tony Ierfino’s shutout bid with a shorthanded third-period tally. Milhouse broke out 2-on-1 with Robbie Short and buried his centering feed. Ierfino made 39 saves.

“We finally played a full 60 (minutes). We always come out strong against Vernon, but it seems earlier in the year before Christmas we weren’t playing a full game,” said Ierfino.

The Vipers hosted the Merritt Centennials (16-24-0-2) Tuesday night at Wesbild. They visit the Westside Warriors (29-12-1-1) Friday at Royal LePage Place.

Vipers’ head coach Mark Ferner returned late Monday from a scouting trip in Phoenix.