Heartbreaking Loss For Saints:

Heartbreaking loss for Saints

Vipers' Kane scores in second overtime

By Chris O'Leary, Special To The Journal

April 19, 2010

The game had ended, the fans had left the rink, and by the sound of it, the Spruce Grove Saints' locker-room was just as empty.

On the heels of a heartbreaking 3-2 double overtime loss to the Vernon Vipers in Game 3 of the Doyle Cup, an exhausted and deflated Saints team went about their post-game rituals, largely in silence.

An equally sombre Steve Hamilton was relaying as much outside of his office. Asked what he'd say to his players to motivate them after Vipers forward Cory Kane one-timed his team to victory after 25:52 of overtime, all of the emotion in the room mustered up one last gasp for the night.

"We need to regroup, guys need to ... guys are pretty down. It's a natural emotion. It's not the time to go in there and rah-rah," the team's head coach and general manager said. The coach's words made way for an enraged expletive from the team's cycling room.

"They're processing a tough loss," he said, before being interrupted by a perfectly enunciated four-letter word.

"And we'll regroup in the morning."

The loss pushes the Saints down 2-1 in the best-of-seven series with the Vipers, who won the B.C. Junior Hockey League title while the Saints were winning the Alberta crown last week. With a berth at the Royal Bank Cup at stake, the Saints are in a daunting position. The remaining four games of the series -- if it goes that far -- will be played in Vernon.

"We've been a good road team all year," Hamilton said. "We've been the best road team all year. We're very much capable of taking our game and going and playing.

"I believe in our guys. I believe in their resiliency and I believe they're capable of putting forth another effort like (in Game 3). We'll step it up a notch in Game 4."

The Vipers room was a happier environment, after Kane erased the heroics of Saints forward Adam Henderson, who scored with 66 seconds left in regulation, while goaltender Vincenzo Marozzi watched from the bench.

"We got on the power-play and I was just in the right place at the right time," Kane said of his goal. "(Steven Weinstein) gave me a perfect pass right in my wheelhouse and I put it in.

"I haven't gotten an OT winner (before) and I'm all smiles right now."

Also smiling (internally, at least) was Vipers head coach and GM Mark Ferner, whose team turned the tables on the Saints after dropping Game 1 on Friday night.

"You come in here with a little bit of an unknown as far as the team you're playing and a familiarity of the building," he said. "Coming in and trying to get the first one, we had an opportunity and we didn't (win). The second (game) we had a better effort.

"We've been playing four lines all year. We were fortunate to get a goal."

Dylan Walchuk and Sahir Gill scored in the first and second periods, respectively for the Vipers. Joshua Lazowski had the Saints' first goal of the night.

Graeme Gordon made 35 saves in net for Vernon, with Marozzi making 31 for the Saints. It appears that Marozzi, who fell to 9-1 in the post-season with Sunday's loss, will get the start in net on Wednesday in Vernon.

"We're going to look at it, but that's my first instinct, is that Vince will play," Hamilton said. "We've got two days where we need to regroup and I need to stay away from sharp objects and other dangerous