Halcrow backstops Vernon Vipers with first shutout
By Graeme Corbett - Vernon Morning Star
Published: February 05, 2012
The Vernon Vipers finally have something they’ve been missing since before Christmas – a win streak.
In 13 B.C. Hockey League games since the break, the Vipers have not managed back-to-back wins. That is until netminder Kirby Halcrow backstopped his team with a 41-save, first star performance, lifting Vernon to a 4-0 win over the Merritt Centennials Friday night at Wesbild Centre. It was Halcrow’s first shutout of the season.
“Definitely it felt good, but first and foremost it was a good team win,” said the 20-year-old keeper. “We owed those guys from our last couple games. We came out strong and put a good 60 together and ended out on top.”
Aside from a few desperation saves, Halcrow made it look easy, eclipsing the net with his 6-foot-2, 218-pound frame and gobbling up any shots that came his way.
“There were a couple where I had to really move but most of the shots were right at me, so that helps a lot,” he said.
The win improves the Vipers to 22-20-1-2, fifth in the Interior Conference. They trail the Chilliwack Chiefs (24-18-1-2) by four points for the final playoff spot. Chilliwack fell 5-1 to the league-leading Penticton Vees Friday night at a packed (3,885 fans) South Okanagan Events Centre.
Those two teams meet again Tuesday in Chilliwack, with the Vees (41-3-0-2) looking to rewrite the BCHL history books with a record 30 consecutive wins.
Vernon’s John Knisley (6th goal) made an instant impact in his return to the lineup Friday after missing the last 13 games with a shoulder injury. After batting a puck out of midair at Merritt netminder Lino Chimienti, the Pittsford, N.Y. product lofted the rebound over the Chimienti (24 saves) for the opening goal at 6:45 of the first period. Ben Gamache and Marc Hetnik drew assists.
“Kind of nervous before the game, and the first shift I just wanted to get out there and skate around and get in the game,” said Knisley. “The next shift, I got a lucky bounce there and put it in the net.”
Vernon took a 2-0 lead to the first intermission after power forward Aaron Hadley redirected third star defenceman Brett Corkey’s powerplay point shot, and Adam Tambellini (21st) was on the doorstep to bury the rebound into the open net.
Merritt tried to push back in the second frame, outshooting Vernon 13-9, but Halcrow stood tall. He came up with a pair of outstanding stops during a Merritt man advantage midway through the period, first diving cross-crease to deny Evan Stack in close and, without his stick, recovering to block a quick shot by Regan Soquila from the faceoff dot.
Knisley said Halcrow was the difference Friday night.
“Kirby played his best game of the season. He was seeing everything and there was a lot of traffic in front of the net.
“He wasn’t giving up any rebounds, and he was gobbling that puck up. He was working hard all night, and a couple smart plays by him to slow the game down and get the whistle.”
Merritt head coach Luke Pierce couldn’t fault his team’s effort, but felt Vernon was just a little more hungry for the win.
“When you’re working that hard, and we’ve seen it from our end, putting in that much effort most nights, you’re going to get some bounces. I didn’t mind our effort tonight, but it’s that little bit extra you need to do to create a bounce here and there, and we didn’t get that,” said Pierce.
After a scoreless second period, Mike Zalewski (28th) collected Vernon’s second powerplay goal 2:14 into the third period, ripping a top-shelf wrister past Chimienti’s glove.
Jedd Soleway (9th) roofed a backhander from in close after a nice setup by Eric Chore, who was called from the KIJHL North Okanagan Knights, from behind the net to complete the scoring.
Vernon head coach Jason Williamson predicted a few weeks ago his team would start playing with a little more desperation, and so far they have proved him right.
“That’s what we need this time of year. We’ve had some good efforts lately, and tonight we got a great effort from our goalie,” said Williamson. “There is a sense of urgency out there and guys are starting to pay more attention to the details, and that’s contagious.”
Tempers flared in a big way when Riley Hunt, the smallest player on the ice, hammered a Merritt defender into the sidewall, causing an instant 10-man skirmish around him. With Soleway already being flagged for tripping earlier on the play, and Hunt earning a charging minor from referee Eric Dasti, the Vipers had to kill a full two-minute 5-on-3. The Cents’ Soquila and Stack and Vipers’ Gamache and Geoff Crisfield earned misconducts in the melee.
Vernon tangled with the Alberni Valley Bulldogs (16-25-2-1) Saturday at Wesbild. They continue their four-game home stand Tuesday against the last-place Trail Smoke Eaters (10-29-1-4), and end it Friday with a rematch against the Cents.
“The next three games are at home and we’d like to add to that and get on a little roll here,” said Knisley. “Once it gets down to the last couple games, it’s going to be crunch time.”
Added Halcrow: “I might only have 15 games left in my junior career, so we’re definitely going to have to give it a good push to make the playoffs.”
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