Vipers up for coastal tour
By Graeme Corbett - Vernon Morning Star
Published: February 22, 2012
Playing their fourth game in five days, the last place the Vernon Vipers wanted to be was double overtime, but that’s exactly where they found themselves Saturday night at Wesbild Centre.
Captain Patrick McGillis made it all worthwhile when he circled from the corner to wire a shot past netminder Dwayne Rodrigue for the winner with 1:28 to play as Vernon brushed back the Westside Warriors 3-2 in a hard-fought B.C. Hockey League thriller.
“I was proud of the effort for sure,” said Vipers’ head coach Jason Williamson. “You could see they were running out of gas, but they found a way. After the game they were pretty quiet in there (dressing room).”
Combined with the Chilliwack Chiefs’ 4-3 OT win over the Warriors Sunday at Royal LePage Place, the 27-23-1-2 Vipers are fifth in the Interior Conference, one point back of the 27-21-1-3 Chiefs, who have a game in hand.
With just seven regular-season games remaining, the Snakes head for Vancouver Island Thursday to prepare for a Friday-night tilt in Duncan against the Cowichan Valley Capitals (31-16-1-6), followed by a Saturday game against Kent Lewis’s Powell River Kings (34-15-2-2) on the Sunshine Coast.
“There’s not a lot of tinkering we’re going to do with our systems, so it’s just keeping our guys fresh...and saving our energy for the weekend,” said Williamson of the Vipers’ preparation.
Much of Vernon’s success in their week-long hockey marathon can be attributed to their powerplay, which went 6-for-17 (35 per cent) over those four games.
Mike Zalewski (33rd goal), burying a puck behind Rodrigue (41 saves) at the side of the net in the first period, and Aaron Hadley (13th), converting on the Warrior netminder’s doorstep after a slick feed from Darren Nowick in the second frame, supplied man-advantage goals. Vernon went 2-for-8 Saturday, while holding the Warriors (19-26-2-7) scoreless on eight attempts, including a minute-long 5-on-3 in the third period.
Even McGillis’s OT winner, his ninth goal of the year, was pretty much a powerplay tally as Westside defenceman Peter McIntosh had just stepped on the ice after serving a tripping minor.
With Williamson reuniting the All-American line of Nowick, Zalewski and Johnny Knisley, Hadley was moved to a line with McGillis and Adam Tambellini. The 18-year-old Castlegar product responded by playing some of his best hockey as a Viper, recording four goals in his last three games.
“We know what’s at stake here and there’s no one on this team that wants to go home on March 11. We’re going to give it all we have,” said Hadley.
Despite falling 6-4 to the Penticton Vees Friday night, Hadley said the Vipers took a lot away from that game, knowing they can compete with the best team in the league.
“Every single guy on our team showed a lot of character and a lot of grit. No one gave up, even when we started losing. It was just something we can hold our expectations to for the rest of the season.”
Travis Blanleil (14th) beat Kirby Halcrow with a point shot through a maze to get the Warriors on the board in the second period. Max French (21st) forced OT when he pounced on a loose puck that had snuck through Halcrow (31 saves) and lay on the crease.
Westside head coach Rylan Ferster liked his team’s effort, but said certain players didn’t stick with the game-plan, especially on special teams.
“On our powerplay we had some stuff we wanted our guys to do, and either they don’t understand or they don’t want to listen,” he said. “Very frustrating because we had every opportunity to win the game.”
Devon Hascarl, a Vernon minor hockey product who started the season in Junior B with the Revelstoke Grizzlies, is loving the step up in competition since joining the Warriors. The 18-year-old has 5-9-14 in 36 games and lined up on Westside’s first line with Shawn Hochhausen and Reid Simmonds.
“You gotta love the BCHL,” grinned Hascarl. “It’s fast, it’s fun, you’ve got a lot of good guys in the room, it’s a good community, it’s a good league.”
On playing in his hometown, he added: “It’s always a treat to have some friends to come out and watch. They get to see what you’ve been working on so hard for the last 15 or 16 years. I’d love to play here more. I think I play better. Just ready to go and you have to show what you can do out there.”
Even with the Warriors’ playoff hopes all but extinguished (they are 11 points out with six games to play), Hascarl says Ferster does a good job with keeping players accountable.
“With Rylan as your coach, it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter what day it is, what night it is, where you are, what place you’re in, you play to win and you play hard.”
SNAKE BITES: Ben Gamache missed Saturday’s game after blocking a shot with his hand in Friday’s loss to Penticton. Williamson said he is questionable for weekend action.
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