Vipers Moving On After Major Change:

This is posted on the Kiss FM website:

Vipers Moving On After Major Change

Written by Peter McIntyre

Wednesday, 10 September 2014

The Vernon Vipers are getting back on track after a shocking start to the week.

Fourth year head coach and general manager Jason Williamson left the BC Hockey League team for personal reasons on Monday.

Assistant coach Kevin Kraus was named the interim head coach, and Kraus has decided on the final player cuts, to get the roster down to a season-ready 22.

Defencemen Chris Harper and Liam Feeney were released Tuesday, while d-men Jordan Bolton and Mathieu Jallabert along with forward Kyle Tanev, the 20 year old brother of Vancouver Canuck Chris Tanev, were cut earlier.

Kraus says their goalies will be Vernon product Danny Todosychuk, who the coach says will be the number one, and former WHL'er 19 year old Jarrod Schamerhorn, a Kelowna native.

"We're very confident in our goaltending. We've got two veteran guys. Danny is in his fourth year and Schamerhorn has Western League experience (14 games last season with Portland and Lethbridge)

Kraus talked to Kiss FM about suddenly being thrust into the interim head coaching role with Williamson's resignation.

"It was unexpected by everyone here, and it came as a shock, but we're trying to move forward and keep things as normal as possible," says Krause, a 25 year old from Garden Grove California, a member of the Vipers RBC Cup winning teams in 2009 and 2010.

Kraus says he's not making any big changes from what Williamson had in place.

"Jason did a great job of setting this team up. This is basically the team he had going, and I'm just going to keep coaching them."

Team owner Duncan Wray is looking for a permanent replacement for both jobs, and Kraus has let Wray know, he would be interested in become the permanent head coach.

"He (Wray) is obviously fielding resumes, but as far as I know, he's still just fielding them, and hasn't made a decision. I definitely let him know I'd be interested. If he would be comfortable with that, then I would as well," says Kraus who is helped out by assistant coach Eric Godard, a former NHL'er.