Collins Rekindles Scoring Touch:

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Collins rekindles scoring touch

By Kevin Mitchell - Vernon Morning StarPublished: November 24, 2008

For awhile, the goal-challenged Merritt Centennials looked poised to maybe take the Vernon Vipers to overtime and hope for the best Friday night before 2,059 fans at Wesbild Centre.
The Vipers, who wore the Cents down with some punishing physical play through 40 minutes, finally got rewarded when Boston rookie Mike Collins connected on a pair of wicked wristers past Harrison May five minutes apart to give Vernon a lead en route to a 4-1 B.C. Hockey League victory.
Collins had been slumping worse than the TSE Index, hearing from assistant coach Jason Williamson and teammates prior to the game about his scoring woes.
“Willie told me 12 games,” said Collins, who had eight goals as the Vipers visited the Penticton Vees Saturday night. “Finally, I shot the puck and look what happened? I haven’t been shooting, I took it, and it went in. I just haven’t been shooting. I’ve been thinking pass.”
Captain Chris Crowell provided a screen in front of the stellar May on Collins’ seventh goal 7:22 into the third. Collins came off the wall with the puck, curled into the high slot and wired a high shot past May.
On his second of the night, Collins took a feed from Bryce Kakoske from the left point, took a few strides inside the blueline and sent a high floater past May on the powerplay.
“Definitely no penalties taken in the third period and we got to work,” said Collins, when asked how the Vipers turned things around after the teams were deadlocked 1-1 after 20 and 40 minutes. “We put the effort in, we knew we needed to, and we just got it done.”
The Cents, last in the Interior Conference at 5-24-0-1, grabbed the early lead when Paul Forster beat Andrew Hammond under the crossbar after a Viper breakdown on the powerplay.
The Vipers equalized eight minutes later on a gorgeous one-time pass and shot involving Kakoske and Rob Short (fifth of the year) with 30 seconds left in Kevin Philp’s hooking penalty.
Viper defenceman Kevin Kraus, named second star behind Collins, made a clutch shot block in the dying seconds of the first period on Cents’ captain Jordan Grant from close range.
Kraus later dove to knock the puck away from Jordan Soquila, who had riverdanced around Viper d-man Adam Thompson and had a great scoring chance before Kraus came on the scene.
“My knee’s sore, but it’s worth it,” smiled Kraus. “I just hate losing to that team. It’s not fun losing to those guys. There’s no reason that they should even be in a game with us at this point. It feels good though that we got the win there finally. All it comes down to is hard work. Who wants to score? And Mike came through in the third period which was good.”
Kraus said the Vipers prepared for the Cents like they were a playoff contender.
“For some guys, it’s hard to get up for the game. But it’s just another day. We need the two points right now because we’re battling for first place. Most guys focus for any game, any team.”
The Cents, who were outshot 31-21, had a glorious chance to take the lead early in the second period when Braden Pimm took a double minor for goaltender interference and crosshecking, but they couldn’t convert.
“We can’t bury our chances and that’s been the story all year,” said Grant. “We had eight powerplays in the second period and no goals. That’s unacceptable in this league. I think that we had them. We had them on their heels in the second period. We just couldn’t put them away and it cost us in the third, and they put us away.”
Grant said a few new faces have boosted the team’s depth, and while frustrated, the Cents are trying to stay positive and not point fingers.
“We’re getting a lot better as we go now. We’re starting to get closer. We’ve been in a lot of one-goal games. It’s just that extra effort we’re not putting in right now which is costing us games.”
The newest Viper, James Kerr, scored his fifth of the year, and first as a Snake, when he knocked in a rebound off a Sahir Gill shot from May’s doorstep, to close the scoring.
The Vipers (18-7-1-2) went to Penticton second in the Conference, one point back of the Salmon Arm SilverBacks – 9-7 winners over the host Prince George Spruce Kings – and four points up on the Vees and Westside Warriors.
The Vees got two goals from Devon Krogh in an 8-2 rout of the visiting Trail Smoke Eaters. Westside iced the Langley Chiefs 3-1.

SNAKE BITES: Kakoske and Kyle Bigos each had two assists against Merritt...Grant put a shot off the post with eight minutes left in the second period on a powerplay...Steve Tresierra, John Digness, Trent Dorais and Kory Roy were the Viper scratches... The Cowichan Valley Capitals traded D Nathan Westover to the Drumheller Dragans of the AJHL in exchange for the playing rights of F Anthony Perdicaro, who refused to report to Drumheller. The Vees moved D Nathan Westover to the Caps for D Matt Ridley and future considerations.