Vipers Play Waiting Game For BCHL Final:

This is in todays Morning Star Newspaper:

Vipers play waiting game for BCHL final

Vernon Morning Star

SALMON ARM – Connor Jones has had a target on his back throughout the B.C. Hockey League Interior Conference finals. The speedy Kootenay kid has taken a beating on pretty much every shift courtesy of the Salmon Arm SilverBacks. In Game 6, he got major payback.
Jones turned the hat-trick as the Vernon Vipers iced the SilverBacks 3-1 to clinch the Interior title Saturday night before 2,108 fans at the Sunwave Centre.
“We’re targets out there,” said Jones, of he and twin brother Kellen. “We’re not the biggest guys, but we battle through it and lead by example.
“Crow (Vipers’ captain Chris Crowell) and all our veterans showed everybody the way it’s done, and I just try my best to do the same.”
The Vipers await the winner of the Victoria Grizzlies-Powell River Kings Coastal Conference final, which went to Game 7 Tuesday night in Victoria.
The winner of the Coastal series will host Games 1 and 2 of the best-of-seven Fred Page Cup Championship starting Friday. The series returns to Vernon for Games 3 and 4, April 7 and 8 respectively at Wesbild Centre.
Connor, sporting a few stitches across the bridge of his nose, put the Snakes on the board at 2:58 of the first. After winning a draw back to Vipers’ defenceman Adam Thompson, he deflected the point shot far side past netminder Bryan Gillis.
Connor, who took a vicious hit from behind from Zac Rasmussen midway through the second period, collected his second goal on a goalmouth scramble. Collecting the loose puck, Connor cooly slid the puck under Gillis, who earned second star for his 35-save performance.
The 5-foot-9, 165-pounder sealed the win with an empty-netter from just inside his blueline with 44 seconds remaining.
“Win – That’s all I was thinking,” said Jones, as he watched his rink-long lob shot at the open net. “It feels amazing... there’s no words to describe it.
“Both teams played hard. That (Mark) Zengerle line (with Keenan Desmet and Conor Morrison), they had a ridiculous amount of points (in the regular season), and we did a great job of holding them down.”
Added Vipers’ head coach Mark Ferner: “They’re (Jones brothers) relentless, they love to play the game, and they play the game hard. That’s something that’s rubbing off on our hockey team.
“We knew this was going to be a long series, and to be able to do it in six surprises me a little. You look at the season series up until the last two games, and we were tied.
“I’m extremely proud of (the team’s) effort. They’ve been great kids all year long, they care about the right things and they care about each other.”
After the Vipers’ second goal, it looked as though Salmon Arm might be ready to call it a season. That is until Gorillas’ forward Colin Lidster chipped a puck over Vipers’ netminder Andrew Hammond from the slot. It renewed the SilverBacks’ momentum, and brought their fans back to life.
Salmon Arm then threw everything they had at the Vipers, but Hammond and the Vipers’ disciplined defensive play responded well.
“There’s no question they earned everything they got,” said SilverBacks’ captain Matt Walters. “They worked hard and played great all series.
“You can’t look past Hammond (30 saves) – he was awesome throughout the whole series. No matter what we threw at him, we just couldn’t seem to get those bounces going past him. He always seemed to get a piece of it.
“They clog up the middle so well, and they’re blocking shots, and they just sort of sit back and wait for you to make a mistake and capitalize on their chances.”
That the Vipers did it without injured players Mike Collins, Cameron Brodie and Ryan Santana is a testament to their depth. They dressed Enderby product Nick Amies as a seventh defenceman.
Ferner credited the Vipers’ veteran leadership – Crowell in particular – for rising above the injuries and grinding out a series win.
“(Crowell) is a tremendous leader and his game has grown so much. He wouldn’t let that room go in the wrong direction.
“Credit him and the core guys who have been here for a couple years. We feel like we’ve created the right culture, and that’s why teams win.”
The SilverBacks were without Bobby Lipsett and Brent Vandenberg, who was suspended for a brutal open-ice hit he put on Collins in Game 5.
“Both teams played hard throughout the series, and congratulations to Vernon,” said Salmon Arm head coach Rylan Ferster. “Full marks to them. To have success in the playoffs, you need some good health, some good luck and great goaltending, and they got it.
“They got a couple tipped goals – their first one (in Game 5) and their first one tonight. They were getting some good hockey bounces.”
The Snakes last competed for the Fred Page Cup in 2006-07, falling to the Nanaimo Clippers in six games. They last won it in 2003.
Meanwhile, Brian Nugent recorded the winner as the Grizzlies grounded the host Kings 5-2 Saturday night at the Recreation Complex to force Game 7.
Trailing by one after first-period goals by Kyle Leahy and Jordan Grant, the Grizz rattled off four straight goals.
Snipers Derek Lee and Evan Pighin led Victoria with a goal and two helpers each. Netminder Anthony Greico made 29 saves, while Kings’ netminder Carsen Chubak made 25 stops.

SNAKE BITES: Hammond earned BCHL Player-of-the-Week honours. The 20-year old White Rock product posted two shutouts, a 1.00 GAA and a .969 save percentage, and was named a game star three times during the week.