Up Close With Vipers Assistant Coach Jason Williamson:

Up Close With Vipers Assistant Coach Jason Williamson

How are the Vernon Vipers looking at the start of the 2009/2010 Season?

I would have to say we are happy with our start. We have a few things to work on, tweak our systems a bit and get our work ethic up to consistently high level. Obviously when you open the season with 2 wins you cant complain to much.

Does winning the RBC Cup last season help you for the upcoming season?

It always exciting and what every team in the country is shooting for but only 1 of the 143 gets to do, so that obviously helps. Also with team success comes individual success and with that we had some players move on to the next level leaving some big holes to fill. That`s always tough, but winning makes recruiting easier and I think we have done a good job filling those holes and are hoping to be able to be playing hockey in May again this season.

How important is it that you have so many veterans back?

Its huge for us. We are going to lean on our veterans to show our younger and new players what we want to be. They know what it takes to win. This is where the good kind of peer pressure comes in. They can pressure the players into being relentless on the ice by just doing it and holding everyone accountable for their efforts.

How are the newest players fitting in?

I think we have a great bunch of players and people. Our new players have come in and been very good. They have fit in well.

Looking through other teams websites, the phrase "hated Vernon Vipers" seems to be a common theme, how does this effect the Vernon Vipers?

I think this comes with winning and everybody wanting to knock you off. Even going back to when I played here, you never get a night off playing for the Vipers. Teams always bring there A game when they are play us. I think this is a great thing for us. Our players have to be ready to play each and every night. This will prepare them well for the playoffs and they will be ready for those games which mean the most.

What should fans look forward to seeing this year from the Vernon Vipers?

A fast paced and exciting team. We are a very deep team that can roll all four lines and keep coming at teams with our team speed each and every night.