Vipers Roll Over Smoke Eaters:

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Vipers roll over Smoke Eaters

by Don Klepp | Added 2011-12-09

Mike Zaleski Scored Twice.

The Vipers broke out of their scoring slump in a big way with an 8-3 drubbing of the visiting Trail Smoke Eaters in Thursday’s lone BCHL game.

Mike Zalewski, who had not scored in 10 games, led the way with two first period goals, both of which were set up by Darren Nowick’s relentless forechecking and precise passing. At 14:01, Zalewski notched his 14th of the season on a backhand move after Nowick’s spin move had opened up the play.

Then, at 16:49 Nowick stole the puck from Marley Keca and fed Zalewski in the slot for a quick shot over Lyndon Stanwood’s right shoulder. Meanwhile, at the other end, Kirby Halcrow stymied Tanner Clarkson twice and got his right arm on Connor Tiechko’s labelled shot.

The floodgates opened in the second period. Vernon scored five times, mostly as a result of turnovers created along Trail’s end boards by persistent Viper forechecking.

First, Ben Gamache was set up from behind the goal by Adam Tambellini. Next, Gamache returned the favour for Tambellini’s 13th goal of the season. Then Aaron Hadley scored from five feet after hard work by Nowick and Zalewski.

Trial mounted a short comeback to make the score 5-2. Shane Poulsen scored on a screened point shot during 5-on-3 power play. That two-man advantage came in the aftermath of a regrettable incident. Killing a penalty in the Trail zone, Mike Zalewski was levelled by Tanner Clarkson’s elbow to the head. Clarkson did not get penalized, but Ryan Renz earned an instigator penalty in a brief fight in which Clarkson was clearly outmatched.

Trail added another goal on Marley Keca’s point shot, but the Vipers came back with two more goals in the last minute of the period. Jedd Soleway accepted Ben Gamache’s pass from the corner and ripped a high wrister past James D’Andrea, who had replaced Lyndon Stanwood after the fifth Viper goal.

Brendan Persley’s first goal as a Viper came on the backhand after a nice setup by Adam Tambellini.

Tanner Clarkson, the ex-Viper prospect, was the best Smoke Eater in the game. He scored on a power play in the third period, undressing Ryan Renz and beating Kirby Halcrow with a high shot.

John Knisley finished the night with a wicked wrist shot at 19:09 after being set up nicely by Ben Gamache and Adam Tambellini, each of whom finished with a goal and three assists.

Brendan Persley’s breakthrough goal means that Turner Lawson is now the only Viper without a point in the season. However, the solid defender easily dispatched Kyle Horsman with a flurry of right uppercuts after being challenged by Horsman following Vernon’s fifth goal.

The result was disappointing for Bill Birks’s crew, who have played some good hockey lately. The Vipers, according to Assistant Coach Chris Shaw, “were due. They’ve created a lot of chances in recent games, with not much to show for it, so it’s good to see the puck going into the net. We’ve been telling the guys to stick with it; it’s just a matter of time before we turn this thing around.”