Snakes Lose Top Sniper To Injury:

This is in todays Morning Star Newspaper:

Snakes lose top sniper to injury

Published: January 15, 2012

If the Vernon Vipers thought things couldn’t get any more challenging, they should think again.

The Snakes will be without leading goal scorer Darren Nowick for the foreseeable future after the Long Beach, Calif. sniper left Friday’s game, a 3-0 loss to the host Merritt Centennials, with a shoulder injury.

Already ravaged by injuries to forwards Ben Gamache and John Knisley, and defenceman Luke Juha, the loss of Nowick, who has 25 goals and 42 points in 37 games, is another serious blow to the Vipers’ B.C. Hockey League playoff hopes.

The 20-year-old pivot will watch from the stands as the Vipers, fifth in the Interior Conference at 171-7-1-2, take on the third-place Prince George Spruce Kings (19-14-2-3) in a 2 p.m. matinee today at Wesbild Centre.

Vernon hosted the red-hot Coquitlam Express (22-12-2-2), winners of eight straight, Saturday night.

“Just what we needed,” shrugged Vipers’ head coach Jason Williamson, of the injury to Nowick. “You can’t use injuries as an excuse, but they are a determining factor in our games right now. We haven’t had a healthy scratch since Game 6.”

Unable to field a full roster, Williamson said the Vipers simply ran out of steam against the second-place Centennials (22-10-2-5). For his third line, he patched together 16-year-old Riley Hunt, Jedd Soleway and defenceman Turner Lawson.

“They were pretty good; I can’t fault their effort,” said Williamson, noting Soleway rang a shot off the crossbar.

“I feel for the kids because they played hard. They played their asses off but then ran out of gas because we don’t have the bodies.”

The Cents capitalized on two of five powerplay chances, while holding Vernon scoreless on five attempts with the man advantage. Williamson credited Merritt for getting traffic to the net in the tiny Nicola Valley rink.

“They (Merritt) found a way late in the game to get two past us, but we had our chances too,” he said. “They’re determined in those areas. That’s what you’ve got to do.”

For the Vipers to have any shot at making the playoffs, Williamson knows they have to win the head-to-head battles against teams ahead of them in the standings. They still have three games left against both the Cents and Spruce Kings, and one against the Chilliwack Chiefs (20-14-0-2).

“By no means are we out of this,” he said. “We’ve got 23 games left; that’s 46 points. In a playoff run, you’ve got to win against the teams you’re chasing.

“We’ve just got to manage our ice time and come up with a big effort.”

In other Interior action Friday night, the Chiefs shaded the Spruce Kings 4-3; the Express outgunned the Trail Smoke Eaters 5-3; the Westside Warriors blanked the Salmon Arm SilverBacks 4-0; and the Penticton Vees pummelled the Langley Rivermen 9-2.

SNAKE BITES: Vernon forward Adam Tambellini missed Friday’s encounter as he was on a flydown to visit the NCAA Division 1 North Dakota Fighting Sioux campus. He was expected to dress Saturday against Coquitlam...Viper d-man Sean Robertson left Friday’s game in first period after blocking shot. He returned in the third period...Former Viper Dylan Walchuk was in the penalty box serving a double minor for high sticking in overtime as Joshua Winquist fired the winner to give Mark Ferner’s Everett Silvertips a 4-3 decision over the Spokane Chiefs in WHL action Friday night. Walchuk, making his WHL debut, scored in the first period.