Tonight’s game is the first regular season game on Civic Arena ice since the end of the regular season in 2000-01.
History and tradition emanate from the rafters and from the walls in the old arena. The fans of junior hockey in Vernon know the seats are uncomfortable and a jacket is required at all times to ward off the cold. This was one of the most feared and famed rinks in all of Canadian junior hockey.
The championship banners that now adorn the west wall of the Multiplex once hung from those wooden beams that aren’t very high above the ice surface.
That was an impressive sight. Those banners seemed to make the home team a foot taller and the opposition doubted their chances before the game even started. Tonight the Vipers (30-13-0-7) call on the “ghosts of games gone by” as they look to put a start into the road team from Prince George (22-20-3-4).
Coming into tonight’s game the Spruce Kings are just happy to be back in the Interior after yesterday’s closing of the Coquihalla Highway south of Merritt.
The Sprucies are looking to rebound after a loss in another “old barn” in Chilliwack last night.
The Kings fell behind after Chilliwack scored two goals 36 seconds apart in the first period to start the night off.
The Kings starter Brandon Highton (4.02 GAA, 88.7 Sav%) was replaced by Andrew Bromby (3.00 GAA, 89.19 Sav%) after the first period. Highton was tagged with the loss.
The power play let the Kings down as they went 0/8 with the man advantage.
The Sprucies’ night wasn’t all bad though as the Vipers did them a huge favor by downing the Cents in Merritt last night.
Both the Cents and Kings are in a tight battle with Williams Lake and Trail for home ice and third place in the division as only three points separates third from sixth. The Penticton Panthers are going to need divine intervention if they hope to see the post season this spring.
Last night in Merritt the Vipers got a huge 5-4 win after taking the lead mid way through the game and then holding the fort as Merritt threw everything they had at Steve Belanger (2.87 GAA, 90.75 Sav%).
Belanger made 21 saves last night to give him his 16th win, second on the BCHL stats page, seven wins behind Cowichan’s Kevin LaChance.
Luke Pierce, the former Centennial, had the “Gordie Howe” hat trick in his old stomping grounds. An assist on a second period goal, a scrap with former Viper A/P TJ Silverson, and the game winning goal marked a great night for Luke and his family.
A fan favorite in Merritt and Vernon, Pierce was paid an impromptu honor after his goal when someone blasted the Cents’ own goal siren!
Last night’s game was a special team’s bonanza as the teams combined for 13 odd man opportunities. The Vipers went 2/7 and the Cents were 2/6 and they added a short handed marker in the first period.
Landis Stankeivech (2g 4p) opened the scoring on the PP in the first period after a goal mouth scramble. The Alberta connection came through in their first game together as “Stanko” is playing between Rob Turville (2g 7p) and Dustin Claffey (22g 52p).
The second period saw the ice still tilted in the same direction but with different teams at each end. The Vipers scored 26 seconds into the period as Will Harvey and Luke Pierce combined to set up line mate Scott Dafoe (15g 28p). Stewart Thiessen (3g 10p) scored on a beautiful set up by Mike Santorelli (35g 79p) and Mark Nelson (21g 54p) later in the second period.
Santorelli and Pierce notched the third period markers for the Snakes.
The win keeps the Snakes within two points of Salmon Arm after the Gorilla’s 6-2 win on home ice over Williams Lake.
Next up for the Snakes is another long john night visit back to the Nicola Valley Memorial Arena next Saturday February 7th. Catch the action live on the net with the “Voice of the Vipers” Todd Miller. After that it’s the “Ships” visit to the `plex when the Bastion Boys from Nanaimo finish their Interior Division road trip off in Vernon.
NEXT HOME ACTION: Sunday February 8th as Cole Byers faces his former team, the Nanaimo Clippers. Game time is 2 PM. That afternoon is “Tim Bit’s Afternoon” brought to you by the good folks at Tim Horton’s.
