Vipers

Go Vipers. Special place in my heart for the Vipers as I played for this team in their inaugural season back in the day except they were in Borden and they were called the Borden Junior Ramparts. I wore number 32 like Steve "Stumper" Thomas.
Wade Waddell is a great coach and a former Western Cap. Could score but throw the biscuits as well. Big Habs fan to boot. I still tell the boys at pick up hockey when Wade was one of my coaches he gave me the ultimate compliment in Wellington one night during the second intermission. He said along the lines of, " What the Hell is the matter with you fellas out there? The only guy working out there is Cory Thomas- hitting, blocking shots- he looks like Brian Skrudland going out there" . I think we ended up winning the game after that. Ultimate compliment as Skrudland was one of my favourite Habs.

Vipers clinch semi-final berth

Jason Simmonds/Journal Pioneer

MONTAGUE - The Kensington Moase Plumbing and Heating Vipers have secured a semifinal berth in the 2011 Don Johnson Cup.
The Vipers, who received strong contributions from their special teams, defeated the Tri-County River Cats from New Brunswick 4-1 on Thursday afternoon to improve to 2-1 (won-lost) in the five-team Atlantic junior B hockey championship tournament. The Vipers will close out the round robin against Nova Scotia's Bay Ducks (2-0) at noon today.
The top four teams advance to Saturday’s semifinals, with the final Sunday at 2 p.m.
"Our goal at the start of the week was to get to the weekend, and I think we have that," said Vipers head coach Wade Waddell.

Two points
At the Cavendish Farms Montague Wellness Centre, Jeremy Jollimore had a goal and an assist while Allan Clow earned a pair of helpers to lead Kensington's offence. Nick Reilly, Mitch Gallant and Thomas McSweeney also scored while other assists went to Mike Ramsay, John Ryan Francis, Colin Webster and Kendall Costello.
Andrew Robichaud was the only River Cat to beat Vipers goaltender Robin Stewart, who finished with 31 saves and made a point-blank save with 7:45 remaining in the third period to preserve a 2-1 lead.
Mike MacLean made 30 stops for Tri-County, and both goaltenders were named their team's player of the game.

Special teams
The Vipers scored twice with the man advantage and killed off seven of eight Tri-County power plays, including four straight at one point. One key special teams player for the Vipers was forward Alex Noonan, noted Waddell.
"I was really impressed with Alex Noonan's game," said Waddell. "He killed pretty much all the penalties defensively, we gave him an assignment to do, and he carried it out to a T. I was very proud of Alex's play."
"Our goal at the start of the week was to get to the weekend, and I think we have that." - Vipers head coach Wade Waddell

Tight game
Reilly's power-play goal at 6:06 of the first period opened the scoring, and the Vipers maintained that 1-0 lead until early in the final frame. Jollimore scored at 2:19 to give the Vipers a 2-0 lead.
"Mike Ramsay was behind the net, and I was wide open on my wing," said Jollimore, explaining how the goal developed. "He (Ramsay) passed it to me, Mitch Gallant was with their winger and it left me with the centre of the ice wide open.
"I just skated down and when I got in over their blue-line, their D wasn't really pressuring me so I just wound up with a slapshot and I think it went off the post and off the goalie and in."
A power-play tally by Robichaud brought the River Cats to within one, and looked to set the stage for a nail-biting finish. But a great effort by Gallant, who carried the puck down the left wing, cut to the goal and banged in his own rebound at 15:20, gave the Vipers a little breathing room.
McSweeney then closed out the scoring with the man advantage at 19:08.
Referee Jeff Affleck called nine minors against the Vipers. The River Cats received five minors and one checking-to-the-head 10-minute misconduct.