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Vipers Week in Review

January 9, 2006 - International Hockey League 2 (IHL 2)
Roanoke Valley Vipers News Release


LAST WEEK'S GAMES: The Roanoke Valley Vipers just finished up a three-games-in-four-days homestand during which they faced the top two teams in the United Hockey League, the Muskegon Fury and the Kalamazoo Wings. The Vipers dropped the game against the Fury 8-4 on Wednesday, before the K-Wings came to town and barely squeaked by the feisty Vipers by a final score of 2-1 on Friday. Roanoke Valley looked strong Saturday in front of one of their larger crowds of the season, and flew past the Wings by a 4-3 final. The Vipers' record currently sits at 12-17-4 with 28 points in the division standings. They are in sole possession of 3rd place, just one point ahead of both the Richmond RiverDogs and the Elmira Jackals, in a division which continues to become tighter as the season progresses.

Wednesday, January 4th vs. Muskegon

Muskegon Fury 8, Roanoke Valley Vipers 4

The Roanoke Valley Vipers hosted the defending Colonial Cup Champion Muskegon Fury for the first time ever on Wednesday, losing by a final score of 8-4. Petr Jelinek and Mike Wiggins each scored three points in the game for the Vipers. Rookies Jonathan Charette and Erick Lajoie, who signed PTOs with the Vipers earlier in the day, made their debuts in Roanoke Valley uniforms, and Charette picked up his first point, assisting Wiggins on his second goal, which came on the man-advantage at 19:13 of the third period. Charlie Elezi also made his Viper debut Wednesday, and came out fighting, dropping the gloves with Fury tough-guy Ken Fels at 14:03 of the second period. Backup netminder Shawn Conschafter made his first appearance since December 2nd after being removed from the I.R. to relieve Jamie Hodson. "Concho" made 16 saves on 19 shots in 27:43 in goal.

Friday, January 6th vs. Kalamazoo

Kalamazoo Wings 2, Roanoke Valley Vipers 1

The Vipers hosted the K-Wings for the first time this season, after dropping game one of the season series to the Wings on November 18th in Kalamazoo. Shawn Conschafter got the start in the net, and made the game a close one for his team, making saves on 33 of 35 K-Wing shots. David Beauregard scored the Vipers lone goal of the evening off assists from newcomers Charlie Elezi and Erick Lajoie. The Vipers thought they had tied the game at 19:55 of the third as Alex Jerofejevs took a shot from the point, which was pushed into the net by Mike Wiggins, but as the puck trickled in, referee Jason Rollins blew the whistle and made a goaltender interference call on Elezi, making the goal void. The final seconds would tick off the clock leaving no time for the Vipers to have a second chance.

Saturday, January 7th vs. Kalamazoo

Roanoke Valley Vipers 4, Kalamazoo Wings 3

The Vipers came out striking on Saturday, seemingly to avenge their tough loss the night before to the K-Wings. The Vipers had a 4-0 lead on Kalamazoo by 10:33 of the first period. Alex Jerofejevs and Petr Jelinek scored at 4:19 and 7:46 of the period, and L.P. Martin followed with two of his own at 8:36 and 10:33. Shawn Conschafter made his second consecutive start in net, and made 37 saves, holding the K-Wings to a goal until 18:16 of the 3rd, when they managed two consecutive goals on him. The Vipers held onto the lead, however, for their first win in five games.

THIS WEEK'S GAMES: The Vipers will play a home-and-home set with the Richmond RiverDogs on Friday and Saturday, January 13th and 14th, beginning in Richmond on Friday. The Danbury Trashers will come to town the following Wednesday, January 18th, before the RiverDogs return for two more on Friday and Saturday, January 20th and 21st. Be sure to join the Vipers on Saturday, January 14th for Grand Home Furnishings Seat Cushion Giveaway to the first 1000 fans!

VIPERS TEAM LEADERS

Goals: David Beauregard (21)

Assists: L.P. Martin (21)

Points: David Beauregard (40)

+/-: Matt Miller (E)

PIM: Rico Fatticci (83)

Shots: L.P. Martin (115)

VIPER BITES

-Vipers goaltender Shawn Conschafter was nominated for the Southern Sports Supply UHL Goaltender of the Week for the week ending 1/8/06. Shawn made his first appearance in net since December 2nd on Wednesday against the Muskegon Fury after returning from a near month-long stint on the IR. He came in to relieve starter Jamie Hodson and made 16 saves on 19 Fury shots on goal in 27:43 minutes in goal. Conschafter got the start on both Friday and Saturday against the Kalamazoo Wings, making 33 saves to take a tough 2-1 loss on Friday, and 37 saves in a 4-3 Vipers win on Saturday.

-Rookie center Petr Jelinek received the team's nomination for the Sher-Wood UHL Player of the Week for the week ending 1/8/06. Jelinek scored five points (2G, 3A) during the Vipers games on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, and finished the three-game homestand with a -1 rating.

-The Vipers have been hurt by the losses of offensive gem Mark Scott and rookie Matt Miller, who have both been placed on the injured reserve. The two forwards had combined for 23 points over 16 games played on the season, and the Vipers look forward to their return to the lineup. The Vipers went through two emergency backup goaltenders, Lou Mastromarino and Marty Magers while Shawn Conschafter was out for nearly a month with a broken finger. Mike Krelove and Gray Shaneberger have also been added to the IR. To take their places on the roster, the Vipers have added left wings Jonathan Charette and Jourdan Lagace and defenseman Erick Lajoie. Lajoie (1A) and Charette (2A) have each tallied points already as Vipers.

-The Vipers are enjoying the winning side of a trade made earlier in the month, which sent defenseman Matt Kenny to the Fort Wayne Komets in exchange for forward Mike Wiggins and D-man Josh VanderBreggen. Wiggins is now the only player involved in the deal still on a team's active roster. VanderBreggen ran into immigration problems and was released from his PTO with the Vipers last week, and Kenny left the Komets to pursue other career opportunities for himself. Wiggins has scored nine points in just 11 games with the Vipers, proving to be a great offensive force for the Vipers, and he arrived with perfect timing, as the Vipers have been without Mark Scott, who had 17 points in 15 games to start the season before being placed on the IR.

IN THE COMMUNITY

Vipers players will be signing autographs at the Downtown American Red Cross Donation Center on Tuesday and Wednesday, January 10th and 11th from 1-2p.m. and 4-6p.m. each day. Be sure to stop by the Church Avenue location to give the gift of life and meet your Vipers! Brand new acquisitions Erick Lajoie, Jonathan Charette, and Charlie Elezie will be among those attending. The autograph schedule will be as follows:

Tuesday 1/10, 1-2p.m. Petr Jelinek and Alex Jerofejevs

Tuesday 1/10, 4-6p.m. Erick Lajoie and Jonathan Charette

Wednesday 1/11, 1-2p.m. L.P. Martin and Nathan Riddell

Wednesday, 1/11, 4-6p.m. Mike Krelove and Charlie Elezi

On Tuesday, January 10th at 4p.m., the Vipers will visit the West End Youth Center on Patterson Avenue to visit and play games with the after-school kids. L.P. Martin, Steve Crusco, Mike Wiggins, and Matt Miller will all be in attendance, along with Vipers account executives Jae McCadden and Anthony Oliveto.

Don't forget the Vipers ongoing Coat and Blanket Drive sponsored by Grand Home Furnishings. All season long you can bring a new or gently used coat or blanket out to the Vipers game to be placed in one of the drop boxes, which are located throughout the arena and concourse areas. All donations will go directly to the Roanoke Rescue Mission.

Contact Amy Webb at (540) 345-PUCK (7825) or awebb@valleyvipershockey.com to book a visit for your classroom or community group from Vipers players!

NEW LOWER TICKET PRICES!

The Vipers have just introduced new, lower ticket prices in the Goal and Center Ice Sections for the remainder of the 2005-06 season! Tickets in the Goal Section are now just $9.50 and tickets in the Center Ice Section are now just $12.50! Kids 12 and under can get in for $7.00 and kids six and under can get in for just $6.00! Call the Vipers office at (540) 345-PUCK (7825) to get yours today! Don't miss a minute of the action!

COME OUT AND SUPPORT YOUR VIPERS!

The Vipers are proud to offer families an affordable package for attending hockey games! Take advantage of the Pepsi Four Pack - for any Vipers home game, get four tickets, four hot dogs, four Pepsi soft drinks, and four Pepsi tee-shirts for just $40 in the Goal Section or $50 in the Center Ice Section! Call (540) 345-PUCK (7825) to purchase your Pepsi Four Pack today!!!

ASK COACH WILEY

Have you got a question for Vipers Head Coach Jim Wiley? Visit the Vipers website at www.valleyvipershockey.com and click on "Coach's Corner" under the "Fanzone" section to submit your question, then check back each week to see if yours was chosen!

VIPERS GAME BROADCASTS

The Voice of the Vipers, Matt Rosen, is your play-by-play guy for all 76 Vipers games throughout the season. Rosen will join you 15 minutes prior to the start of each game for the Vipers pre-game show on 3WR/Fox Sports Radio, which is 910AM in Roanoke and 990AM in the New River Valley. A link to listen to 3WR via the internet can be found at www.valleyvipershockey.com. Fans wishing to watch the game can also access the B2 Network broadcast link via the Vipers home page as well.



International Hockey League 2 Stories from January 9, 2006


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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