The Vipers, coming off a 5-3 home-ice win on Sunday night, will look to take a 2-0 advantage in the best-of-seven set against the Arsenault’s Fish Mart Western Red Wings on Tuesday. The arch-rivals will clash in Abram-Village at 7:30 p.m. After Tuesday’s game, the series does not resume until Sunday in Kensington at 7 p.m.
“It would be nice to win a game up there at some point,” said Vipers head coach Wade Waddell. “We anticipate this is going to be a long series. . . They’re a tough team to beat in their barn, and they’re going to have a big crowd.
“We are anticipating a real battle, and we are anticipating ourselves to be a lot better.”
Early indications are there is a high level of interest in this series as the opener attracted a full house to Community Gardens.
“It was probably the biggest Game 1 crowd we had,” said Waddell. “The fans, after last year’s seven-game series (between the teams), are anticipating another long series, and I wouldn’t bet they are wrong.”
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Assessment
Coming off a seven-game semifinal series against the Eastern Maniacs, Waddell felt Kensington was “spotty” in Game 1.
“We didn’t play our best game, but we still found a way to win,” analyzed Waddell. “Grant (Grady) was really good (in goal), and I thought we had flashes where we were solid.
“We looked a little tired, so we are looking to find a way to get some energy back in our game. . . We definitely have to be a lot better.”
Waddell feels there’s “a little more room to free wheel” at the Evangeline Recreation Centre compared to the cozy confines of the Gardens.
“If you get a step on a person in the Wellington rink you are gone,” said Waddell. “It’s more of a wide-open game generally up in Wellington.
“It’s a touch bigger than our rink, so it doesn’t seem to be quite as physical as the games in Kensington generally.”
With Kensington’s major midget team Southside’s junior C squad both completing their respective seasons last weekend, Waddell says the Vipers have a number of affiliated players available. He did not rule out any lineup changes for Tuesday night.
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