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The Vipers week that was
Part 1: v Dundee Stars (22/01/11)
Oh no you Dundidn't
I’ve never heard the word ‘howay’ so many times in one evening.
It was a Saturday night, in Whitley Bay. It quite often is, these days. The Vipers were taking on the Dundee Stars in the first of five vital matches to be played between the two sides over the next few weeks. A budding rivalry between the clubs, which had originally come about based on the fight for the last play-off spot, was further fuelled last week by the controversy surrounding the Vipers’ unsuccessful attempt to bring in an additional import, which was blocked by Dundee and Edinburgh, leading this to be the first so-called ‘grudge match’ between the two sides. Background set? Check!
It was my first game in two weeks and alas, my first Dale Mahovsky-less game. I didn’t think it would affect me that badly but what with that and the time away from all things hockey my rose-tinted spectacles had slipped somewhat. Thankfully, I don’t tend to use those particular optical enhancers for ice hockey, what with the fact they make everything look pink and that; instead I had new contact lenses with a stronger prescription, which meant that I could actually see the puck and everything! (I think this proves uncategorically that vanity is dangerous. Be warned, people!) I felt like a Cyclops or some kind of X-Person or something, and almost expected to inherit the ability to zoom in and out and obtain factual information about players on a vidi-printer type optical extension. You know, like, ‘BRENT HUGHES… DUNDEE CAPTAIN… FORMERLY OF NEWCASTLE VIPERS… SUFFERS FROM SMS (SHORT MAN SYNDROME)…’ Sadly those talents weren’t forthcoming, but at least I had greater clarity than usual.
The first period was end-to-end but lacked end product, with few shots on goal and no score. The Vipers fans were in fine voice however, competing with the healthy contingent of Stars fans who had made their way south of the border for the match. I embraced my inner Geordie on numerous occasions, and hoped that I didn’t stick out like the cockney sore thumb that I am. I feel that investing in a subtle disguise might be a plan. I’ll whack out the fake tan, shall I? (Only joking, lovely people of the North-East!).
Dundee were a physical presence and their MO for the game seemed to be to try and weaken the Vipers already light bench by drawing them into committing penalties, and they succeeded in style with a minute to play in the first period. After a couple of hits on netminder Charlie Effinger it all kicked off, ‘it’ being two separate fights, involving no less than 7 players (ish), both of which were conducted in what appeared (to this novice at least) to be a less than a sportsmanlike manner. I was reliably informed that this was how it ‘used to be’ in the sport; it was described as ‘old time hockey’ which if Saturday’s brawl was anything to go by translates as ‘guys kicking the crap out of each other with no code of honour whatsoever and just being left to it’. The referee had no control over the situation and the fights continued uninterrupted despite our players being down, and in the case of Sam Zajac, outnumbered.
The Vipers fans were incensed - and I mean, livid - ex-Viper Brent Hughes bearing the brunt of the home crowd’s derision, and much as I love a good fight, the intensity of the situation was a bit much for me and my protective instincts won out over my bloodlust and rendered me completely speechless, hands clamped round my face in a comedy Macauley-Culkin-in-Home-Alone sort of fashion, struck dumb with outrage. I half expected a Panthers/Blaze-style bench clearance and perhaps, if we hadn’t been outnumbered, it might have gone that way. The period was brought to a close early for the hapless officials to attempt to regain a semblance of control and work out who would take what in terms of penalty minutes. It meant that at the beginning of the second period, Vipers were left with just 7 skaters for a short period, our penalty box busier than our bench – not a good sign.
The second period was a case of ‘back to business’ but with the added intensity that only a good mass brawl can inject into a game. . Vipers scored their first goal from the stick of Ninja Rzeszutko off the post – I’ve had some embarrassing moments in my time cheering disallowed goals in football, to the point where I often look at the linesman before cheering. The red light is my hockey equivalent, and it didn’t illuminate which confused me, but everyone around me was celebrating and it looked in to me, so I joined in. And it worked! Happy days. We continued to push forward and despite conceding a goal, went into the second period break ahead through a well-taken goal from Captain Paul Sample.
A trademark third period collapse could have been on the cards but in the end, although Dundee made their 6-man advantage tell, the win was far from emphatic. The remaining Vipers went down fighting, and it could be argued the third goal would perhaps not have materialised if it wasn’t for another suspect refereeing decision leaving us defending against another Stars powerplay. The defeat was bitterly disappointing but not an entirely surprising outcome, in a match where the list of penalties exceeded the number of players on the benches, the officials struggled to remain in control, and the Stars team put in a cynical performance against tired and under-strength opposition. But from an objective point of view, it was a fantastic night’s entertainment and despite my recent malaise, totally reaffirmed to me why I love this sport so much. I can’t over-emphasize how proud I am to be involved with a club where everyone continues to give their heart and soul despite such difficult circumstances. Fantastic group of human beings, and that includes players, management and all the fans too.
Part 2: v Nottingham Panthers (26/01/11)
Fat cats silenced by feisty underdogs
(Someone call the Sun, I'm a tabloid headline-writer in waiting).
You can roll out the David v Goliath, Blackpool v Manchester United or even '300' comparisons ‘til the cows come home, because in Elite League hockey terms, Newcastle Vipers v Nottingham Panthers really does fall into that classic minnows versus giants category, but still nothing can really prepare you for coming face to face with such a scenario, and the feelings that you get when you’re on the winning side.
The first leg of the Challenge Cup semi-final was the occasion, Hillheads was the place, and when the two sides took to the ice you’d have been hard-pushed to come up with any possible outcome for the match other than an away win. Clad all in black, every single Panthers player looked about twice the size of the Vipers, and there were oh, so many of them. It was tragically comical watching the two sides skate around their respective halves of ice, the Panthers all but filling theirs, menacingly pacing their way around the rink and then struggling to fit their huge squad onto their bench. We basically had a football team’s worth of players, plus a couple of subs. It was a familiar story, and considering the two sides had met at Whitley Bay just three short weeks ago, with the result a resounding 11-4 in favour of the Panthers, the small crowd of dedicated supporters in attendance were right to fear a similarly dismal evening.
The game started out sluggishly but quickly picked up tempo with the Panthers doing all the pressing, imposing the physical side of their game on the Vipers and forcing the home side to defend, and defend we did, rising to the challenge and only conceding a single goal in the first period, and managing to almost knock out one of the Panthers with a shot which sounded as though it had hit the post but on closer inspection, had hit the number 21 right in the kisser. Ouch, and stuff. I hope someone grabbed the teeth that he must inevitably have lost, to add to Mahovsky’s – we’ll have enough for a full set of dentures soon!
Panthers players don’t get out of bed for less than £50, allegedly. Well Vipers don’t get out of bed for less than 50p, but luckily the fans had a whip-round and they all turned up in the second period, coming out all guns blazing and stunning the Panthers with their desire and intensity. Despite conceding another goal, the reply came almost instantly from Kyle Sibley and from then on, we were unstoppable. It was the 20 minutes of hockey from your wildest dreams, as we broke down the Panthers defences time and again, playing exciting and creative attacking hockey and neutralising any traffic going the opposite way. Mike (the Beard) Prpich and Dean Holland (the People’s Choice) netted one apiece before the highlight of the period, a spectacular individual effort from Toms Hartmanis. Seriously, the guy has an astonishing turn of pace, and he left the Panthers helpless in his midst as he carved through them and shot home to give the feisty Vipers a 4-2 lead.
A 6-goal turnaround in one period against a team of the Panthers’ calibre is not to be sniffed at, and the Panthers were understandably frustrated, bringing out the dirty tactics; Lepine laid Paul Sample out with one punch and was lucky to get away with two minutes for roughing. Even mild-mannered David Clarke got into a little fracas with the usually equally quiet Jaro Rzeszutko. It started out like a pair of girls having a scrap over the last handbag in the shop; it was clear neither guy really wanted to be involved in a fight, you could almost hear the conversation that might have gone on between the two had there been time:
Jaro: Er, I’m very angry with you!
Clarke: Um, yes, I feel similarly disgruntled. Do you think we should perhaps throw our helmets to the ground in a display of mutual intent to have a bit of a tiff?
Jaro: Right then. On the count of three?
Clarke: After you.
Jaro: No, after you, I insist.
It was quite sweet really.
Third period. Are you still with me? You haven’t dropped something substantial on your toe in shock at the scoreline? Well man up. Take the pain! We’re moving into the crucial period here! Pay attention, fools! So what happened then? The poor Panthers didn’t seem to like losing and resorted to some less than savoury tactics, getting at the Vipers whenever and wherever they could and mostly getting away with it. But we weathered the storm and only conceded once more. Thanks for that largely rest on the not inconsiderable padded shoulders of Charlie Effinger, who made the save of his life with just a few minutes left to play in the game. He threw himself to the ground and clawed the puck off the line with the tip of his glove whilst at full stretch.
It really was a fingertip between us and a tied scoreline, and like the news reaching Parliament that David Cameron is lost in Iceland and was last seen near a large hill with a hole in the top of it, the save was greeted with a collective sigh of relief and a cheer so loud it echoed around the four corners of the rink. The Panthers scrapped their way through to the dying seconds but by then it didn’t matter, the win was sealed and the Vipers take the slenderest of leads back to Nottingham for the return leg on Sunday. Their fans may not give us a cat in hell's chance of repeating the feat we pulled off on Wednesday, but fur will fly, and there will be no pussy-footing around. Because there's more than one way to skin a cat (someone has called the Sun for me, right?)
You’ll all be fascinated and proud to know that I cut down on my drinking at the match because it was a school night. I only had two pints instead of three. Check my willpower! That's not to say I didn't want another one though, to toast another incredible achievement by Danny Stewart and his team, triumphing over the big rich mean Panthers. Who needs 19 men? Pah. I laugh in the face of your 19 men. How big is an ice rink anyway? The heart shown by the Vipers on Wednesday night more than made up for any discrepancies in squad numbers, wages, NHL pedigrees or spangly ice centres. And who’s going to remember those when they look back at their highlights from the season and have a performance like ours to reminisce about? Certainly not me. It may be true that money talks – but on a night like this, it’s barely a whisper.
To check out my original posts with some added extras, and much more besides, please check out my blog Confessions of a Hockey Novice - http://confessionsofahockeynovice.blogspot.com
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| 12th March 2006 19:00 | ||
5-3 |
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4-5 |
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| 12th March 2006 19:00 | ||
1-4 |
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| 12th March 2006 19:00 | ||
4-4 |
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| 11th March 2006 19:00 | ||
2-4 |
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| 11th March 2006 19:00 | ||
| Club | GP | W | L | OL | GF | GA | Pts |
|---|
5-8 |
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| 19th March 2006 19:00 | ||
5-1 |
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| 19th March 2006 19:00 | ||
4-1 |
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| 19th March 2006 19:00 | ||
5-2 |
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| 19th March 2006 19:00 | ||
3-7 |
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| 19th March 2006 19:00 | ||
1-1 |
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| 19th March 2006 19:00 | ||
| Club | GP | W | L | OL | GF | GA | Pts |
|---|
- Adam Walker
- Alex Birch
- Andy Pierce
- Chris Gent
- Christopher Beal
- Craig Simpson
- Dave Simms
- Elliott Stanley
- Gareth Chalmers
- James Broughton
- James Gordon
- Katy Madgwick
- Luke Catterson
- Mark Briggs
- Mark Duell
- Mat Young
- Patrick Smyth
- Promotion
- Russ Morrell
- Seanna Murdock
- Stephen Dowson
- Stewart Roberts
- Tom Forster
- Vicki Smart
- William Lyon
