Vipers on wrong side of see-saw match
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Elite League: Mobilx Newcastle Vipers 5-6 Coventry Blaze
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Elite League: Mobilx Newcastle Vipers 4-2 Belfast giants
SATURDAY night's see-saw match was a goal feast as the game went one way then the other, but it was the Elite League champions Coventry Blaze who just came out on top winning by the odd goal in eleven.
Blaze's special teams came up big for them as they netted four powerplay goals from the five chances they had.
The Vipers got off to a flyer with David Longstaff finding the net with only 31 seconds on the clock. They doubled their lead as coach Rob Wilson, playing only his second game of the season, netted his first goal on the powerplay at 5.27.
Having been rocked by this start by the Vipers the Blaze finally got their act together as they hit three unanswered in two and a half minutes to take the lead.
A brace of powerplay goals from Curtis Huppe at 16.18 and 18.47 was sandwiched between a goal from Adam Calder at 16.56.
With only two seconds left on the clock Todd Jackson on the powerplay ended the first period scoring as he tied the game up at three apiece.
The visitors regained the lead at 26.16 with a powerplay goal from Jonathan Weaver. However Jackson's second goal of the game once again made it all square at 35.18.
Then, as they had done in the first session, the Vipers netted a goal in the last minute of the period as Derek Campbell gave the home side a 5-4 lead at 39.11.
This game was swinging one way then the other and it was no different in the third period. The visitors netted twice to go from a goal behind to a goal in front with goals from Huppe - his hat trick marker at 44.30 - followed by a goal from Tom Watkins at 48.42. This was to be the end of the scoring and another two points for the league winners.
Come Sunday, the Vipers were facing their expected play-off quarter-final opponents, the Belfast Giants, who were uncharacteristic in their lackluster showing, despite going ahead only 91 seconds into the match.
Peter Campbell's shot from the left was almost saved by Ryan MacDonald, but when the goalie lifted his left arm to make the stop, the puck simply bounced off him and into the goal.
Referee Andy Carson called the first of two charging penalties inside three minutes, and then Colin Shields was denied at close range, while Todd Jackson fired wide.
But when Lewis Christie was binned for holding at 9.27, the Vipers turned the game around with two goals in 11 seconds.
At 10.09, Ben Storey's wrist shot from the left saw Jeff Hutchins get a decisive touch as the puck went through the crowd and the Vipers were on level terms.
Derek Campbell, who registered the first assist on the leveler, put the Vipers ahead with a wrap-around on 10.40, a lead which lasted into the middle frame.
However, that was longer than the tempers of Andre Payette and Rob Wilson lasted. When Payette was binned for a second charge, his remonstrations led to a further ten minutes for misconduct and the player-coach's response after the end of the period saw him sent to the stands on a game misconduct.
Campbell netted his second of the night on 25.05 to make it 3-1 after Jackson played him in on the right. As Campbell tick-tacked inside from the boards, the shot opened up and he fired home with the back stick.
Storey made it 4-1 just past the halfway mark, when Jackson was again the provider. The centreman laid the puck back to the left hand side and Storey skated into the first time slapshot which flew home to the goalie's nearside on 32.41.
In a busy 37th minute, Vipers captain David Longstaff hit the post and the Vipers were given a powerplay opportunity, before Derek Campbell and Trevor Johnson went at it, the former wrestling his opponent to the ground and sportingly allowing him to get back up for another go before the linesmen stepped in.
Giants put young Adam Cree between the pipes for the final period, and he made some good stops to deny the Vipers and extension of their lead.
Indeed, the only goal of the final spell came for the visitors as Pavel Gomeniuk was dispossessed on the edge of his own zone and Shaun Sutter fired home at 47.15.
Vipers will want to build some momentum on the back of this win to take them into the playoff quarter finals in a fortnight.
2:07pm Monday 17th March 2008
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