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Monday, 10th April 2006

Newcastle Vipers have lifted the Play-Off Trophy after a weekend of fierce competition at the National Ice Centre in Nottingham, a weekend that marks the end of competition for the 2005-2006 season. Team captain Jonathan Weaver was presented with the trophy following the Vipers' 2-1 win over Sheffield Steelers in the Final, a win which saw Newcastle come from a goal down to claim the victory.

With over 120 Phoenix fans in attendance, the weekend included an appearance on the ice by Phoenix MD Neil Morris, who personally thanked the fans of all the Elite League teams for making the Phoenix faithful feel welcome at rinks all over the land and confirmed that Manchester Phoenix will be returning to competition this coming season. much to the approval of the assembled audience.

The weekend started out on Saturday afternoon with the first of the two semi-finals, Sheffield facing off against Cardiff Devils in a game that went all the way to a penalty shoot-out. A tense end-to-end game, the match was overshadowed by an injury to Sheffield defenceman Stefan Sjogren, who was checked into the boards by Cardiff's Brad Voth and sustained a head injury which the Sheffield website is reporting as being a 'slight fracture to the skull'. An unconscious Sjogren was tended to by medical staff before being stretchered off the ice to a standing ovation of support from the NIC audience, and reports from Sheffield indicate that he has been returned to hospital after checking himself out to attend the Final. The game itself was settled with a penalty shoot-out after Sheffield's early lead through Martin Masa captialising on an error by Cardiff netminder Peter Aubrey was cancelled out by a team effort at the other end late in the second period to level the scores, Louis Goulet getting the credit for the superbly set-up goal. With overtime being unable to separate the teams, the shoot-out loomed. A strong start by Sheffield meant that Cardiff were playing catch-up, but the fourth penalty shot was slotted away into the Cardiff net by Ron Shudra, and the work of Jody Lehman to keep the Devils at bay meant that Sheffield advanced to the Final.

The second semi-final saw the Vipers taking on the Giants, with the league champions from Belfast going up against the Newcastle team that finished in second place. The first period started out with plenty of clutch and grab hockey, with both teams finishing their checks and working hard to physically establish themselves on the ice, and it was Belfast who seemed to be working themselves into a dominant position, only for Newcastle to come back and make a game of it, forcing Belfast onto the defensive and pressuring Mike Minard in the Giants net. The attacking strategy paid off, and Newcastle found themselves sitting on the right end of a 4-2 scoreline at the end of regulation time, the Vipers booking themselves their place in the Final.

Saturday also saw the British Ice Hockey Writers Association presenting their annual awards, and this year's recipients included Jonathan Weaver who received an award for British Defenceman of the Year, Theo Fleury collecting the Player of the Year, and Rob Wilson collecting the Coach of the Year accolate. The ceremony also saw the induction of former Nottingham coach Paul Adey into the Hall Of Fame.

In Sunday's final, Paul Sample looked set to be the hero of the hour with his first period goal giving Sheffield an early lead, capitalising on some hard work in the corners by Mark Dutiame and Kent Simpson. Sheffield were riding high and Newcastle looked to be in disarray by the end of the first period, but in the second the Vipers came out fast and hitting hard, keen to reestablish themselves. The grinding work paid off, with Andre Payette putting the biscuit in the basket to tie the game, and then a defensive error allowed former Steeler David Longstaff to go in on net and defeat Jody Lehman to give Newcastle the lead. Newcastle then went into pure defensive mode, running out the clock in the second period and surviving through the third by playing neutral ice trap hockey, keeping the Sheffield attack at bay and limiting their opponents to only a few chances, the closest of which came from Mike Peron's shot, which netminder Trevor Koenig helped deflect up onto the crossbar and away from danger. As the final seconds ticked away and the puck was being contained, the celebrations erupted on the Vipers bench, and with the final buzzer the party really started, Vipers players and fans alike raising the roof in jubilation.

Roll on September!

by Richard Allan

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