NEWCASTLE, UK – Newcastle Vipers will be hoping that they can end a dreadful run of results when they take on the Belfast Giants on Boxing Day at Whitley Bay. Vipers have suffered a couple of heavy defeats against the Giants already this term however Rob Wilson’s side have also proven that they can beat Steve Thornton’s side when Vipers are firing on all cylinders. Vipers take on the Giants 2 nights running as on the 27th of December Newcastle travel over the Irish Sea to take on Belfast at the Odyssey Arena. Coach Wilson’s side need to break their dreadful run of late and many would be happy with the Vipers if they could manage to pick up 2 points from their encounters with the title contending Giants over the festivities.
Newcastle have 4 easier games after the double header against Belfast as Newcastle face the Edinburgh Capitals on the 29th December and 2nd January before taking on the Hull Stingrays on the 3rd of January and then on the 9th. Both Edinburgh and Hull are currently below the Vipers in the Elite League standings and this run of games gives the Tyneside club a chance to get back to winning ways after a tough schedule over the last few weeks.
During the past few seasons Vipers games against the Edinburgh Capitals have not been must see games however this season’s encounters with the Scottish side have generally been tight affairs which could have gone either way. Newcastle beat the Caps in the 20/20 Hockeyfest earlier this term and Vipers will be hoping that they get the better of Doug Christiansen’s side over the 7 games they have against Edinburgh between now and the end of the current campaign.
A tough few weeks look to come to an end for Coach Wilson
The majority of Newcastle-Hull games take place in the 2nd half of the Elite League season and it is hoped that Vipers can get the upper hand against Sylvain Cloutier’s Stingrays who look to have a very physical roster this year. Unlike in previous years Newcastle do not have any enforcers on their roster and when the likes of Sean McMorrow (Belfast) and Brad Voth (Cardiff) have come to the north east Vipers have at times struggled to cope with the aggression these players have shown. Given that Cloutier himself and Adam Knight both love the physical side of the game Hull could well adopt an aggressive approach against Newcastle which could pay dividends for the Elite Leagues basement side.
The Cardiff Devils are currently only 3 points ahead of Vipers and if Coach Wilson’s side can bounce back to their best form in the next few weeks Newcastle could well be able to overtake Cardiff in the league table and secure a top 4 finish at the end of the campaign. Which would be a superb achievement for a club which has to run on such a tight budget.
Contact the author Chris.MacKenzie@Prohockeynews.com
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