NEWCASTLE,U.K- It appears Newcastle Vipers have completed their roster for the 2009-10 season as all the import roster slots have been filled, while no other British signings are expected before the start of the campaign. Coach Wilson has recruited many new players to his squad over the summer with few of last years Vipers remaining on Tyneside. Stay at home defenceman Mark Gouett will once again patrol the blue line at the Arena this term however little is known of any of the other import defenseman that Vipers have brought in over the summer Tyler Kindle who played in the ECHL for Stockton Thunder last season. Kindle looks set to be the sides offensive blueliner who has contributed points from defense throughout his career. Kindle nets a large proportion of his points on powerplays and it is hoped he can contribute to an improvement when Vipers have a man advantage. Young British defenceman Jez Lundin decided to move to Guildford Flames over the summer the talented defenseman is sure to get more ice time with Paul Dixon’s team and he will be hoping to step back up to the Elite League soon enough as a more rounded player. Replacing Lundin is Richie Thornton who spent last season with Billingham Bombers in the ENL North. Thornton proved he has still the quality to play top level hockey during a brief stint with Basingstoke Bison and a number of games for the Hull Stingrays. Offensively Vipers have re-signed two of their former players. Matus Petricko comes back to the north east of England after spells with Nottingham Panthers, Cardiff Devils and Kosice (in his home country) since he left the Vipers at the end of the 2005-06 season. Petricko averaged over a point a game during his season on Tyneside and remarkably helped the Vipers lift the Elite League Play Offs in their debut season in the top division. Also returning to Newcastle is Todd Griffith. Griffith started last season with the Vipers but returned to North America mid way through the campaign. Griffith was always an extremely popular figure amongst the fans given his all action style and he could well have to adopt a more physical approach this coming season given that the team seem a little light on enforcers. It appears Vipers will not have enough quality in their squad to challenge at the top of the League this season. Vipers could well finish in sixth place ahead of both Hull Stingrays and Edinburgh Capitals but quite a way behind the likes of Coventry Blaze, Sheffield Steelers and Nottingham Panthers come next April. Contact the author at Chris.mckenzie@prohockeynews.com  
 

NEWCASTLE,U.K- Newcastle Vipers look set to start next season with little British talent on their roster. Captain David Longstaff remains on Tyneside however he is the only senior Brit to commit his future to Rob Wilson’s side. Alongside Longstaff the Vipers look set to ice Ben Campbell and  Dean Holland on the clubs third line while Ritchie Thornton returns to the Newcastle franchise to provide defensive cover after a season split between the Billingham Bombers and the Hull Stingrays. Thornton replaces Jez Lundin on the Vipers blue line as with his wealth of experience and is a lot less error prone than Lundin.
Youngsters Nathan Salem and Jamie Tinsley will both be hoping to pick up a few shifts here and there for Vipers Elite League side next season. Tinsley impressed with his attitude and work rate when called upon last year by Coach Wilson and he even contributed a few points along the way. Salem had a great campaign for Whitley Bay in both the ENL and the Northern League and the son of former Durham Wasp net minder Chris Salem will surely be eager to test himself at Elite level after proving to be a huge success with the Warriors. Newcastle Vipers do have a lot of promising local youngsters at the club however only having one Brit of high quality (Longstaff) could lead to Vipers struggling to compete with some of the top teams in the League. Jonathan Weaver, Shaun Johnson, Simon Leach and Colin Shields have all left the Vipers in the last few years and it could be argued that the only one of the those players who has been adequately replaced in the squad is Leach. A few of the country’s top Brits have decided to try their look abroad next season with Ashley Tait heading for the continent and Matt Myers trying his luck in the North American Minors which will at least mean teams like Sheffield Steelers and Nottingham Panthers do not have as much British talent to call on for the 2009-10 campaign.
With Paul Sample retiring and a lot of the other top Brits like Greg Owen and Russ Cowley already contracted to clubs it appears Vipers will be struggling to bring in any more home grown talent into the side for next term. The way for the club to move forward could well be to snap up any promising local talent from the regions other sides and to scout the Northern League for any promising young players coming through the Scottish system. Contact the author at Chris.mckenzie@prohockeynews.com

NEWCASTLE,U.K- Newcastle Vipers season now rests on the post season Play Offs after they were eliminated in the Knock Out Cup on Feb 26 by Tony Hand’s Manchester Phoenix.   Vipers went down 6-5 in the second of two game series at Altrincham on Thursday evening however the real damage was done to Rob Wilson’s side in the first game at Whitley Bay when Phoenix ran out 4-1 winners. Phoenix netted a late goal in the first game that took the tie away from the north east based side as having to make up a three goal deficit away from home was always going to be a tough ask for a short benched and under strength Vipers.   Head-coach Rob Wilson will now have to lift his side ahead of this weekend’s double header against the Cardiff Devils. Vipers travel to South Wales this Saturday (February 28) before taking on Voth and his team mates again 24 hours later at the Metro Radio Arena on Tyneside. Recent games against Gerard Adams side have been entertaining physical affairs and fans of both sides will be hoping that that recent trend continues this weekend. It is thought Devils may rest their starting netminder Peter Aubry for one or both of these games which could aid the Vipers bid to get back to winning ways.   Ed Courtenay and Jeff Hutchins partnership is the key to whether or not Vipers will taste any success this season as if this pairing can hit form Vipers can give any Elite League side a run for their money in the quarter finals. However if either were ruled out through injury Vipers chances of progressing in the play offs would be severely weakened.   Coach Wilson persuaded Courtenay to come out of retirement and it has been a delight to watch the ‘Eagle’ ice since his move to Newcastle. Courtenay still looks a class apart at times his vision and stick handling are generally way above most of the other Elite League players abilities.    Courtenay had previously played with Hutchins in Belfast and their understanding on the ice has been a great asset in recent times. Rob Wilson has tried many of his forwards as the third man on Vipers first line alongside the ex Belfast pair. The remaining Elite League games this season can be used to see who best complements their skills.   Rob Rankin has impressed in recent games and the gritty ex Hull Stingrays man could well earn the spot on the top line however Derek Campbell is another option open to the coach. However playing both Campbell and Courtenay on the same line does leave a lot of defensive responsibility on Hutchins and the clubs blue liners.   It is hoped Newcastle Vipers can ice a full strength side in their play off campaign and if the side has a little luck along the way Vipers could well be heading to the NIC for the second year running.
Contact the author at Chris.mckenzie@prohockeynews.com

NEWCASTLE,U.K- Newcastle Vipers have had to play two line hockey for the past few games due to the limitations their roster is imposing on them.  Injuries to both Jeff Hutchins and Dean Holland has meant that former NHL giant defenseman Chris McAllister has had a spell playing out on the wing. McAllister had briefly played their earlier in his career but the big blue liner didn’t look particularly comfortable in his new attacking role for the Vipers.   Coach Wilson decided to mix things up and try McAllister on the wing as his side have plenty of defensive cover while they have few options up front. Vipers have four import defenseman along with young Great Britain prospect Jez Lundin meaning that the Newcastle based side are adequately covered at the back.   The loss of Todd Griffith shortly before the transfer deadline limited the team offensively and due to financial constraints the club were unable to bring in a replacement when he departed.    Vipers now only have seven senior forwards on the clubs books, the scoring line of Hutchins, Courtenay and Derek Campbell is the main offensive weapon. While the second line consists of Longstaff, Rankin and normally either the speedy youngster Ben Campbell or Canadian enforcer Andre Payette. Dean Holland is the other forward on the roster though he has been out of action in the last couple of weeks injured.   Vipers should finish seventh in the Elite League this season unless their form completely capitulates and Coach Wilson will be hoping to have a fully fit squad to choose from for the Play Off Quarter finals. It seems that either Nottingham Panthers, Belfast Giants or Coventry Blaze will be the Vipers opponents and the north east side will have to be on top of their game to make to Finals weekend at the NIC in Nottingham.   Vipers are yet to taste success against Panthers or Blaze in the league this year while a solitary win against Giants in five games will not fill the fans full of confidence ahead of the post season. If Vipers did slip to eighth a double header against Sheffield Steelers surprisingly looks a more winnable tie given that Coach Wilson’s team have four points out of six against the Steelers so far this campaign.
Contact the author at Chris.mckenzie@prohockeynews.com

NEWCASTLE,U.K- Elite league Newcastle Vipers decided to make some roster changes earlier this season after a number of the clubs  pre-season signings failed to produce the points and performances that were expected of them. Head-coach Rob Wilson decided to let Tyler Willis return to North America, Marek Ivan left the club though it remains unclear whether Ivan decided to end his stay in Elite league or whether he was given notice by the Vipers.    Vipers moved to bring in two players with a wealth of Elite League experience with former Belfast Giant Ed Courtenay and former Viper, Giant and Coventry Blaze front man Jeff Hutchins both signing for the north east side .   The headline grabbing signing was the capture of ex San Jose Shark and Belfast player coach Ed Courtenay, who had had great success in the British game with the Giants and Sheffield Steelers. Courtenay has posted great numbers during his time at Belfast and is proving that he is still one of the leagues best players despite his advancing years.
Courtenay has already put in a number of Man of the Match performances and has picked up 22 points from the 15 games he has iced in so far this term. Courtenay has netted seven goals, picking up 15 assists along the way creating many opportunities for his line mates.   Jeff Hutchins has benefited from Courtenay’s play making ability as many of the former Coventry power forwards goals have come after good work from Vipers number 27. Hutchins who spent last year with the Vipers has come back a new player after brief spells with Bracknell Bees and Edinburgh Capitals this season.
Hutchins started the term in the EPL with the Bees however with the Bees struggling for form the club decided to cut Hutchins from their roster. He then headed to Edinburgh to provide cover for Doug Christiansen’s team as the Capitals had a number of injury problems, Hutchins posted good numbers in the Scottish capital picking up eight points in six games.   Hutchins has left last seasons disappointing form well behind him in his second spell on Tyneside picking up 28 points (13 goals, 15 assists) from the 20 games he has iced for Coach Wilson’s side. Hutchins is already third in the clubs scoring charts for the 2008-09 campaign and with the clubs leading point scorer only 11 points ahead of him it is very possible that Hutchins could well end up being the Vipers top point scorer this term despite missing over 20 games at the beginning of the season.   Vipers offensive threat could further be boosted in the next few days as it is understood the club may well bring in a player to take Todd Griffith’s place in the roster after the popular winger decided to return to North America after a brief spell in the Elite League.
Contact the author at Chris.mckenzie@prohockeynews.com

NEWCASTLE,U.K- Dean Holland is having a solid season so far this term for Elite league Newcastle Vipers in his role on the clubs third line. Holland has gained seven points from the 37 games he has played so far this campaign picking up 76 penalty points along the way illustrating that the young centre isn’t scared to drop the gloves with any player in the league.   Holland took a little time out recently to give me his views on how he thought his game was progressing and his opinions on British hockey in general.    Holland’s hard work has helped him make the jump from playing for the English National League Vipers up to playing at Elite level relatively comfortably which is a massive gap to overcome. At times last year the younger players (Holland, Lundin, B.Campbell, Lawson) in the Vipers set up were at times playing twice a day as they iced in early ENL face offs and then took the ice again on the evening in the Elite League. Holland states that this punishing schedule brought his game on as his general fitness increased significantly and he experienced many more situations than he would have by playing in the Elite league only.   Holland’s form caught the admiring eye of other clubs last season and saw the young center offered the chance to move to the Peterborough Phantoms in the EPL such a move would have brought a great increase in ice time but the ‘Walkergate Warrior’ turned down the move as he aspires to stay at Newcastle for many years and wants to bring silverware back to the north east.   Vipers have had many experienced players in their ranks over the last few years but it is current club captain David Longstaff who has had the greatest influence on the career of the gritty centre. Holland states that Longstaff is the best player he has iced alongside and that he tries to incorporate aspects of his skippers game into his own. Holland also admitted that moving abroad like Longstaff did several years ago would interest him in coming years if he had the opportunity to move his career into Europe in the future.   Holland also spoke highly of the legendary Manchester Phoenix player coach Tony Hand as the best player he has shared the ice with, while his favourite arena to play at is the Hallam Arena home of the Sheffield Steelers. Edinburgh’s freezing Murrayfield rink is his least favourite to visit.   On asked which young player in the north east has a big future in the British game Holland says that current Whitley Warrior Nathan Salem should make a great impact in the next few years. Salem has netted six times for the senior Whitley Bay side, and has a total of eight points from the 18 games he has iced for Simon Leach’s side this term. Salem though is still playing for the under 18s and has shown truly impressive form for the Braves netting braces in his two most recent games for his age group side. Holland goes on to say that Salem has everything a hockey player needs in that he has size, speed, strength and a good hockey brain.   Holland appears eager to spend the next few years of his career in the north east with the Newcastle Vipers and if his game continues to progress as it has done in the last few years he could well be a pivotal member of a successful Vipers team in the future picking up the honours he is keen to see come to Tyneside. Contact the author at Chris.mckenzie@prohockeynews.com