Mobilx Newcastle Vipers 3, Basingstoke Bison 2

Feb 16 2008 The Journal

IN a dramatic finish, Vipers skipper David Longstaff claimed the points for his team last night.

Just nine seconds remained when the GB international made the decisive contact on the puck which had been flashed into the danger zone by Todd Jackson.

Earlier the Vipers had enjoyed good middle-period pressure, which had begun with defenceman Burt Henderson threatening from the edge of the crease.

Ex-Viper Curtis Cruikshank then had to deal with a low goal attempt from Jez Lundin and when driving to the net Dean Holland should have put the Vipers ahead converting Derek Campbell’s cross ice pass.

The two sides left the ice at the first break with the score 0-0 but the Bison had spurned two golden opportunities.

On 16 minutes, with the goal at his mercy, Greg Chambers sent a shot against the far post and, from a similar position, the Bison’s Derek Campbell should have made a three-on-two break pay.

Nine seconds into the middle period Jeff Hutchins showed the two Bison players how it was done from almost the same place the two of them had missed from. Cruikshank could only parry Jackson’s shot and the puck fell nicely for Hutchins who really couldn’t miss.

A series of assaults on the Bison net failed to add to the Vipers advantage and the misses proved costly when on 33 minutes the visitors drew level. The Vipers defence was sloppy and from a position close to the edge of the crease Greg Owen took advantage of it.

The Vipers went ahead for the second time two minutes into the final session. There was a clatter of sticks as a melee broke out around the Bison’s crease and from the middle of it Holland, possibly the Vipers best player on the night, made the scoring contact. Winger Andrew Payette got an assist on the goal which was the import forward’s first point of 2008.

Five minutes later, the Vipers’ lead had gone, with the Bison scoring the equaliser against a powerplay. Henderson turned the puck over to set up the counter offensive and Chambers somehow found the minuscule gap between netminder Ryan McDonald and his right-hand post with an exemplary finish.

But Longstaff was at hand to secure the points at the death.

SCORERS – Mobilx Newcastle Vipers: Holland, Hutchins and Longstaff 1+0, Jackson 0+2, D Campbell, Payette and Storey 0+1. Basingstoke Bison: Chambers and Owen 1+0, Brass 0+2, Campbell 0+1.