Andre: Now is time to shine

Mar 1 2008 by Stuart Rayner, The Journal

ANDRE Payette has told his Vipers team-mates they cannot allow their standards to drop in a busy week of away games.

The Newcastle-based side travel to Belfast Giants tonight and Sheffield Steelers tomorrow, the first of four Elite League road trips in eight days. With their play-off fate pretty much determined – coach Rob Wilson admitted this week they are almost certain to finish fifth in the table – the popular Canadian has warned his team-mates they cannot simply resign themselves to their fate and ease up ahead of next month’s play-offs.

“It’s tough,” said the 31-year-old of his side’s rather predictable end to the regular season. “It’s just ended up this way that with nine games to play. We’re ten points behind third and nine points off sixth. I guess we maybe could catch fourth-placed Nottingham.

“We just have to motivate ourselves. There’s a good chance we could play Belfast in the play-offs so we want to set down a marker today.

“Once you get to six games left you really want to get your form going because the play-offs are just two games to reach the finals and it can really go quickly if you’re not careful. But we’re playing some good hockey at the moment, we’ve got some settled lines and I really think we’re going to be at the finals weekend in Nottingham.”

The Vipers face a demanding weekend, having left at 5.45am this morning for Belfast. With no flights to Manchester available, they fly back to Teesside Airport and driving to the North West for tomorrow’s game.

The sides who finish fourth and fifth respectively in the regular season will play a two-legged tie to decide who joins three other sides at Nottingham’s National Ice Centre for the play-offs weekend on April 5/6.

Payette was part of the Vipers squad which won the 2006 tournament and believes the format suits his team. “We play defensive first – or at least we’re supposed to – and I think our team always lifts its performances for the big games,” he said.

Since the turn of the year the forward’s role has largely been adding his experience to the team’s third lines along some of his younger colleagues. What he has seen first-hand gives him cause for optimism for next season too.

“This year’s been really trying for me,” he said. “I’ve been centre on the first line at one point, then playing on the third line at others. I’ve been asked to play a more defensive role this season and I’ve enjoyed it. I’ve had a lot of responsibility to help the kids along and it’s good to be helping the team in a different way.

“Next year we’re really going to be able to go at people with our lines because the young lads have really kicked on this year and I think we’re going to be able to keep this team together. With Ben (Campbell), Dean Holland and Jez (Lundin) in defence I don’t know of another team with a group of three players that age who are as good. It’s really exciting for us.”

Payette was in the headlines for the wrong reasons last week, when he was involved in an altercation on the bench with captain David Longstaff. The man whose job is to fight opponents rather than team-mates says the matter was quickly dealt with, however.

“Me and David are good friends and we just didn’t see eye-to-eye at one point,” said Payette. “We know we should have sorted it out in the locker room but it was just one of those heat-of-the-moment things which we both regret now.”

WHITLEY Warriors and Billingham Bombers meet in a Northern League clash at Hillheads tomorrow which carries double points for the winners.