Newcastle Vipers 2, Coventry Blaze 4

Mar 30 2009 by Peter Adams, The Journal

THE next two weeks could decide the future of the Newcastle Vipers franchise, according to deflated player-coach Rob Wilson.

Speaking after last night’s loss which ended the Vipers’ season on the ice, Wilson was frank about the club’s prospects.

Wilson is to sit down for critical talks with co-owner Paul Ferone and with their fellow Elite League directors.

He said: “Paul and I have funded this all ourselves. The bottom line is we want hockey here for the next 20 years but we are not a charity.

“Paul and I have to look at it really seriously in the next few weeks. We’d be totally lying to say the credit crunch hasn’t seriously affected us.

“We are two honest guys who really like hockey and really like the North East. We’ve taken things a long way and put our futures into it.

“You have to let people know what is going on and we want to see how much people really want hockey in Newcastle.”

Wilson, who had a testimonial game last month, will also consider whether it is time to stop coaching the team.

A poacher’s effort two minute from time struck by Sylvain Deschatalets ended the Vipers’ stubborn resistance and made it 3-2 on the night (and 5-4 aggregate). Barry Moore added a 60th- minute empty net score to put gloss on the quarter-final second leg tie.

Defenceman Chris McAllister’s extremely close-range score on 22 minutes was cancelled out by ex-Vipers captain Jonathan Weaver’s powerplay marker two minutes into the final period.

The Blaze went ahead through Danny Stewart with eight minutes left to play before Ben Campbell’s re-direction of a long-range shot made it 2-2 on 53 minutes.

Defenceman turned emergency winger, Likit Andersson (10) put the Vipers ahead in Saturday’s first leg at the Skydome.

Two Adam Calder powerplay efforts (19 and 23) gave the Blaze an ascendancy which was negated by a 33rd-minute score from Ed Courtenay.

VIPERS Scorers: McAllister 1+1, B Campbell 1+0, Longstaff and Wilson 0+1.

BLAZE Scorers: Weaver 1+1, Deschatalets, Moore & Stewart 1+0, Calder, Forsyth, Lewis & Soderstrom 0+1.

SATURDAY NIGHT SCORES

BLAZE: Calder 2+0, Weaver 0+2, Carlson 0+1.

VIPERS: Courtenay 1+1, Andersson 1+0, D Campbell, Hutchins & Longstaff 0+1.