Mark Gouett: Vipers are settling at the Bay

Feb 26 2010 by Stuart Rayner, The Journal

NEWCASTLE Vipers fans are finally starting to regard Whitley Bay as home, and Mark Gouett thinks the atmosphere at the cramped rink points to the way the club should go in the future.

The Vipers are hosting "The Bash at the Bay" tomorrow – a celebration of their temporary Hillheads home – just as the supporters appear to be taking to it.

The visit of Sheffield Steelers is the second of three games in a busy Elite League weekend, and defenceman Gouett believes players and fans have found their feet on the coast at just the right time.

Tonight sees them travel to Sheffield buoyed by back-to-back late victories. On Sunday they are in Edinburgh to face the Capitals – another team near them in the table.

The Vipers are hoping to draw their biggest Whitley Bay crowd this season and Gouett and his team-mates have detected a noticeable improvement in the atmosphere there recently. Hillheads is perhaps the league’s least salubrious venue, and has suffered from being the home of Whitley Warriors – traditional rivals of the Vipers’ forerunners, Durham Wasps.

"The atmosphere’s been a lot better in the last few weeks, even in the game we lost to Edinburgh," commented the Canadian. "The fans have been tremendous, the atmosphere has got strong. We’re getting used to playing there.

"The marketing has been a lot better recently to get people in the building on a more local basis around Whitley Bay and I think the fans are enjoying the more intimate atmosphere.

"It feels like we’re starting to have home advantage there. We’re learning the bounces and we’ve adjusted our play a little more to Whitley Bay. We’re pursuing the puck more and forcing mistakes."