Giants task is Newcastle Vipers' spur
Oct 30 2010 by Matthew Leslie, The Journal
THE TOUGHEST defeat to take could be the spur for Newcastle Vipers to kickstart their season according to coach Danny Stewart.
The Hillheads side suffered heartbreak earlier this week as they came within 58 seconds of taking Cardiff Devils to overtime before Jon Pelle struck to hand the Welshmen a 4-3 win.
It was a bitter pill for Vipers who fought hard to get to the brink – thanks to goals from Jamie Carroll, Dale Mahovsky and Patrik Forsbacka coupled with a 39-save display from goalie Charlie Effinger – on returning from Wales with something only to come home empty-handed.
Tonight they entertain league-leaders Belfast Giants and while the Ulstermen are hot favourites to win at Hillheads, Stewart (pictured right) believes the positives from Cardiff could serve his Vipers well.
He said: “I am proud of the way the guys played and everyone in the room was shattered that we came away with nothing.
“Although we didn’t get anything in terms of league points, I think we can take an awful lot of positives into the weekend against Belfast and Nottingham. This was probably the hardest loss to take. We played very well against a great Cardiff team in the toughest rink to play in on the road. In the last couple of minutes we had a bad break to give up the powerplay. The Cardiff glass is quite short and we shot the puck out trying to make the right play.”
Stewart has made moves to strengthen his squad by capturing Canadian winger Mike Prpich for the rest of the season – which comes on the back of Polish ace Jaroslaw Rzeszutko having his plaster cast removed from his broken wrist. The 28-year-old from Kenaston, Saskatchewan, played in the Elite League previously for Cardiff Devils where he totalled 63 points in 54 games.
He added: “I felt we were missing a little scoring finish and a bit of grit up front. With Mike Prpich we get quality in both areas and we get a guy who will improve our club drastically.
“Mike is going through the visa process and we hope to get him in as soon as possible. As for Jaro, his wrist has healed really well, it's a case of getting his strength back in to it. I’d say he could be featuring next weekend when we take on Cardiff again at home.”
Out the door however is defenceman Blair Stayzer who, despite joining in the summer is heading back to North America. A Vipers spokesman said: “The club would like to place on record its thanks to Blair for his time as a Viper and we wish him well in his future endeavours.”
