Once upon a time, a week ago, some bad news was revealed to the girls/ladies of the Vipers. There was no netminder available for the upcoming game. Volunteers were asked for. After initial shock and silence, one brave, possibly slightly foolish hand was raised. Having never worn goalie kit before, this was to be an interesting week for the volunteer, known amongst friends as Bernie (probably because that is her name). Many thanks go out to all those who helped Bernie during the week during ice time for the junior teams and at off-ice sessions. This may turn into a little bit of an Oscar acceptance speak (with the exception of the glamourous gown, perfect hair and make-up). There are too many people to thank, but I hope we have shown our appreciation personally along the way. If we haven't then, I apologise. However, a huge thank you does go to Jacob Steeples, who tried to impart some netminder wisdom (have you ever met a 'sane' goalie?!) upon our new recruit. Also, a big thank you to the recreational hockey goalie who lent his hockey gear to our fearless warrier - although I suspect the smell of it now is possibly making him regret this moment of kindness! Most importantly, all the girls want to thank Bernie herself for giving up her evenings in the past week, to try and prepare for the weekend's game. It was dedication that has been truly noted. The best thing is, the effort has proved to be all worthwhile.

The first period saw Whitley Bay take the lead from a break-away, followed by a good deke and finish. Vipers didn't panic, and maintained composure on the puck. Composure that would eventually pay off from the power play, with constant pressure finally being converted into a goal by Lucy, to level the match. Soon after, some good forechecking by Michelle led to Whitley turning over the puck on the blue line, and somehow Anna (despite being on her backside) saw her shot cross the line! Not a classic goal - well classic, but just not really in the true sense of the word. A collision at the end of the first period, led to one of the Whitley players being injured and unfortunately had to be taken to hospital. I am happy to report, that other than some concussion, there were no other major injuries.

Due to the loss in time, the second period was played rolling-clock. The break didn't do Vipers any favours, and lost the momentum as Whitley scored the only goal of the second period, to tie the game. The third period was played with a stop-clock. The Vipers listened to the words from their coaches during the interval, and kicked off the third with a nice move straight from the face-off which put them in front. The problem I have with this tale, is that this could turn into the longest match report ever. In fact, if you are still reading this by now, then I will be slightly surprised. There is a lot I could tell you about the game. I could tell you about all the D - they held there blue line, pinched-in and made some great D-D passes under a pressurised forecheck. I could tell you about all the little one-two passes, and some good positional play by the forwards, which enabled the play to be spread, and even saw some successful breakouts. The Whitley Bay team were a much stronger team than the team of last season. However, so were the Vipers. With some goal line clearances as the D helped out Bernie, who stood up to a number of shots (19 - earning her the man-of-the-match award) and some agression to ensure 1-on-1 battles were won, Vipers made the most of their possession in the third and came away with a 6-4 victory.

In the post-match press conference, the newest member of the coaching staff, Jason Scott expressed his delight at the way his team had tried to perform in the game as they had been doing in training. The effort of his players was highly commended, and he said that many people had congratulated the improvement they had seen in the team from last season. I believe even the Queen sent some words of congratulation - a big ice hockey fan apparently! Asked if there were any negatives from the game...he just smiled and said there was still much to be worked on, and if Anna ever tries to take a slap shot again...'again' being the approriate word!!!