We’ve seen what Newcastle can do to your players when they come into your barn and know that you don’t really have a player that can stand up to them. You might win the game but you won’t go home without bruises and the risk of injury. There is no doubt the Giants escaped injuries with some of the Vipers tactics, but this time out had someone on the ice who would distract the Vipers muscle and keep them honest towards the Giants skill.

Enter Jason Rushton. He has played four games now for the club getting in two fights so far and even scoring a goal and an assist with the limited ice time that has been afforded to him. He may not have scored in tonight’s contest but he was quick to drop the gloves, put the Vipers players off their game, give the Giants stars the freedom to play their game free of intimidation and ultimately win the game 4-1.

It was one of the bigger crowds of the season and the face-off had to be delayed due to the amount of people outside come 7.30 p.m. The game had been billed as a guaranteed fight night, a night were the Giants would show the Vipers that they were no longer push overs. The people bought into it and came in their droves for a nights entertainment.

The fighting came early and came often as well as goals for the Giants. Rushton was quick to drop the gloves with Payette sending an immediate message to the Vipers bench that the days of walking over the Giants physically and trying to put them off their game with physical intimidation were over. He beat up Payette and retired to the bench to serve his five for fighting, a two plus ten minute misconduct for instigating.

The Giants responded with the crowd behind them after the physical action by scoring the games first goals. Tyler Howells grabbed the first goal minutes after the first fight and the Giants didn’t look back. Burgoyne, his blue line partner, made it two-nil going into the period break. Steve Thornton added a third early in the second and the Giants took control.

The fighting wasn’t over there however as Rushton went with Payette again. Clearly focusing on the Vipers goon and taking his concentration away from the Giants players, notably Thornton who had served a suspension earlier in the year for high sticking Payette.

It worked.
Payette got wound up more and more from the penalty box by Rushton who must have been all to happy to spend his time there having done his work with his fists than sit on the bench watching everyone else play.

Rushton decided to send one more message to Payette and that Vipers bench ahead of tomorrow nights game by going after him again. A bit of a scrum ensued and the upshot of it all was Rushton being tossed from the game.

The bonus of that was that he not only took one, but two Vipers players with him in the shape of Payette and Derek Campbell. Campbell who is one of the Vipers better players was now out of the way and the Giants could sail home for the victory.

Tonight was clearly a sign of the place of the enforcer in the game of hockey and Rushton’s team-mates clearly fed off the increase in crowd noise and the ability to focus on their game without having to look over their backs. Evidence also stands in the entertainment it brought the crowd. Not only did it stoke up a building rivalry to new levels but it also had the crowd on their feet with reports from those in the thick of the atmosphere suggesting it was as noisy tonight as it had been in a long time in the recently very quiet Odyssey.

I want to see win’s first and foremost like the next guy, but its clear the best winning hockey to watch is the hockey that comes with some nasty stuff. It is that stuff that really generates a buzz and boisterous crowd in the stands. Just ask fans of the Philadelphia Flyers about that one.

The best part about the whole thing is that the two teams go head-to-head tomorrow night again in the Odyssey and this time I will be tuning into the webcast. A win is crucial and maybe the physical stuff will have been beaten out of Rushton and Payette though the way the game appeared to come to a close tonight you can bet their might well be scored to settle.

On the subject: Andre Payette, Brawl in the O, Fight Reviews, Jason Rushton, Newcastle Vipers | ALL SUBJECTS |

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