Cingel is wary as four strikers make Vipers very venomous

Published on Friday 9 October 2009 11:37

UPBEAT Edinburgh Capitals skipper Martin Cingel is convinced they will snap their three-game losing streak this weekend.

The Murrayfield men square up to a new-look Newcastle Vipers squad in a Challenge Cup double-header with the first match on Tyneside tomorrow.

Capitals entertain their nearest rivals at Murrayfield on Sunday (6pm) and Cingel says maximum points are a necessity after the disappointing 6-2 home reverse to Belfast Giants in the club's opening Challenge Cup tie.

Cingel points to a positive performance in Sunday's showpiece 20-20 Festival quarter-final against Vipers at Sheffield and said: "We lost 1-0 but hit the post twice."

In-form Newcastle are, however, second-top of the Elite League with 11 points from eight games, winning five and losing three to sit a point behind early pace-setters Nottingham Panthers. They recorded perhaps the most impressive result of last Saturday's card – a 5-2 win at Coventry.

Razor-sharp Mike Berry scored his second hat-trick of the season in the third period taking him to second place in the individual points charts with eight goals and six assists in nine games.

Edinburgh, in contrast, have one win and two defeats in their three league games and have collected three points. They have scored 13 goals and lost ten.

Berry is just one of four stand-out Newcastle forwards. Matus Petricko, who scored a late goal to knock Capitals out of the 20-20 Festival, has five goals and six assists in nine games, while Matic Kralj is next best with five goals and seven assists from nine starts and Jason Tejchma has five goals and four assists from the same number of starts. The Vipers also ice former Capitals and Nottingham Panthers netminder Michel Robinson.

Cingel said: "Newcastle have guys who can hurt you. Petricko has bags of experience and knows where the net is. He can really play and he is very skilled. He's been around and we'll have to watch him.

"Berry is another player we can't afford to give any space to.

"Michel (Robinson) played well against us on Sunday and always seems to against us. He also played really well against us for Nottingham last season and helped take them to the play-off final.

"Newcastle are a different team this time. Before they used to bring in physical, tough players who wanted to bully other teams. Now, they are a skilled, fast team and we have to play a different game against them."

Adding to the problems will be the small Whitley Bay ice pad, much tighter than Murrayfield, which is one of the biggest rinks on the circuit in Britain.

Cingel said: "It will be really difficult adjusting to Whitley Bay but we have to. It is a really small ice rink and it is a different game – dump and chase.

"You have to take your chances when they come and you must be really careful as teams can score from all angles.

"We'll have to work hard to get anything down there but we have to do it as we need points after losing to Belfast in Edinburgh.

"Saturday's defeat at Hull was a blow. We were level at 1-1 in the game and were holding them before our legs went as we are running only two lines.

"We were also without Mark Paterson who was ill and he helps give the guys a rest.

"We've now lost three games in a row, two in the league, and we have to start picking up points."

Cingel added: "We're looking for full points from the games and we can do it. We have to play smart and only stay on the ice for short spells so we can rest. We'll have to close down the space for them."

Last weekend, Capitals coach Doug Christiansen used Owen Fussey, Mark Garside and quicksilver Simon Lambert on his first line.

Cingel was on a line with Darius Pliskauskas and Neil Hay, while Andrew Sharp, Scott McKenzie and Jordan Steel made up the third line.

Highly-rated netminder Cody Rudkowski could play a major part and Cingel said: "He's a key man for us and he is a big player in this organisation.

"We showed in the challenge game with Toronto Marlies that we can compete and now we need to show that kind of form against Newcastle in both games this weekend."