Belfast Giants set for 'Armageddon' against Vipers

There is likely to be another duel between Jason Rushton and Andre Payette when the Belfast Giants travel to the Newcastle Vipers tomorrow night

Steve Thornton has spoilt the Newcastle Vipers fun ahead of tomorrow night’s clash with the Belfast Giants which the home club has dubbed’ Armageddon.’

With the intensity of the games between the teams building all through the current campaign, the Vipers are marketing this one with the slogan ‘The bitter rivalry continues with the most eagerly awaited home match of the season.’

It all started when Thornton was rounded on by the Vipers way back in September when they accused him of deliberately slashing Andre Payette in the head and things have snowballed since, especially after Giants new-boy Jason Rushton was ready to take on all-comers — including Payette more than once — when Newcastle visited the Odyssey last month.

Both men are now targets for the Vipers — who are renowned as the toughest team in the league — but Thornton won’t make it any further than the bench tomorrow night.

He has deregistered himself, meaning that he can’t play for a minimum of six matches, ruling the player-coach out of action for another fortnight.

“I took a blow to the head against Coventry last Sunday and didn’t play in the third period,” said Thornton.

“The medical advice is that I take two weeks off, I’m deregistered now, so I can’t play until the Cardiff game in the semi-final.”

When he makes his own comeback that will be time for Thornton to make a decision over which of his imports to drop out as Rushton’s arrival has taken the team over the limit and Bobby Robins

is expected to return from injury for the home games against Basingstoke Bison and Hull Stingrays next weekend.

He hasn’t played since a fight even before the puck had dropped in the last game against Newcastle, as he went about laying down a marker with Rushton missing that night through suspension.

Vipers general manager Jamie Longmuir has asked the club’s fans to ‘make Sunday as hostile an environment as possible’ for the Giants.

If that is an attempt to rile Thornton and his players then it failed miserably.

“Fans enjoy rivalries, they are using it as much as they can and will probably pack their rink,” said Thornton.

“If that’s the way they want to market the game that’s up to them.

“Everyone wants to put bums on seats and if it works then credit to them.”

The Giants sit on their own in second place in the Elite League, but both Coventry and the Nottingham Panthers can move level with them if they win their games tonight.