WHEN centreman Colin Shields returned to British ice hockey this summer it was only ever going to be with the Vipers – because he did not want to be on the receiving end of the Newcastle side’s rough-house tactics! Shields makes his competitive debut in tonight’s Elite League clash at Hull Stingrays, then faces Nottingham Panthers in his first home game tomorrow. And while last week’s exhibition games against Coventry Blaze showed a faster, more attacking Vipers, Shields would still rather be playing for Rob Wilson’s side than against them. You would not realise it from an accent as American as mom’s apple pie, but the 27-year-old was born in Glasgow. Since leaving Paisley Pirates as a 15-year-old to try his luck on the other side of the Atlantic, Shields has only returned to the British game once, with Belfast Giants in 2005-06. But his experience that season, winning the championship but missing out to the Vipers in the play-offs, left its mark. “Newcastle had a really good team and that was a big part of my decision, “ he explains. “If you get the chance to pick a team in the league you want to be on a winning team. “I didn’t get to Belfast until November so I only came to Newcastle once, but we played in Belfast a couple of times and also in the play-offs. They always gave you a tough game and were an intimidating team. It’s nice to be on the team that’s doing the intimidating.” The 2005-06 campaign was the Vipers’ first in the Elite League and Shields believes the similarities with this season are striking. “I think we’re going to be one of the teams people under-estimate a little,” he says. “That’s always a good thing. They surprised a lot of people two years ago. They had a really good goaltender (Trevor Koenig) then as well. They were really solid defensively and with Pascha (Pavel Gomenyuk) back we should have a strong defence this year. “Last year we struggled with injuries and things like that but this year we’ve got a really great team, some great defence, and a great goal-tender. Hopefully we’ve got the chance to do some damage.” Shields’ North American career took in Cleveland Barons, University of Maine, San Diego Gulls, Atlantic City Boardwalk, Greenville Grrrowl, Fresno Falcons and, most recently, Idaho Steelheads, but it is his roots coach Wilson thinks will be most advantageous. “Colin is an exceptional talent but he’s from Glasgow,” he pointed out. “My parents are from Glasgow and I spent a lot of time there as a kid. The mentality around here is similar so I think Colin will fit in like he was living at home.” Shields says the decision to move to the North-East was an easy one. “It was exciting to be offered the chance to play for the Vipers,” he says. “It kinda came out of nowhere. Rob spoke to my cousin, Stephen Murphy, at the World Championships, and he said I was interested in coming back to Britain so Rob gave me a call. It didn’t really take too long after that. This was the most interesting offer for me to come as a location and in terms of the team Rob was planning on putting together. “I’ve known Rob a long time and my dad (Martin) coached against him a couple of times. So I knew what kind of a guy Rob was, I knew he wouldn’t tell me he was going to build a great team and not. He’s done a great job in following through on his word. We’ve got a great chance this year.” After opening their English National League (North) season with a 5-0 win at Flintshire Freeze, Whitley Warriors are at Sheffield today and host Lancashire tomorrow. The ENL Vipers entertain Grimsby today. | 
