Sunday 30 November 2008

Sunday 30th November: Inconsistent Stingrays down title challengers Belfast for second time.

Excel Hull Stingrays 5-4 Belfast Giants

A Konstantin Kalmikov double as well as strikes from Jamie Thompson, Matt Reynolds and Pavel Gomenyuk sealed a surprise Excel Hull Stingrays victory over title chasing Belfast Giants. With defencemen Troy Neumeier and Stuart Kerr out with injuries the Stingrays held on after leading 5-2 with 10 minutes following a quick double.

After a 7-1 defeat to the Manchester Phoenix things looked bleak for the Stingrays, who had lost eight games in a row previous to this game, however, with injured Troy Neumeier helping coach Rick Strachan on the bench, the Stingrays turned the negative energy from that defeat into a monumental upset, their second victory over the Giants in two games.

The Stingrays now face a Challenge Cup encounter against the Cardiff Devils in Wales on Wednesday before their final game in the Challenge Cup on Sunday at home to the Basingstoke Bison, with the Stingrays already all but out of the tournament. It is expected that the Stingrays will also begin the search for a replacement for experienced defenceman Troy Neumeier, who was ruled out for the rest of the season through injury on Saturday night.

SOG: 23-44
PIM: 2-4
MOM
: Stingrays- Belfast-

Season ending injury ends Neumeier's career?

The Hull Daily Mail is reporting that the Stingrays 39 year old Canadian defenceman, Troy Neumeier (pictured), suffered a season ending torn right abductor tendon four weeks ago.

It was initially feared that the injury was groin related however further tests have revealed an injury that will keep Neumeier out for the rest of the season.

Speculation now revolves around one of three situations that Stingray fans are hoping will resolve their current eight game losing streak. The first is the persistent rumour (read hope) that Neumeier will step up to become the Stingrays head coach leaving Rick Strachan to either step down as coach or become General Manager of the team.

This long lasting rumour has been doing the rounds for a couple of months now and whilst it would bring change, Neumeier has yet to comment on whether he would welcome a move into a coaching role. Likewise, it is unknown whether Neumeier would be a good choice as head coach as, whilst he is a hugely experience player, he has had just one seasons coaching under his belt with a spell as assistant coach with the Fort Wayne Komets of the UHL in 04/05.

Another option is that Neumeier, who has a family back at home in Canada, will return to North America and retire from the game.

Either way it seems the Stingrays will replace him rather than hope he makes a miraculous recovery before the end of the season with Tyler Hanchuck, a former team mate of Stuart Kerr and Jason Kostadine, tipped to move to the country. However with the severity of Neumeier's injury only recently revealed, the Basingstoke Bison are favourites to seal his signing after announcing they have signed two new imports in the last few days.

The major question is whether Neumeier, who joined the Stingrays in January last season and has scored 15 points in 42 games, remains in the country, becomes coach, or returns home to retire.

Neumeier's will become the fourth import to be scratched from the club this season after Rick Kozak, Jake Riddle and Jonathan Bernier all left the club. Meanwhile Neumeier may not be the final change to the Stingrays this season with two other players rumoured to be leaving the club in the near future.

PICTURE: Troy Neumeier (www.hullstingrays.co.uk)

Saturday 29 November 2008

Saturday 29th November: Beauregard and Fulghum sink awful Stingrays

Excel Hull Stingrays 1-7 Manchester Phoenix

The Elite League's top scorer, David Beauregard, gave the Excel Hull Stingrays a lesson in finishing in the third meeting of the season between the Rays and the Manchester Phoenix tonight at the Hull Arena.

The Stingrays opened the scoring early in the first period and were playing with the confidence that seemed to have deserted them during their seven game losing streak. However as soon as Beauregard scored his league leading 25th and 26th of the season, giving the Phoenix a 2-1 lead, the Stingrays looked all at sea. Setting up Beauregard's 25th was 41 year old British forward Tony Hand who, in the process, recorded the 4000th point of his 27 year career a remarkable feat and one we are unlikely to ever see again.

Beauregard rounded off a well taken hat trick on 56 minutes after a double from Luke Fulghum and a solitary goal from Kenton Smith saw the Phoenix extend their lead to 6-1. There was still time however for Fulghum to secure a third period hat trick of his own just 50 seconds after Beauregard with the game finishing at 7-1.

The Stingrays have now lost eight games in a row and face a second place Belfast Giants side tomorrow night at the Hull Arena (5.30pm) with rumour of unforced changes circling the rink tonight.

Best Moment: Slava Koulikov giving the Stingrays a 1-0 lead.

Worst Moment: The third period Stingrays collapse.

F Block MOM- Stingrays- Steve Slonina (0+0), Manchester- David Beauregard (3+3)

Stingrays verdict- (2/10)- Whilst the Rays started the game well with a fairly positive penalty kill and powerplay, as well as the lead through a 3 minute Slava Koulikov goal, they eventually proved that Manchester's superior finishing was far too much for them. The third period collapse was too much for many fans with the majority of the Stingrays chasing shadows in the final period. Just two players come away with any form of credit from the game with those players being the ever hardworking Jeff Glowa and the revitalised forward turned defenceman Steve Slonina. There were far too many players that went missing tonight for the Stingrays and that was evident in the dominance the Phoenix had, tomorrow night will show if the team learn from their mistakes or if they will once again collapse.

Strachans verdict-"The guys are not feeling good right now. But the same thing happened last weekend, we lost 5-0 to Manchester, but then responded well on Sunday against Nottingham. We'd better respond well again this time."

Friday 28 November 2008

29th/30th November Weekend Preview

V
Saturday 29th November: Excel Hull Stingrays (10th) v Manchester Phoenix (5th) @ Hull Arena, 6pm
Sunday 30th November: Excel Hull Stingrays (10th) v Belfast Giants (3rd) @ Hull Arena, 5.30pm

Form
Stingrays- L L L L L
Manchester- L L W W W
Belfast- L W W W W

Last 3 Meetings
v Manchester
06/09/08 3-4 L H
26/10/08 4-6 L A
22/11/08 0-5 L A

v Belfast
31/01/08 1-3 L A
14/09/08 1-4 L H
01/11/08 6-3 W A

Players to Watch
Stingrays- Jeff Glowa- Continued his great start to the season with a goal and two assists against Nottingham in the Stingrays shootout loss taking his goalscoring total to 11 goals in ten games, before which he had recorded a seven game point streak.

Manchester- David Beauregard- With 24 goals in 23 games, Beauregard, who is playing on a line with play maker Tony Hand, has established himself as the leagues clear leader in goals, five ahead of his nearest rival.

Belfast- Paul Deniset- Deniset sits second in the league goalscoring charts behind the phenomenal Beauregard. He has only failed to record a point in one game this season whilst in his last four games has recorded a hat trick over Manchester and a rare four assist night over Nottingham.

Absentees
Stingrays- Slava Koulikov (doubtful; broken collarbone), Stuart Kerr (doubtful; knee), Troy Neumeier (torn ligament)
Manchester- Full strength
Belfast- Paul Deniset (doubtful), Bobby Robins (doubtful), Andrew Martin (doubtful)

Other stuff
- 40 year old player coach of the Manchester Phoenix and all time British hockey legend, Tony Hand, requires just one point to reach 4000 career points, a category he already leads by some margin.

- Jeff Glowa requires just two goals to equal his season high in goals during an Elite League season. Glowas 18 last season bettered his 06/07 total by 2 however this season an on form Glowa has hit 16 goals in just 22 games for the Stingrays adding a further 11 assists.

- Slava Koulikov looks set to make his return to action following a broken collarbone that he received after a hit from Coventry's Mattias Soderstrom. It had initially been feared that British born Russian forward Koulikov would be out until Christmas, however he has reacted well to physio and so will return this weekend against Manchester.

- Already without Troy Neumeier, there had been fears that the Stingrays may have just two fit defenceman going into the weekend. Stuart Kerr suffered a knee injury against Nottingham last weekend whilst Paul Moran blocked a shot with his knee in the same game. However it has been revealed that Kerr now faces a last minute fitness test before Saturdays 6pm face off, whilst Moran has confirmed that he will ice this weekend. Canadian forward Steve Slonina had been helping out on defence but with a fit back line of Paul Moran, Pavel Gomenyuk, Aaron Wilson and possibly Stuart Kerr, he may revert back to forward.

- Belfast may be without all of their three first line forwards. All three, Bobby Robins, Paul Deniset and Andrew Martin, are doubts will niggling injuries with Belfast also playing Coventry tonight (Friday).

- Belfast have not lost a game (four games) since their 6-3 loss to the Stingrays in Belfast on the 1st November, the game marked the Stingrays first ever victory at the Odyssey Arena in Belfast after a previous win against the Giants in Dundalk.

Predictions
Stingrays 3-4 Manchester
Stingrays 2-4 Belfast

Monday 24 November 2008

Stingray news

- American born forward Jamie Thompson broke his point and goal duck on Sunday night in Nottingham with a powerplay goal which gave the Stingrays a 4-3 lead in a game that eventually finished 5-4 after a shootout. Thompson, who has had four 20+ goal seasons in his career, had previously gone eight games without a point before the goal.

- Jeff Glowa's awesome form continued in the same game on Sunday night after a team blip in Manchester on Saturday night, a game where the Stingrays were shut out 5-0 and recorded just 13 shots on target. Glowa, 32, recorded a goal and two assists in Nottingham to rescue a point for the Rays whilst also increasing his goal streak to 11 goals in 10 games for the Stingrays.

- In the 5-0 whitewash in Manchester the Stingrays 24 year old import, Stuart Kerr, suffered a knee injury which could keep him out of action for an extended period of time. Rays coach Rick Strachan told the Yorkshire Post that is taking a cautious approach to Kerr's injury:
Stu has a sore knee and we will be sending him to a specialist to see what the damage is. He is as tough as nails so you know there is something wrong when he can't get out there and play.
Kerr, a defenceman who joined in post season from the Austin Ice Bats in the CHL, has recorded just six assists in 23 games so far this season. However Strachan told the Yorkshire Post of the admiration he had for the work Kerr has done so far this season despite the lack of points:
He is an unsung hero. He blocks 25 shots a game, takes tonnes of hits and makes a load of hits. He does whatever it takes to win.
- On a positive note, Ukrainian defenceman Pavel Gomenyuk successfully returned from an upper body injury on Saturday night against Manchester and played in both games this weekend as the Stingrays look to recover from recent injuries with Slava Koulikov also close to returning.

- The Stingrays will likely remain without both Kerr and Troy Neumeier for a number of weeks and so Rick Strachan has hinted that he may be looking to make changes to improve the Rays form and strengthen their defensive lineups. Strachan told the Hull Daily Mail that he will "look at that[changes] this week."

Sunday 23 November 2008

Weekend Review 22th/23rd November

Saturday 22nd November: Manchester Phoenix 5-0 Excel Hull Stingrays
Sunday 23rd November: Nottingham Panthers 5-4 Excel Hull Stingrays (After Shootout)

Friday 21 November 2008

22nd/23rd Weekend Preview

V

Saturday 2nd November: Manchester Phoenix v Excel Hull Stingrays @ Altrincham Ice Dome, F/O 5.30pm
Sunday 23rd November: Nottingham Panthers v Excel Hull Stingrays @ National Ice Centre, F/O 6pm

Form
Stingrays- L L L L L
Manchester- L W L L L
Nottingham- W L W L W

Last 3 Meetings
v Manchester
23/03/08 6-2 W H
06/09/08 3-4 L H
26/10/08 4-6 L A

v Nottingham
07/09/08 2-6 L A
28/09/08 2-2 D H
11/10/08 4-7 L H

Players to watch
Stingrays-Jeff Glowa (22GP 15+10 28PIM)- Scored five of the Stingrays six goals last weekend including a hat trick in Edinburgh and two goals to save a point against Cardiff.
Manchester-David Beauregard (21GP 21+15 14PIM)- After scoring 13 goals in 14 games, Beauregard recorded 7 goals in the Phoenix last 6 games.
Nottingham- David Clarke (15GP 15+7 20PIM) - As one of Britains most lethal finishers Clarke has scored 6 goals in his last 7 games for the Panthers to bring his season figures to 15 goals in 15 games.

Absentees
Stingrays- Troy Neumeier (torn ligaments), Slava Koulikov (broken collarbone)
Manchester- Bruce Mulherin (doubtful)
Nottingham- Marc Levers (doubtful)

Other Stuff
-Manchester Phoenix and British ice hockey legend, Tony Hand, is just 6 points short of his 4000th career point and could reach that total this weekend against either the Stingrays on Saturday or Edinburgh Capitals on Sunday night.
-After just 22 games of the season, the Stingrays all time highest goal and pointscorer, Jeff Glowa is just three goals shy of equalling his record 18 goals during a season in the Elite League. Despite this Glowa still has a way to go to beat his season high in goals which came during the 06/07 EPL season when he scored 40 goals in 45 games for the club.
- Quite the opposite to Glowa, Rays forward Jamie Thompson, who was brought in to replace Rick Kozak (who scored 3 in 5 games for the Stingrays), has gone pointless in 6 games.
-Stingrays defenceman Pavel Gomenyuk will return to action this weekend after sitting out the Rays last four games with a minor upper body injury.

Predictions
Manchester 5-2 Stingrays
Nottingham 6-1 Stingrays

Sunday 16 November 2008

Sunday 16th November: Five straight goals seals Capitals second consecutive win over Rays.

Edinburgh 7-3 Excel Hull Stingrays

The Excel Hull Stingrays conceed 6+ goals for the second time in three games and more importantly for the second consecutive game against the 8th placed Edinburgh Capitals in Scotland on Sunday night.

The Stingrays started off the stronger team as Jeff Glowa scored his thrid goal in two minutes of regulation play, after his two in the last minute of the Ray game on Saturday night against Cardiff, with a goal after just 33 seconds.

Glowa scored a second, after Stuart Kerr had opened his goal scoring account for the season (although the goal has since been changed to a Jeff Glowa goal, marking a hat trick), taking the score to 3-2 after just 26 minutes of play, however that is as close as the Rays came to victory. Five consecutive goals, including two from Martin Cingel who sealed his hat trick in the closing seconds, handed the Capitals the win and a three point weekend after a shootout loss over Basingstoke on Saturday night.

Further bad news for the Stingrays came in Coventry as Basingstoke recorded a 4-1 victory over the league leading Blaze team with just 12 outskaters. Their four point weekend, as well as Edinburghs three point weekend, leaves the Stingrays rock bottom of the Elite League with just 11 points, three from ninth placed Basingstoke and five points from eigth placed Edinburgh.

The Stingrays next games come in the form of an away double header against Manchester on Saturday night and Nottingham on Sunday night with points a must for the bottom placed Stingrays.

0.33 0-1 Jeff Glowa (13th) (Mitchell, Slonina)

12.49 1-1 Martin Cingel

23.26 2-1 David Nimmo SHG
24.11 2-2 Stuart Kerr (1st) PPG (Slonina)
26.38 2-3 Jeff Glowa (14th) SHG
28.14 3-3 Mark Hurtubise
34.51 4-3 Andrej Rajcak PPG

44.08 5-3 Martin Cingel PPG
47.05 6-3 Andrej Rajcak
59.39 7-3 Martin Cingel Hat Trick

SOG: 37-41
PIM: 10-16
MOM: Stingrays- Glowa Capitals- Rajcak

Saturday 15 November 2008

Saturday 15th November: Rays net three in last five minutes to steal a point.

Excel Hull Stingrays 3-4 Cardiff Devils (After Shootout)

Two Jeff Glowa goals with less than a minute to go secured the Excel Hull Stingrays a point against the Cardiff Devils at the Hull Arena on Saturday night.

The Stingrays, who trailed by three Cardiff goals from Mike Prpich, Jason Silverthorn and Jay Latulippe, scored what many expected to be a consolation goal through Konstantin Kalmikov with less than five minutes left on the clock. However to everyones surprise the Rays pulled one back in the last minute through Jeff Glowa with Curtis Cruickshank pulled for the extra skater. Less than 19 seconds later and the game was tied at three as Glowa again benefited from some lax Cardiff defending to score his team leading 12th of the season.

The game went into overtime and then a shootout before a Mike Prpich penalty shot and a Stingrays miss handed the Devils the extra point

Coach Rick Strachan however was pleased with the unexpected point:

"We looked down and out at 3-0 but we got a goal back and the bench woke up. We showed a lot of character towards the end of the game. It's always nice to pick up a point. Two would have been better but we have to be happy with what we got and if we can get a win in Edinburgh tomorrow night it will have been a good weekend.
The Stingrays now move on to a fixture in Edinburgh tonight with revenge on the cards after the Capitals 6-1 record away victory at the Hull Arena last weekend. Edinburgh current sit in 8th place in the Elite League, three points ahead of the Stingrays, after a shootout loss against 9th placed Basingstoke last night.

Friday 14 November 2008

15th/16th Weekend Preview

V
15/11/08 Excel Hull Stingrays (9th) v Cardiff Devils (7th) @ Hull Arena, F/O 5.30pm
16/11/08 Edinburgh Capitals (8th) v Excel Hull Stingrays (9th) @ Murrayfield Ice Rink, F/O 6pm

Form
Stingrays- W W L L L
Cardiff- L L W W L
Edinburgh- W L W W L

Last 3 Meetings
v Cardiff
02/03/08 2-3 PSL H
16/03/08 5-3 W H
13/09/08 1-6 L A

v Edinburgh
23/08/09 3-2 OTW A
24/09/08 4-2 W H
08/11/08 1-6 L H

Rays record v Cardiff @ Hull Arena (6 games)
Wins: 2
GF: 19

Rays record @ Murrayfield Ice Rink (9 games)
Wins: 3
GF: 21

In form
Stingrays- Konstantin Kalmikov- Scored Stingrays lone goal against Edinburgh last weekend.
Cardiff- Derek Campbell- Recorded a hat trick against the Edinburgh Capitals last Sunday.
Edinburgh- David Nimmo- Has socred 7 points in last 8 games.

Absentees
Stingrays- Pavel Gomenyuk (doubtful;back), Troy Neumeier (torn ligaments), Slava Koulikov (broken collarbone)
Cardiff- Brad Voth (doubtful; upper body), Marc Fulton (awaiting arrival)
Edinburgh- Pasi Raitanen (doubtful; back), Jeff Hutchins (joined Newcastle, EIHL)

Other stuff
- The Stingrays need just one goal to hit 200 goals in their two and a half year spell in the Elite League
- The Stingrays 6-1 loss against Edinburgh last weekend was the Scottish sides record away victory in the Elite League.

Predicitons
Stingrays 3-4 Cardiff
Edinburgh 2-4 Stingrays

Wednesday 12 November 2008

12th November Preview

V
Wednesday 12th November: Coventry Blaze(1st) v Excel Hull Stingrays (9th) @ Coventry Skydome, F/O 7.45pm

Form
Stingrays- L W W L L
Coventry- W W W W W

Last 3 Meetings
09/02/08 2-3 L A
20/09/08 0-2 L H
12/10/08 3-7 L A

Rays record @ Coventry Skydome (7 games)
Wins: 1 (24/09/06: 1st game @ Coventry)
Goals scored: 10

Players to watch

Stingrays- Steve Slonina- Slonina produced one of his best performances in a Stingrays shirt to date in the 6-1 loss against the Edinburgh Capitals. As a result of injuries to Pavel Gomenyuk and Troy Neumeier, Slonina, who started his career as a defenceman before converting to forward when he turned pro, was forced to cover on defence and put in a good display in a disappointing Stingrays performance. With three goals and eight assists in 11 games for the Stingrays, he will be hoping that he can put in another of those performances tonight against the league leaders.

Coventry- Jonathan Weaver- Former Hull Thunder forward Weaver, who has just returned from a disapointing Olympic qualifying with Great Britain, has been one of the top British players for several years now. The forward turned defenceman has enjoy huge success with the Blaze since he made the switch from his native Newcastle last season, winning both the league and British Knockout Cup in his first season with the club whilst establishing himself as a key performer for GB, he has continued that form this season with 25 points in 18 games so far.

Absentees
Stingrays- Pavel Gomenyuk (rib), Troy Neumeier (torn ligaments), Slava Koulikov (broken collarbone)

Prediction
Coventry 5-1 Stingrays

Sunday 9 November 2008

Saturday 8th November: Capitals crunch woeful Stingrays

Excel Hull Stingrays 1-6 Edinburgh Capitals

The Excel Hull Stingrays produced one of their poorest performances of the season in front of their home fans on Saturday at the Hull Arena against an Edinburgh Capitals side that the Rays will, come the end of the season, be closely fighting for a playoff spot with and an Edinburgh side that the Stingrays had beaten in both of their encounters this season.

The Stingrays began the game the wrong way if they wished to make it three out of three as the Capitals soon enough stormed into a two goal lead with markers from two Mark's. Mark Garside opened the scoring with a single handed move which saw him ghost through the weakened Stingrays defence and finish top shelf before Mark Hurtubise doubled the lead for the Scottish side, who have recently beaten Newcastle in a home and away double.

With the Stingrays powerplay ineffective and with both, players and fans becoming increasingly agitated by referee Andy Carson, the Stingrays coach Rick Strachan received a game misconduct for an outburst towards Carson. From there on in, with Stingrays assistant coach Slava Koulikov at the helm and minus defencemen Pavel Gomenyuk and Troy Neumeier, the Stingrays leaked goals with a Jeff Glowa goal the only bright spark in a second period that finished 5-1 in favour of the Caps.

The third period was a formality for both sides with Edinburgh adding a goal to the scoreline and the Stingrays continuing their inefficiency going forward, despite out shooting the Capitals 23-4. One of those nights for the Stingrays was completed with a spot of fighting with less than five minutes remaining on the clock, Stuart Kerr and the Capitals Adam Stefishen the willing combatants.

In the end it was the Stingrays inability to both defend and attack (I'm sure your aware of the importance of both of those things in ice hockey) that cost the Stingrays with the powerplay inefficiency(with no conversions from ten powerplays) and little if any defensive coverage for netminder Curtis Cruickshank, who went off late in the third with an apparent injury.

In a four pointer the Capitals took away the points, and in doing so put the Stingrays three points a drift in ninth place, on equal points with Basingstoke in last place with the only positive being that the Rays have three games in hand on both clubs. The Rays take to the ice this Wednesday with a fixture in Coventry, against the Blaze.


Best moment
: Jamie Thompson's huge hit on A. Capital. Mark Garside's goal for the Capitals.

Worst moment
: Jamie Thompson's huge check from behind which deservedly received 2+10. Edinburgh scoring their fifth and sixth, breaking their record for goals away from home in the Elite League.

F Block Blog MOM
- Stingrays- Steve Slonina, Edinburgh- Jeff Hutchins

Stingrays verdict
- (2/10)- Although the Rays were without Pavel Gomenyuk, Troy Neumeier and Slava Koulikov, as well as coach Rick Strachan for two periods, after three weeks of solid results, including wins over both Newcastle and Belfast, the quiet home crowd expected two points. Instead they got a terrible showing which, despite out shooting the Capitals 48-31, did little to encourage the fans that their recent form was little more than luck. The Stingrays powerplay was woeful, defensively they were poor and offensively, despite the 43 shots, they weren't much better.

Strachans verdict
:"We were already a couple of guys short and we didn't help ourselves by making stupid decisions which saw us 3-0 down. We got back in the game, gained some momentum and were all over them. But instead of going in at the end of the second period maybe 3-2 behind, we made some more stupid mistakes and it's 5-1 and game over. It was one of those nights."

Friday 7 November 2008

8th November Weekend Preview

V
Saturday 8th November: Excel Hull Stingrays (9th) v Edinburgh Capitals (8th) @ Hull Arena, F/O 5.30pm

Form
Stingrays- L L W W L
Edinburgh- L L W L W

Last 3 Meetings
08/03/08 5-2 W A
23/09/08 3-2 OTW A
24/09/08 4-2 W H

Players to watch
Stingrays- Konstantin Kalmikov (6GP 3+5 0PIM)
Edinburgh- Mark Hurtubise (22GP 7+21 12PIM)

Absentees
Stingrays- Pavel Gomenyuk (back), Slava Koulikov (broken collarbone)
Edinburgh- Kyle Horne (International duty)

Predictions
Stingrays 4-3 Edinburgh

Monday 3 November 2008

Stingray news.

- Stingrays defenceman, Pavel Gomenyuk, was injured in his first shift on Sunday night against the Sheffield Steelers. He is thought to have missed the majority of the game with a back injury, although it is unclear at the moment whether he will ice this weekend against Edinburgh.

- The Stingrays game against the Belfast Giants in Northern Ireland, on Sunday, has been cancelled. The match, which would have pit the Stingrays against the side they beat 6-3 last Saturday, is thought to have been cancelled by the EIHL due to international call-ups for Great Britains Olympic Qualifiers this week.

- Lee Mitchell, the Stingrays leading British pointscorer with three goals and seven assists in 18 games, is on the reserved list for Great Britains Olympic Qualifiers in Poland this week. Team GB kick off with a game against host side, Poland, on Thursday, before games against Japan and Romania for the right to qualify for the next round.

- Coach Rick Strachan has put new forward, Jamie Thompson's, pointless weekend down to fitness after the Canadian recorded just two penalty minutes in games against Sheffield and Belfast this weekend. Thompson, who came in to replace Rick Kozak, will be expected to score goals and put up points for the Stingrays, something he didn't do this weekend:
"I think Jamie has got a lot to offer the team. He was nowhere near match fitness. When he is I believe he will make a huge contribution to the team. He's a solid player, he's got some good hands and he can hit hard. He's very patient with the puck and will create a lot of offence." said Strachan.
Evidence of his goalscoring may not have been felt by the team, however Scott Basiuk certainly felt his ability to throw a hit, with a huge hit early in the first period which left a big impression on home fans.

- Jeff Glowa has walked away with the fans voted, player of the month for October. Glowa, who recorded five goals and five assists in seven games in October, walked away with the title ahead of forward Matt Reynolds and departed forward Rick Kozak.

Sunday 2 November 2008

Sunday 2nd November: Excel Hull Stingrays 1-2 Sheffield Steelers

2.49: 0-1 Talbot

27.48: 1-1 Kostadine

46.38: 1-2 Talbot

MOM: Stingrays- , Steelers- Brad Cruikshank

PIM: 4-6

SOG: 23-37

Stat of the night?

Konstantine Kalmikov- 5 games played, 3 goals, 5 assists for 8 points and 0 penalty minutes.

IN COMPARISON TO WHO HE REPLACED:

Jake Riddle- 9 games played, 2 goals, 2 assists for 4 points and 52 penalty minutes.

Saturday 1 November 2008

Saturday 1st November: Belfast Giants 3-6 Excel Hull Stingrays (In 3rd)

1.46: 0-1 Kalmikov (Reynolds, Wilson)
3.48: 1-1 Shields (Cheverie)

21.05: 1-2 Kalmikov (Reynolds, Mitchell)
32.36: 1-3 Slonina
35.39: 1-4 Reynolds (Slonina, Neumeier)

43.56: 2-4 Martin (Deniset)
49.11: 2-5 Kostadine (Cooke, Gomenyuk)
49.35: 3-5 Cheverie (Thornton, Howells)
59.23: 3-6 Reynolds (Kostadine, Cooke)

-Curtis Cruikshank won the battle of the goalies, facing 40 shots letting in 3, whilst GB netminder Stevie Lyle, in Belfasts net, let in 5 from 24 shots.

- Matt Reynolds ended the night with 4 points, Konstantin Kalmikov scored 2 goals, Jason Kostadine had a goal and an assists and James Cooke recorded 2 assists.

- The Stingrays recorded just their second victory in Northern Ireland, and their first at the Odeyssy Arena in Belfast.