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Saturday 7th March: Excel Hull Stingrays (9th) v Manchester Phoenix (6th) @ Hull Arena, F/O 5.30pm Sunday 8th March: Coventry Blaze (2nd) v Excel Hull Stingrays (9th) @ Coventry Skydome, F/O 6pm
Form
Stingrays: L L L L W
Manchester: W W L W W
Coventry: W W W W L
Last 3 Meetings
v Manchester
29/11/08 1-7 L H
29/01/09 0-4 L A
14/02/09 3-4 L H
v Coventry
20/12/08 7-9 L H
10/01/09 1-7 L A
31/01/09 2-6 L H
Season Series
v Manchester: 0-6, 0 points, 11GF, 30GA
v Coventry: 0-6, 0 points,14GF, 37GA
Man of Moment
Stingrays: Konstantin Kalmikov (41GP 21+20)- Scored a total of three goals and two assists in games against Belfast and Nottingham last weekend. Has scored five goals in five games after previously going scoreless in six games and sits joint second in Stingrays goals.
Manchester: Brett Clouthier (55GP 9+14)- After scoring just five goals in the first 50 games of the season, has scored four goals in the Phoenix last five games.
Coventry: Sylvain Deschateletes (56GP 29+51)- Has at least a point in his last six games, scoring 13 points in that period. Has scored seven goals in six games against the Stingrays, including five in their helter skelter 9-7 win in Hull on December 20.
Absentees
Stingrays- Stuart Kerr (knee), Paul Moran (shoulder), Jamie Thompson (doubtful; concussion)
Manchester- Full Strength
Coventry- Full Strength
Other news
- A 6-4 win over the Nottingham Panthers on Sunday prevented the Stingrays from going on their joint worst losing streak of this season as the streak was halted at five. Meanwhile Saturday's game against Manchester gives the Stingrays the chance to win consecutive games for just the fourth time this season.
- After suffering a concussion from a Nick Toney's check to the head last weekend, it remains to be seen whether Stingrays forward Jamie Thompson will return to the lineup. Initial reports speculated that Thompson looked in a bad way after the hit, and would not return this season, however on Monday morning the Rays announced that they would monitor Thompson ahead of this weekends games.
- Tonight sees Saturday's opponents the Manchester Phoenix face the Stingrays playoff rivals the Edinburgh Capitals in their game in hand over the Rays.
- This weekend the Stingrays face the only two sides whom they have yet to claim a point from this season. The closest the Stingrays have come to beating the Phoenix has been two 4-3 losses (first game of the season and second leg of the Knockout Cup Quarter final), whilst a 9-7 loss at home and a 2-0 loss away in the Challenge Cup, was the nearest the Rays came to claiming a point from the Blaze.
-The Stingrays opponents on Saturday, the Manchester Phoenix, are currently having their most successful Elite League season ever. Lead by player/coach Tony Hand, goalscoring ace David Alexandre Beauregard and defenceman Kenton Smith, the Phoenix have made the Knockout Cup and Challenge Cup finals and sit in a healthy sixth place in the league.
-The Elite League title is slowly but surely slipping away from the Coventry Blaze. A victory over the Steelers two weeks ago gave the Blaze hope of claiming first place, however a loss to the South Yorkshire side at home last weekend returned Sheffield's lead back to nine points. With just six games remaining, and the Steelers on a run of 13 victories in 16 games, the chances of a Coventry title have almost been extinguished.
- Stingrays netminder Curtis Cruickshank, forward Slava Koulikov and coach Rick Strachan were amongst a selection of Hull sporting stars that got to meet the Queen on Thursday. In Hull to officially open the new transport link at Paragon station as well as a new hospital ward at Castle Hill, the Queen met and talked with Strachan, Koulikov and Cruickshank outside the city's Ferens Art Gallery in the Queen Victoria Square.
Predictions
Stingrays 4-3 Manchester
Coventry 5-2 Stingrays
