Blaze end Stingrays run

Excel Hull Stingrays 2-5 Coventry Blaze

Sylvain Cloutier's former side, the Coventry Blaze, ended the Excel Hull Stingrays hopes of a four game game winning streak tonight with a 5-2 victory at the Hull Arena.

A Derek Campbell double gave the Blaze a 2-0 lead, however, James Archer netted his second goal and third point in three games for the Stingrays against his former side to halve the deficit.

In a closely fought game, Greg Owen then restored the two goal Coventry lead before Jason Silverthorn continued his hot form by scoring his eighth goal in seven games with 15 minutes remaining.

The Rays continued to push the Blaze back in the final 10 minutes of the game but goals from Jonathan Weaver and Luke Fulghum sealed the two points, somewhat unfairly, in favour of Coventry.

SOG: 33-39
PIM: 10-8

Three in a row for Cloutier's Stingrays

Excel Hull Stingrays 5-3 Edinburgh Capitals

The Excel Hull Stingrays extended their winning streak to a season high three games tonight with a comprehensive 5-3 victory over an understrength Edinburgh Capitals side at the Hull Arena.

More soon...

Stingrays double up on Boxing Day in Scotland

Edinburgh Capitals 3-4 Excel Hull Stingrays (SO)

The Excel Hull Stingrays tonight recorded their first away win of the season in Scotland with a 4-3 shootout victory over the Edinburgh Capitals at Murrayfield Ice Rink to record back-to-back victories for the first time in the Sylvain Cloutier era.

The Scottish side opened up the scoring only for the Stingrays to net two goals through Lee Mitchell and Jason Silverthorn to take a deserved lead against a below par Capitals.

The Caps were then to level the score twice, either side of the Stingrays third goal from Matty Davies, to send the game to overtime, before a goalless fourth period signalled penalty shots to separate the sides.

It was left to Stingrays Ukrainian forward Konstantin Kalmikov to net the only penalty shot between the two sides to give the Rays their second win in the shootout of the season and their first win away from the Hull Arena.

The two teams now face a rematch in Hull tomorrow night with the Stingrays hoping to gain a three point weekend over their seventh placed rivals.

SOG: 42-33
PIM: 19-29

26th/27th December Weekend Preview

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM F BLOCK BLOG

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Saturday 26th December: Edinburgh Capitals (7th) v Excel Hull Stingrays (8th) @ Murrayfield Ice Rink, F/O 6pm
Sunday 27th December: Excel Hull Stingrays (8th) v Edinburgh Capitals (7th) @ Hull Arena, F/O 6.30pm

Form
Stingrays: L L L L W
Edinburgh: W W L L W

Last 3 Meetings
v Edinburgh
25/10/09 3-2 L A
07/11/09 4-3 W H
06/12/09 7-4 L A

Season Series
v Edinburgh: 2-3, 4 points, 16GF, 23GA

Players to Watch
Stingrays: Jason Silverthorn (12GP 6+5 8PIM) Former Capital forward Silverthorn played a huge part in the Stingrays win over Nottingham, recording two goals and an assist in the 5-4 win. Those two goals made it five goals in four for the Canadian and his signature has been a large part in the Stingrays offensive upturn, especially with fellow forwards Konstantin Kalmikov and Curtis Huppe also reigniting that goalscoring form.

Edinburgh: Ben O'Connor (28GP 3+11 24PIM) Son of former Hull Thunder General Manager Mike O'Connor, since playing in the Ontario Hockey League as a junior, Ben has become one of Britain's biggest hopes for the future in defence. After initially signing to play for Coventry, Ben has played a pivotal role in the Caps defence recording 15 points in 28 games as well as four assists in his last four games.

Between the Pipes
Stingrays: Tommy Sandahl (30GP 4.31GAA 89.5sv.%)
Edinburgh: Cody Rudkowski (28GP 3.96GAA 89.8sv.%)

Absentees
Stingrays: Sylvain Cloutier (knee), James Hutchinson (hand)
Edinburgh: Doug Christiansen (broken patella), Darius Pliskauskas (broken finger)

Predictions
Edinburgh 3-2 Stingrays
Stingrays 4-3 Edinburgh

Archer signs two-way deal

On Sunday night, the Excel Hull Stingrays announced that the team had come to terms with English Premier League side the Sheffield Scimitars to sign 21 year old British forward James Archer on a two-way contract.The contract, the first to be handed out by the team's second ever head coach Sylvain Cloutier, allows Archer to ice for the Rays if and when the Scimitars do not have a game.

The Rays have already benefited from the former GB U20's presence twice, not least on Sunday against the Nottingham Panthers, where Archer scored his first goal at Elite League level with a cool finish that ultimately proved crucial in helping the Rays to a 5-4 victory.

That goal added to the assist he recorded in his first game as a Stingray last weekend as the Rays claimed a point in a shootout loss to that very same Panthers side. However, he does have previous Elite League experience with the Coventry Blaze, where he iced in a total of 33 games, registering just one assists.

Without doubt his development as a player has been served almost exclusively in the EPL, where he has been a very effective player with stints in his hometown Sheffield, Peterborough, where he played much of his early career, and, last season, Milton Keynes allowing him to accumulate over 140 points in 200 plus games.

So far this season the British forward has netted 14 times in the EPL for the Scimitars adding nine assists in 23 games as the Sheffield based side sit in 5th place and he will provide depth and energy to Cloutier's side for the remainder of the season.

Cloutier, who played with Archer at Coventry, revealed that he will play for the Rays in this months games against Edinburgh, on Boxing Day, and Coventry on the December 30.

"I was with James in Coventry so I know what he is capable of. He didn't get a lot of ice time with Coventry and moved on. But we have signed him on a two-way contract and he will play for us in Edinburgh and against Coventry [on December 30]. I thought he worked hard against Nottingham and took his goal well. He certainly adds some energy to our play when he is on the ice."

Stingrays triumph over Nottingham

Excel Hull Stingrays 5-4 Nottingham Panthers

A four goal second period was enough to help the Excel Hull Stingrays secure their first win in four games and just their fifth win of the season, as they came from two-nil down to beat the second placed Nottingham Panthers 5-4.

The Stingrays, once again without coach Sylvain Cloutier, James Hutchinson, Craig Mitchell and Matty Davies, were slow to get out of the blocks in a fairly uneventful first period. The Panthers did, however, take the lead early in the game as Bruce Richardson stuffed the puck past Swede Tommy Sandahl at the third time of trying on a fifth minute powerplay opportunity.

David Clarke, who bagged four in the 7-3 win over Edinburgh the night before, netted once again with less than two minutes before the firs intermission. The Panthers broke as Adam Knight was beaten to the puck on the right side, with Clarke on hand to slot past Tommy Sandahl to double their away teams lead going into the second period.

A crazy second period then ensued as the Rays registered four goals, one of the highest totals in their Elite League history, to take a 4-2 lead.

Ukrainian Konstantin Kalmikov, as he so often does, netted against his former side to give the home fans hope after a minute and 50 seconds before Jason Silverthorn rounded the back of the net and jammed in the game tying goal past Panthers keeper Kevin St-Pierre.

James Archer, playing in just his second game for the Rays after officially joining on a two-way contract from the Sheffield Scimitars prior to face-off, then netted his first goal at Elite League level, as he beat Panthers defenceman Dominic D'Armour to the puck expertly controlling it out of the air before coolly slotting past St-Pierre to give the Rays a 3-2 lead.

The scoring in the period was then rounded off as Jeff Glowa persevered after being struck in the leg by a point shot to feed the puck to player/assistant coach Curtis Huppe, who duly slotted in his third in five and eighth goal of the season to increase the Stingrays lead to two.

Things never seem to be that easy in the world of the Excel Hull Stingrays and the Nottingham Panthers were certainly not about to be easily beaten by the Elite League's bottom side.

Inspired by forward Jade Galbraith, the Panthers revival began one minute into the third as David Clarke slipped the Stingrays penalty killing net to score his second of the night on the powerplay.

That revival was short lived, however, as two minutes later Jason Silverthorn befitted from a laser of a slapshot by Konstantin Kalmikov to restore the Rays two goal lead from the following rebound with 17 minutes remaining.

There would still be time for defenceman D'Armour to score the Panthers third powerplay goal of the night on their seven attempt with less than two minutes remaining, however, the Stingrays stood tall defensively and held on for a much needed win, their second in six games.

Sylvain Cloutier has now given his side the week off after running shorthanded for much of the season so far and in the run up to Christmas before a home and away double header against the Edinburgh Capitals on December 26 and 27.

Match Highlights

Stingrays Stats
Goalscorers: Silverthorn x 2, Archer, Huppe, Kalmikov
Sandahl: 51 shots, 4 goals against
SOG: 33-51
PIM: 14-4

Good
The grit and desire showed by the Rays, encapsulated by Jeff Glowa's determination to feed Curtis Huppe for the fourth goal. Five different goal scorers for the Rays including Kalmikov, Silverthorn and Huppe who have to keep registering if the team is to win more games. The offensive threat which the Rays posed in the second and third.

Bad
The first period. A poor penalty killing percentage as they concede three powerplay goals for seven attempts. The team's defence allowing 51 shots.

F Block Blog MOM
Stingrays: James Archer (1+0) The young Brit making his second appearance for the Rays did a sterling job, scoring his first goal in professional hockey and looking very lively in providing cover for the absence of Cloutier, Hutchinson, Mitchell and Davies.

Cardiff: Jade Galbraith (?+?) Galbraith is the perfect example of a player that has turned it around. While he was nowhere near ineffective last season, notching 23 goals and 74 points, this season he already has 14 goals and 49 points and, using this game as an example, his pace, vision and skill nearly got the Panthers the points in this game.

Stingrays Verdict: 8/10
A much improved showing for the Stingrays after their 5-0 loss to Sheffield last home game and 6-0 loss to Cardiff last night.

In the first period they showed exactly why the Steelers and Devils had inflicted those scorelines, conceding two goals in a drab first 20 in which they did very little to test the shakey St-Pierre between the Panthers pipes.

However, with the first intermission gone something clicked and one goal followed by another and the team was full of confidence going forward. While they were sometimes lax in their own defensive end, when they go forward with the likes of Kalmikov, Huppe and Silverthorn confident and in-form they look a completely different side.

Tommy Sandahl between the pipes was competant and by the looks of it he has had enough of the, at times, incompetant defence in front of him, barking out after some particuarly bad marking led to one of the Panthers goals.

The key for the Rays as they hit the midpoint of the season is that they get the confidence and scoring rolling and hopefully the rest (namely the defence) should follow. If their poor form re-appears then the axe will almost certainly be wielded, especially with time running out to improve on their current eighth place, and with James Archer the perfect example of what a bit of fresh blood can bring to the side.

Cloutier's Comments

"I wasn't happy at the first break because Nottingham out-worked us. But we came out for the second period and played the way we wanted to play and stuck to the game plan. We found a way to win and I'm so proud of the guys."

Understrength Rays soundly beaten by Devils

Cardiff Devils 6-0 Excel Hull Stingrays

The Excel Hull Stingrays failed to beat the Cardiff Devils for the fifth time in six meetings this season as conceded six and were shut out by a Welsh side that has recently surged up the table into third position.

Despite being minus coach Sylvain Cloutier, defencemen James Hutchinson and Craig Mitchell and forward Matty Davies, the Rays managed to keep the scores level in the first period, however, once the Devils struck first through Mark Smith, the visitors tired and weary squad capitulated to concede a further five goals within the next 40 minutes, including a double from Max Birbraer and goals from Phil Hill, Brad Voth and Tylor Michel.

Aside from the solidity of the first period showing, in which they Rays effectively shut down the Devils, there were very few highlights for Cloutier's men, who now move on to face the Nottingham Panthers at the Hull Arena.

SOG: 41-21
PIM: 19-25

19th/20th December Weekend Preview

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Saturday 19th December: Cardiff Devils (4th) v Excel Hull Stingrays (8th) @ Cardiff Bay Ice Rink, F/O 7pm
Sunday 20th December: Excel Hull Stingrays (8th) v Nottingham Panthers (3rd) Hull Arena, F/O 6pm

Form
Stingrays: L W L L L
Cardiff: L W W L W
Nottingham: W W W L W

Last 3 Meetings
v Cardiff
26/09/09 4-1 L A
31/10/09 5-7 L H
22/11/09 5-1 L A

v Nottingham
29/09/09 2-4 L H
10/10/09 3-2 OTL A
13/12/09 4-3 SOL A

Season Series
v Cardiff: 1-4, 2 points, 13 GF, 23 GA
v Nottingham: 0-3, 2 point, 8 GF, 10 GA

Players to Watch
Stingrays: Adam Knight (23GP 2+4 138PIM) Without defencemen Craig Mitchell and James Hutchinson, versatile Knight will fill in on defence as he once again faces the same Cardiff side that saw him banned for five games earlier in the season. While he does provide the Rays with some much needed brawn, he has hit the net just twice this season after encouraging offensive displays in pre-season, and so more will be expected this weekend, even from defence.

Cardiff: Ryan Finnerty (1GP 0+4 0 PIM) After sealing the double with Sheffield last season, fierce competitor Finnerty, thought to be one of the key players in that Steelers squad, returned to the UK last weekend after beginning the season in the IHL. In his first game back he helped himself to four assists in Cardiff's surprisingly comfortable victory over Belfast as the Devils are starting to show that they have title winning capabilities.

Nottingham: Jade Galbraith (31GP 14+34 46PIM) This time last season Galbraith was being berated by the Panthers considerable fan base for his incredibly inconsistent performances while carrying some extra timber. 12 months and one apology to Nottingham fans later and there is nothing of the sort, as the Canadian sits second in the league in points (48) and has become the Panthers most consistent performer.

Between the Pipes
Stingrays: Tommy Sandahl (29GP 89.5sv.% 4.25GAA)
Cardiff: Stevie Lyle (30GP 90.8sv.% 2.86GAA)
Panthers: Kevin St-Pierre (31GP 90.8sv.% 3GAA)

Absentees
Stingrays: Sylvain Cloutier (knee), Craig Mitchell (GB U20 call up), Matty Davies (GB U20 call up), James Hutchinson (hand)

Cardiff: Full Strength

Panthers: Kevin Bergin (foot), Ross Dalgleish (shoulder), Stevie Lee (GB U20 call up), Tom Norton (GB U20 call up)

Prediction
Cardiff 2-0 Stingrays
Stingrays 2-4 Nottingham

Panthers pounce to beat Rays in shootout

Nottingham Panthers 4-3 Excel Hull Stingrays

The Excel Hull Stingrays came from a goal down on three separate occasions tonight at the Trent FM Arena but finally succumbed to the Nottingham Panthers in a shootout as temporary signing Johan Molin netted the only successful attempt

Under-fire forward Curtis Huppe finally appears to be hitting goalscoring form as he netted the Rays first goal of the night at 18.24 in responce to Corey Neilson's opening powerplay goal after less than 10 minutes.

The Rays, who had defenceman Pavel Gomenyuk back in the lineup, found themselves behind again shortly after the break thanks to Swede Molin, who netted his second of the season, shorthanded, before Konstantin Kalmikov continued his fine vein of form to score his third in five games and 16th of the season against his former side, assisted by Brit James Archer, who debuted in absence of GB under 20 internationals Matty Davies and Craig Mitchell.

Once again the Panthers came out of the gate quickly at the beginning of the third, Cameron Mann this time netting 50 seconds after the interval to restore the Panthers slight one goal lead.

Jason Silverthorn, who has eight points and four goals in ten games since joining the Rays, levelled up the scores for a third and final time, 13 minutes from the end to seal a point for bottom side.

There was still time for netminder Tommy Sandahl to deny a Jade Galbraith penalty shot with less than three minutes to go to further ensure the point for the Rays, however, Molin would again pop up in the final round of the shootout to snatch the extra point.

This game represents a big point for the Stingrays, who not only grabbed an all important point but also saw three of their big players step up to the plate and record goals.

If they are to build on this point then they such players will have to continue to contribute offensively, where the Rays are the worst in the league, while Sandahl between the pipes will have to continue to stop crucial penalty shots like the one he did towards the end of the game.

Sylvain Cloutier and his players will now be hoping to improve on this point and record back-to-back wins for the first time this season next weekend as they face Cardiff in South Wales and Nottingham, in their first home game for two weeks.

SOG: 41-39
PIM: 16-10

13th December Weekend Preview

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Sunday 13th December 2009: Nottingham Panthers (3rd) v Excel Hull Stingrays (8th) @ Trent FM Arena, F/O 4pm

Form
Stingrays: L L W L L
Nottingham: L L W W L

Last 3 Meetings
v Nottingham
30/08/09 4-3 W H
29/09/09 2-4 L H
10/10/09 3-2 OTL A

Season Series
v Nottingham: 0-2, 1 point, 4 GF, 7 GA

Players to Watch
Stingrays: Tommy Sandahl (27GP 89.4sv.% 4.31GAA) The Swedish netminder has been the main target for much of the criticism heading the Stingrays ways after their hugely disappointing start to the season. With James Sanford on the receiving end of the axe from Sylvain Cloutier, the Swede is here to stay...for now. He has admitted himself that some of his performances have not been up to scratch, and many more of those kind of showings could see him leaving stage right.

Nottingham: Johan Molin (2GP 1+0 2PIM) Another Swede, Molin has returned for, what is expected to be, his second short-term spell in the country this season following another injury to Kevin Bergin. He is currently living in Sweden and filling in for the Panthers when, and if, there are injuries to their first team squad, however, after bagging a goal in his previous two game spell in the country, if the Panthers hit any bad form, Molin would be a sure fire bet to be jetted in to sign a permanent contract until the end of the season.

Between the Pipes
Stingrays: Tommy Sandahl (27GP 89.4sv.% 4.31GAA)
Panthers: Kevin St-Pierre (29GP 90.6sv.% 3.04GAA

Absentees
Stingrays: Sylvain Cloutier (knee), Pavel Gomenyuk (doubt; rib), Craig Mitchell (GB U20 call up), Matty Davies (GB U20 call up)

Panthers: Kevin Bergin (foot), Ross Dalgleish (shoulder), Stevie Lee (GB U20 call up), Tom Norton (GB U20 call up)

Prediction
Nottingham 4-1 Stingrays

Sanford Sacked

25 year old defenceman James Sanford has become a victim of the import numbers game at the Excel Hull Stingrays, as the New Brunswick native has been released from his contract with the Elite Leaue team.

Sanford, a former Canadian junior international, was signed to replace Ryan Jorde, who was released from his contract following an 'off-ice incident', but with the Stingrays now back to full strength, following Pavel Gomenyuk's return from a rib injury, Sanford has paid the price for some questionable defensive performances.

A club statement read:

"We can confirm we have released James Sanford today. Given the fact we are missing some guys this weekend the timing is unfortunate. But a number of other factors came into play which led to us making this decision. On a positive note, we are pleased to have Pavel Gomenyuk back in the line-up for Sunday's Elite League game at Nottingham Panthers after his rib injury and we are hoping to bring in a couple of other British players to boost the roster."

More soon...

Rays on wrong end of 7-4 scoreline in Scotland

Edinburgh Capitals 7-4 Excel Hull Stingrays

The Excel Hull Stingrays conceded more than four goals for the eighth time in nine games tonight in Scotland as they went down 7-4 to the seventh placed Edinburgh Capitals.

More soon...

Match Highlights: Excel Hull Stingrays 1-5 Sheffield Steelers

Steelers romp to win in Hull

Excel Hull Stingrays 1-5 Sheffield Steelers

The Sheffield Steelers continued their dominant spell over the Excel Hull Stingrays in the Elite League with a 5-1 thrashing of the Rays in a Yorkshire derby at Hull Arena.

A landmark night for Brad Cruikshank, as he bagged a hat-trick including his 100th goal and 200th point in the Elite League, and a double from Matt Hubbauer was enough for the South Yorkshire side to win over their East Yorkshire opponents once again with relative ease after outshooting the home side 44 to 26.

The Stingrays, who were coached from the bench by former Hull Thunder player-coach Bobby McEwen, only consolation goal came in the third period from player/assistant-coach Curtis Huppe, who netted for just the sixth time in a Rays jersey, but his side, who now face Edinburgh in Scotland on Sunday night, will have been hoping for a better outcome, especially given the Steelers poor start to the season, which, prior to this game, saw them just one place above the Rays.

SOG: 44-26
PIM: 10-6

5th/6th December Weekend Preview

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Saturday 5th September: Excel Hull Stingrays (8th) v Sheffield Steelers (7th) @ Hull Arena, F/O 5.30pm
Sunday 6th September: Edinburgh Capitals (6th) v Excel Hull Stingrays (8th) @ Murrayfield Ice Rink, F/O 6pm

Form
Stingrays: L L L L W
Sheffield: W W W L L
Edinburgh: L L L W W

Last 3 Meetings
v Sheffield
22/02/09 4-2 L A
11/10/09 1-4 L H
21/11/09 4-1 L A

v Edinburgh
03/10/09 4-1 W H
25/10/09 3-2 L A
07/11/09 4-3 W H

Season Series
v Sheffield: 0-2, 0 points, 2 GF, 8 GA
v Edinburgh: 2-2, 4 points, 12 GF, 16 GA

Players to Watch
Stingrays: Jeff Glowa (23 GP 6+17 18 PIM) Season after season Glowa steps up to be the Stingrays go-to guy. Despite promises that this season would be different, it is a familiar sight at the top of the team's scoring charts, with 33 year old Glowa leading the pack with 23 points in 24 games. Although goalscoring wise he has struggled to match the form that saw him hit 33 goals last season, he broke a nine game goalless streak in the win over Belfast last weekend, in which he also netted in the shootout, and has six goals for the season, ranking him second in team scoring.

Sheffield: Joey Talbot (24GP 13+10 20 PIM) After starting his third season in Sheffield in his usual quiet but deadly manner, Talbot stepped it up on a big scale last weekend in the Continental Cup semi finals. The 29 year old Ontario native got out of his sick bed to play a massive part in the Steelers qualification for the Continental Cup final with wins over Maribor, Den Haag and Bolzano. He sits behind Jeff Legue in goals and points for the Steelers this season but has four goals in his last two Elite League games.

Edinburgh: Dan Welch (3GP 1+1 0 PIM) Brought in alongside fellow forward Marc Lefebvre to replace talented, highly paid defenceman Chris Allen, Welch made an immediate impact recording a goal and an assist in his second game back against former side Coventry Blaze to help the Caps record a crazy 8-7 victory. In 05/06 Welch played 47 games in the Elite League with Nottingham and Coventry, scoring 23 goals and 46 points. He continued his European adventure with spells in France, Switzerland and Denmark between 2006 and 2009 before returning to the ECHL and CHL, where he signed from two weeks ago.

Between the Pipes
Stingrays: Tommy Sandahl (25 GP 4.21 GAA 89.7 sv.%)
Sheffield: Andrew Verner (15 GP 3.5 GAA 89.6 sv.%)
Edinburgh: Cody Rudkowski (21 GP 3.75 GAA 90.1 sv.%)

Absentees
Stingrays: Pavel Gomenyuk (doubt; rib)
Sheffield: Scott Basiuk (back), Rod Sarich (broken thumb)
Edinburgh: Doug Christiansen (broken patella), Martin Cingel (knee), Darius Pliskauskas (broken finger)

Predictions
Stingrays 3-4 Sheffield
Edinburgh 2-3 Stingrays

Match Highlights: Excel Hull Stingrays 3-2 Belfast Giants